JaxAngels’ Post

Choose Your Devils I generally work with CNBC playing in the background. Money makes the world go ‘round and I like to have an idea of where it is going. It also plays well into my ADHD, but I digress. Over the last few weeks, I have watched as two business moguls fought a proxy battle, Bob Iger as CEO of Disney, and Nelson Peltz, an investor and notorious wager of proxy wars. Ultimately, Disney prevailed and status quo was maintained, but at a cost of millions and millions of dollars and hundreds if not thousands of people hours were dedicated to the endeavor. Watching all of this play out reminded me of the importance of choosing your devil. While publicly traded companies don’t necessarily have the ability to choose their investors, startups do. Yes, investors are the life blood of companies, from startups to giga cap corporations. Yes, you have to have capital to make a company run. Many times, though, the entrepreneurial community focuses myopically on getting investment, pitching, polishing, slide decking, and networking, that we forget we should and must choose who we bring into our companies wisely. As a founder or executive of a startup, it is even more important to evaluate the person or people behind investments and what they bring to your table because their expertise and the willingness to lend time and advice is often time more important than the money that comes with it. You should seek strategic partners rather than dead money investors who may become adversarial in tough times, taking up precious time and resources. While pitching your idea and your company is very important, so is active listening, questioning, and interviewing to find good fits. As an executive, you should be trading equal value for value, both in monetary and people capital. There are so many devils that exist in entrepreneurship, you should choose people to help you solve them. Hopefully they will become partners to help with the future battle with Nelson Peltz.

Identifying the right influencer at the right time helped this serial entrepreneur scale his vision When DARIUS MIRSHAHZADEH asked himself whom he needed to “enroll” in the success of his business to “10x” its size, he wrote down one name: Joe Duran.... Ultimately, the partners of Rise Growth Partners aim to help their firms scale up, using the Scaling Up platform and other tools in their repertoire. Says Mirshahzadeh, “We want to make sure they are optimizing their organic growth.” Fortunately, the Scaling Up platform can be just as useful in helping investment firms scale as it was when he first began using it in his real estate lending endeavors. #scalingup #exitplanning Verne Harnish Scaling Up: A Gazelles Company

One of the things God has been challenging me with is my need to people please. I’ve been *blessed* with that golden retriever personality type - where I assume that everyone wants to be my friend. I’ve literally been like this since I was a child. According to my Dad, I would stare at people at the supermarket until they looked back at me, and then I would smile back with a giant toothy grin. 😂 Now as a business woman and entrepreneur with a giant calling, I can’t make decisions based on whether or not someone likes me. Which is tough. In Galatians 1, it talks about whether we are to seek the approval of man or of God. And if we are truly followers of Christ, only one opinion matters - God’s. As a pioneer, I am called to start a new path that no one has paved before. In my experience, most people have one of three responses, 1) think I’m foolish for taking a risk; 2) think I’m unqualified for doing so, or 3) think it’s a dead end. If you are a founder, you know what I’m talking about. But according to scripture, it doesn’t matter if people on are board with what I’m doing or not. What matters is that I’m doing what I’m called to do. — If you are a faith-driven, America-first pioneer, check out CanaGlobal Network LLC. CanaGlobal has created a greenhouse for Kingdom ventures and their maverick founders. To tap into their resources, visit CanaGlobal (.org) and click on "Start Here". + Daily Newsletter + Entrepreneur School + Church for Entrepreneurs + Elevate Incubator + CG Venture Studio PS ... Join their weekly virtual gathering on zoom, every Thursday at 10a MST. They call it Church for Entrepreneurs, go to their website for an invite.

#fcbookexcerpt Balaji Srinivasan, entrepreneur and investor, draws our attention to one thing that often differentiates a good founder and a bad founder. Idea Map. Here’s an excerpt from Eric Jorgenson’s The Anthology of Balaji. “Good founders don’t just have ideas; they have a bird’s eye view of the idea maze. Most of the time, people see only the journey and result of one company. They don’t see the paths not taken and don’t think at all about the companies that fell into various traps and died before reaching customers. The maze is a good analogy. Sometimes there are pits you can’t cross. Sometimes you can get past a particular monster and enter a new market only after you’ve gained a treasure in another area of the maze. Sometimes the maze changes over time, and new doors open as new technologies arrive. Sometimes there are pits that are uncrossable for you but are crossable for another. Sometimes pitfalls are apparent only when one company reaches scale, and the solution requires re-entering the maze at the very beginning with a new weapon. A good founder is capable of anticipating which turns lead to treasure and which lead to certain death. A bad founder runs to the entrance of a maze without any sense for the history of the industry, the players in the maze, the casualties of the past, or the technologies likely to move walls and change assumptions. A good idea means having a bird’s eye view of the idea maze, understanding variations of the idea across branching decisions, and gaming things out to the end of each scenario. Anyone can point out the entrance to the maze, but few can think through all the branches.”

"The stock market is too risky for funding a business." I hear this all the time. And I respectfully disagree. Over the past 17 years, I've watched countless entrepreneurs turn market knowledge into startup capital. It's not about gambling – it's about strategy. Here's what I've seen: • A tech founder fully funding their MVP through calculated trades • A small business owner expanding to 3 new locations using market profits • A solopreneur quitting their 9-5 job, backed by a trading safety net These aren't flukes. They're the result of education, discipline, and execution. I've trained over 200,000 people in stock market strategies. Many have gone on to fund their business dreams. No hype, no get-rich-quick schemes. Just solid financial skills applied to entrepreneurial goals. The market isn't just for day traders or big institutions. It's a tool for visionary entrepreneurs who understand its potential. With the right approach, it can be the catalyst for your next big move. What's holding you back from leveraging this powerful resource? Curious about how this could work for you? Let's talk. Your next big business move might be closer than you think. #StockMarket #EntrepreneurialFunding #FinancialEducation

Want to attract (look very sexy) to investors? Produce profitable revenue. THIS. Is the law of attraction. To those founders who have the courage, who have invested the time to learn RevOps, building the revenue engine that attracts new customers, you will ALSO attract investors. BAM. (read that again) Why? Because you are proven. You aren't merely spectators, talking a big game (wishful thinkers-stinkers), you are doers. Nothing more sexy than a bootstrapper who produces profitable revenue, becomes investor ready, and positioned to scale. - This ain't lipstick on a pig - Not a fathom unicorn - But an oak tree with established roots. BTW, Webster's definition of a bootstapper: As in powerhouse. an ambitious person who eagerly goes after what is desired he was the proverbial bootstrapper, having worked his way up from the mail room to the corner office. powerhouse. Gotta love that! >> God's definition of the same: And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity]. (Psalm 1:3 AMP) When you are a Kingdom-Minded entrepreneur filled with the Holy Spirit and full of faith ... WATCH OUT, you are a walking talking blessing — blessed beyond measure to be a blessing to others. This is why we created CanaGlobal's Elevate Incubator. To grow from Spectator to Player mode. -Gerald ~~~ At CanaGlobal, we’ve created a greenhouse for Kingdom ventures and their maverick founders. To tap into our resources, visit CanaGlobal (.org) and click on "Start Here". PS ... Join our weekly virtual gathering on zoom, every Thursday at 10a MST. We call it Church for Entrepreneurs, go to our website for an invite.

Social divisions are as palpable as ever, and #entrepreneurs from marginalized communities are especially affected. Can #VCs help create more community for the benefit of these founders, and themselves? In his latest for Crunchbase News, our founder Semyon Dukach shares his take on how the fate of many #founders usually lies in the hands of #investors and fellow VCs. “In times like these, we should be using our power to create a community that’s bigger than a firm, company or capital.” Read more at the link below!  https://lnkd.in/eT3CfnXK

"Roslin Concepts: Crafting Genuine Connections in the Digital Age" Roslin Concepts, a visionary approach to internet entrepreneurship, goes beyond the conventional methods of online money-making. In a digital landscape saturated with fleeting trends, Roslin Concepts focuses on building something real that truly matters to people. The cornerstone of Roslin Concepts lies in understanding the profound impact the internet has on our lives and leveraging it to create meaningful connections and value. While many online ventures chase quick profits through ephemeral schemes, Roslin Concepts takes a deliberate path, emphasizing authenticity and sustainability. At the core of this concept is the belief that the internet can be a force for positive change, not just a platform for financial gains. Instead of merely capitalizing on trends, Roslin Concepts seeks to identify genuine needs and address them with innovative solutions. This approach not only ensures a more stable and enduring business model but also contributes to the betterment of individuals and communities. The essence of making money with Roslin Concepts is rooted in building real-world solutions that resonate with people's lives. It prioritizes authenticity over gimmicks, fostering trust and loyalty among users. Whether it's developing a useful app, creating educational content, or offering a service that genuinely improves people's experiences, Roslin Concepts aligns its endeavors with the principles of integrity and value. In an era where the online world is often criticized for its superficiality, Roslin Concepts stands out by creating ventures that matter on a human level. By understanding the authentic needs and aspirations of its audience, Roslin Concepts builds ventures that not only generate revenue but also leave a positive and lasting impact. In conclusion, Roslin Concepts redefines internet entrepreneurship by emphasizing the creation of real, meaningful connections and solutions. Instead of chasing short-term gains, it focuses on building ventures that matter to people, fostering a sustainable and authentic approach to making money in the digital age. #KnowledgeIsWealth #InvestInYourMind #IntellectualGrowth #LearnEveryday #MindOverMatter #WisdomInvestment #CultivateCuriosity #LifelongLearner #BrainCapital #FeedYourMind #ThinkAndThrive #EducateEmpowerExcel

I saw 1,000s of startup pitches before I realized: Pitching is the least important part of fundraising. Understanding this will change your whole fundraising process today. 🧠 What is a pitch? It’s all about: 1. Where you are today 2. A vision for the future Those are points in time. They’re ideas. 💡 But everyone knows: Ideas are cheap. The giant gap between those ideas? That’s called execution. 🪓 Execution is rare. Execution is expensive. Anyone can talk a good game. But you’ll actually deliver. How do you prove this to VCs? 👉 Investor updates A pitch tells investors your desired destination. Updates show them you know the way there. Your first pitch charts the course. But your updates show them a step on the path. Then another step. …and another. Want to close capital in 2024? 💰 Start regularly updating prospective investors. Spend as much time on this as your pitch. Tell VCs where you’re going. Break it down into small pieces. Then build momentum. Every week. Step by step. _____ Was this was helpful? Please 👍 like and ♻️ repost it to help other entrepreneurs.