Sterling Road’s Post

All founders should be able to tell the story Although the CEO does most of the public messaging work for a company, all founders should be able to tell the story. Here's why: 1. Expectations. If you're a founder of a company, most people will rightly expect you to be able to explain the basics of what your company does and why. If you can't it won't look good. 2. More than Fundraising. Basic storytelling isn't just needed for fundraising. You will also need to convince people during the sales and hiring process, and as a founder you should expect to be involved in both. 3. Talent not Required. Even if you don't have natural communication skills, this is something you can learn with a little time and practice. It's important to evolve. #founders #startups

6 year vesting schedules have existed for a while. Now it’s happening more often to protect founders, but it’s definitely not the norm. If you’re curious about how they work, we break it down in the latest episode of The Startup Help Desk Podcast: https://lnkd.in/ggnZttnx

How to Use Conferences for Lead Generation A lot of Sterling Road founders ask me how to make the most of a conference they're attending. Here's the basics: 1. You Don't Need a Booth. Booths are expensive and don't guarantee meetings. Instead try to get a discount on a ticket as you're a poor, early stage founder with minimal budget. 2. Outreach to Attendees. Attendee lists aren't usually hard to find, so reach out to pretty much everyone who's going and ask them for a meeting. People are there to meet others in the industry, so this yields a high response rate. 3. Camp Out Nearby. Find a comfortable restaurant or cafe near the convention center to take your meetings, a booth or a large table is all you need and the establishment owner will be grateful for your full day of drinks and food orders. #founders #conferences

I always hear lots of excuses from founders about why they need to keep a bad salesperson on staff, here’s the real reason: