Are you a founder struggling to navigate the complexities of startups and venture capital? Or a seasoned entrepreneur seeking additional guidance and perspective? Look no further. Literally Helping Startups is on a mission to revolutionize the startup landscape, and we're here to empower you like never before.
No hidden fees, no empty promises. Unlike other institutions, we provide our comprehensive services without equity or a fee. We believe that knowledge and support should be accessible to all founders, regardless of their financial resources.
With our wealth of experience and expertise, our team has helped thousands of startups with critical topics such as pitch decks, fundraising, go-to-market strategies, team building, and more. But we don't stop there.
We've identified a massive gap between investors and founders, and we're determined to bridge it. Our unwavering commitment is to empower founders at every stage of their journey, from early-stage startups to serial entrepreneurs. We're dedicated to helping you understand the industry without incurring exorbitant costs.
At Literally Helping Startups, we're not just another redundant provider or accelerator. We're a catalyst for change, dedicated to transforming startups into success stories. Reach out to us today and experience the difference as we empower you to achieve your startup goals.
In just 8 hours, I entered a pitch competition and won $1000!
When I saw Jonny Boyarsky’s LinkedIn post calling for founders to participate in a flash pitch competition, I knew I had to join.
I signed up, and by 3 pm, I was selected as a finalist. By 4 pm, I gave my pitch!
I am proud to say that I won $1,000!
This funding is crucial as we prepare to launch Elcove in retail, making our sustainable products accessible to everyone.
The spontaneity of this competition was so much fun and learning about the other finalist's companies was inspiring. Every company is making such an incredible impact.
I am extremely thankful to Jonny, Silicon Valley Bank, and Literally Helping Startups for setting up this incredible event and changing founders' lives.
Thank you to the judges Aidan Kittredge, Matt Fotheringham, and Ben Maitland-Lewis your job was tough with such outstanding companies, and I am so grateful that you thought Elcove was worthy of first place!
Thank you to everyone who made this possible!
We're giving away $1,000 to a startup founder TODAY!
In order to support founders, Literally Helping Startups has teamed up with Silicon Valley Bank Valley Bank to put on the National Founder's Flash Pitch Giveaway.
To enter:
1) Like this post, comment your startup's name, a two sentence description, and one traction point.
2) Enter your email, startup name, and similar info here ➡ https://lnkd.in/eHfHd6Wp
*You must be based in the US or have a US entity.
Each of our 4 judges will select their favorite and the 5th finalist will be picked by most likes so get your friends and supporters to like your comment!
The 5 finalists will be picked at 2pm EST to then pitch live for 3 minutes at 4pm EST today!
The Prizes:
1st Place: $1,000
2nd-5th: A free 30 minute startup advisory session with a startup expert.
Huge shoutout to our judges (Aidan Kittredge, Matt Fotheringham, and Ben Maitland-Lewis).
#founders#pitch#1kgiveaway
A positive pitch can increase your funding probability by 35%. Surprisingly, not many founders and startups know this.
Thats why Literally Helping Startups and HubSpot For Startups have teamed up to offer FREE pitch review sessions. Refining your pitch can make a significant difference, and we want to help.
Apply through the link in my bio to meet with either Jonny Boyarsky or myself.
🌟 Please like and share so we can assist more founders! 🌟
Shout out to Daniel Gallagher and Scott Murray for the support!
#Startups#Pitching#Funding
A Lesson in How NOT to Handle Your Customers By the CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill:
As many of you know, and for those who don’t, Chipotle’s portion sizes have been criticized for being below average. People have been making memes and frequently posting about it. As someone who has been to Chipotle a few times—okay, a million times— I found this video to be a great lesson in how NOT to handle your customers.
Even though the CEO seems friendly enough, there are subtle indications and responses that show a disconnect with his customer base and product.
⚫ Example One:
Immediately in the video, he says, "Our portions haven't gotten smaller."
There’s a story about Jeff Bezos and Amazon where customers were complaining about long wait times for customer service. The executives assured him, based on data, that these were just unruly customers who would never be happy. Jeff intuitively said, "Fine, let's call them right now." He pulled out his phone and called customer service. Lo and behold, the wait time was longer than the standard they set at Amazon, proving the data and executives wrong.
🔴 Lesson One:
Trust But Verify- If it quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it’s probably a duck. Most customers won’t go out of their way to make you a trending meme without the experience resonating with a large audience. I doubt the CEO of Chipotle has verified that this isn’t occurring outside of conversations with his executive team. Verify instances of customer complaints and don’t rely solely on data and upper management.
🔴 Lesson Two:
Don’t Get Defensive. The CEO quickly responds with like mentioned above, “Our portion sizes have not gotten smaller,” immediately devaluing the customer. Instead, he could have said, “We have heard the customer complaints and are making sure you are getting the right portion size.” This would indicate a proactive approach rather than a defensive one.
⚫ Example Two:
He says in the video that you should just ask for a little extra if you want, and the staff will be happy to accommodate.
🔴 Lesson Three:
You Shouldn’t Have To Ask- The best customer service, products, and experiences make it easier and more enjoyable for the customer. Having to "ask" is usually the opposite of this experience. The ideal experience for Chipotle would be customers coming in and being satisfied without having to ask. Nobody ever got mad for getting too much food.
Even though this video is short, it’s a great example of the disconnect that can occur when handling your customers and how NOT to approach it.
If Chipotle Mexican Grill wants to hire me for consulting, I’ll accept payment in food.
#Entrepreneurship#CustomerService#Startups
Do you want to know the # 1 reason startups, and arguably most businesses, fail? It's not cash or product-market fit.
Its the team. "65% of new ventures fail because of people issues — and specifically issues with senior executives. This and another recent study align with our experience: it’s not flawed technology, a misguided product, or a lack of cash that causes most failures among new ventures; it’s an inability to get the right team on board and collaborating effectively."
Some Reason's Why:
🔵 Adaptability: The right team will identify product-market fit and know when to pivot to meet evolving customer needs and market demands.
🔵 Resilience: A strong team will persevere through the inevitable challenges and setbacks that startups face.
🔵 Financial Savvy: The right team will find creative ways to achieve positive cash flow and maintain financial stability.
🔵 Problem-Solving: A capable team will develop innovative solutions to complex problems, even when the path forward seems unclear.
As an early-stage founder, making the right team decisions can be daunting, but it's a critical investment of time and effort. Building a talented, cohesive, and adaptable team is the foundation upon which successful startups are built.
Don't sleep on your team. From my experience 99.9% why companies fail, is the team! Not just 65% 🙌
#Entrepreneurship#Startups#Team#Building
fundraisingplaybooks.com | next masterclass 31/07 sign up via website
🚨 Save the date!! 🚨 On Wednesday, 22nd May, with Literally Helping Startups + HubSpot For Startups we're running an online workshop on Cold Emailing and Outreach to Investors - the kind that actually gets you replies.
I'll be sharing an email template that a Founder used to cold email a VC and got a reply just 20 minutes later, inviting them to investment discussions, as well as my own cold emails that got me replies from Partners at Sequoia, a16z, and other major funds.
SIGN UP HERE >> https://lnkd.in/dct6Nziw#capitalraising#vcfunding#startups#startupfounders#freewebinar
Jason M. Lemkin successfully raised his $2.5 million seed round through cold outreach, while Joe Speiser has raised an impressive $20 million for his startups using the help of cold outreach.
Although most cold outreach attempts are ineffective due to lack of quality, improper targeting, and poor messaging, it can yield significant results when executed properly.
We are excited to invite you to Literally Helping Startups and HubSpot upcoming session on this topic, where we will provide valuable insights on crafting effective cold outreach to investors. Eva Dobrzanska will teach you how to create compelling outreach messages, and Daniel Gallagher will demonstrate how to streamline the process using HubSpot.
This session is an excellent opportunity to learn not only how to write engaging cold emails but also how to make the entire process more efficient.
Please check out the event details!
🔴 Link Here:https://lnkd.in/gUakGU-R
🔴 When: Tomorrow, 22nd of May! 1pm EST
How to Close your Fundraising Round in 10 steps? 🪜 here's an early-stage startup fundraising timeline with what you need to do & in which order to get to the point where you hear "Funds have been transferred" asap.
When it comes to point 4 (INVESTOR OUTREACH), I'm running a Masterclass on this topic with Daniel Gallagher & Scott Murray of HubSpot For Startups and Robert McIntosh of Literally Helping Startups.
Cold Emailing Investors Like a Pro Workshop
📅 Weds, 22nd May 2024
⏰ 6pm BST (aka, 10am PT)
💻 online via Zoom, sign up here https://lnkd.in/dct6Nziw
Hoping this will be useful to those of you raising early-stage or thinking to start raising, but unsure on where to begin and in which order things happen.
#earlystagestartups#raisingcapital#vcfunding#startups#startupadvice
Over the weekend, I received abundantly positive feedback after my last Masterclass and couldn't be happier 🥹 My sessions are designed with 1 North Star Goal in mind: help Founders cut down time spent on fundraising, by doing it better.
Hearing directly from them that the Masterclass itself was:
- loaded full of gems,
- a fantastic value,
- so worthy of attending,
- packed with valuable information,
- filled with pragmatic recommendations, sources, and examples,
- full of actionable and practical examples that can easily be followed and implemented...
...is exactly what motivates and inspires me to deliver them.
A huge THANK YOU to everyone attending. I think at one point, we were 300+ strong.
Daniel Gallagher and Scott Murray of HubSpot For Startups are hosting me to deliver the next Masterclass, teamed up with Robert McIntosh and Literally Helping Startups, and we're running it on 22nd May 🥳 🥳
Sign up here -> https://lnkd.in/dct6Nziw#capitalraising#startupfounders#vcfunding#startupevents#fundraisingplaybooks
Rejection only becomes real when you hear a definitive 'no.'
Hustle Fund's fundraising journey exemplifies this idea. Eric Bahn, one of the founders, reached out to an investor 12 times without a response. However, on the 13th attempt, the investor finally replied and ended up committing half a million dollars to Hustle Fund.
This story underscores the importance of persistence. Many people, myself included, might have given up after 3 or 4 follow-ups. Yet, it serves as a powerful reminder to keep pushing until you receive a definitive "no."
On another note, had Eric Bahn attended Eva Dobrzanska's cold outreach masterclass, his efforts might have been even more effective. Join us for the event, organized in collaboration with Literally Helping Startups and HubSpot, for valuable insights to enhance your outreach strategies and the tools to be efficient.
Don't say 'No' to this!
🚨 Link is in my bio(Robert McIntosh)
#Entrepreneurship#ColdOutreach#Investment
