Scaling Point Blog
Think you’ve hit a wall? It’s only the next step.
Like most entrepreneurs who are trying to achieve big things, I pay attention to what’s working and what’s not. Some things are working pretty well for me, so I keep doing them. Other things are not working so well. I’m struggling or stuck. What used to work no longer...
How a startup founder fixed his investor pitch
Last week I helped the founder of a software company with his 15-slide presentation for potential investors. His senior leadership team was there to contribute. We had already done the work on their focus strategy and growth plan, so the pieces were falling into place...
How to hire the right marketing leader for your startup
Every week, a CEO or business owner asks me if I know any great marketing leaders who could join their company to help them grow faster. I know a lot of great marketers, but my response to them is always the same: “It depends. What kind of marketing leader are you...
Your business is defined by what you say no to
Your audience doesn’t always hear you as clearly as you think they do. What your business is and why it exists may be clear in your head, but most entrepreneurs are surprised when they ask their prospects, customers and even their own employees to describe their...
The 13 Essential Slides in a Great Investor Pitch Deck [PDF EBOOK]
This pitch deck template contains the core elements that investors expect you to cover when you first present your company. Miss one of these key elements and your story is incomplete. Fortunately, these elements are the same whether you are raising money from angel...
Startup or Small Business? The Crucial Difference is a Choice by Founders
Small businesses and startups look more similar than ever. Quick, can you tell if this is a small business or a startup? Growing 30 percent a year with 10 employees Subscription business model with customers across the country Digitally-powered products and services...
Entrepreneurs are eternal optimists, but we struggle too
At a recent event for Phoenix tech leaders, fellow entrepreneur Adam Toren and I were catching up over beers. Adam waved to a friend across the room. Gabe walked over to join us. “Hey Gabe. How’s it going?” Adam asked. “Great!” Gabe said with a smile. Not knowing...
Three brothers and their billion-dollar businesses
Last Friday I had the opportunity to interview three entrepreneurs who have created billion dollar companies at the Venture Madness investor event in Phoenix: Justin Kan, Steve Huffman and Daniel Kan. Justin, Steve and Daniel have each created companies worth over a...
How your startup can be more credible and less crazy-looking
Have you ever delivered a great sales pitch to an ideal buyer but they didn’t call you back? Or made a great presentation about your new business idea but the audience didn’t buy in? Your pitch may have been flawless, your argument clear and your demo powerful. Still,...
27 awesome SaaS metrics resources
The software industry has almost finished its 10-year conversion to SaaS (software as a service). It's software that runs on PCs, web browsers and mobile devices, and is centrally hosted on servers outside our data centers (in “the cloud”). This technology change has...
12 Strategic Planning Exercises to Help You Get Amazing Results Next Year
If you are like most early-stage entrepreneurs, you set aggressive goals. You probably got a lot done this year, but you still came up short on achieving everything on your plan. Now it's time to assess how you did this year and determine what needs to happen next...
The startup story of Guitar Hero, the mega-hit that almost didn’t happen
A few months ago, I had a long conversation over dinner with entrepreneur and investor Michael Dornbrook. I got to hear how his startup company went from long-suffering video game creator to one of the most successful companies of its time. Michael has a great story....