I asked: “Why did you quit your hedge fund job, pack up everything you had and move to a new city to start a risky company?” He replied: “I wanted to minimize life’s regrets. You regret acts of omission, not acts of commission. You regret what you didn’t do rather than what you did do.” I
Category: Entrepreneurship
Peace
I’ve felt many things in my life. Peace is my favorite. It’s the kind of peace that surpasses all understanding. In my teens, I felt a great deal of turmoil. The usual adolescent stuff. In college, I felt a great deal of personal growth, but, also, uncertainty. Will I flunk out? Will I get a
Risk
Risk is an interesting thing. It’s always there, and how you divide it is the key question. I this morning read about Spotify’s $1 billion convertible note financing. Some interesting terms have been leaked, though I don’t know why the company would want those out in the market. And, I’m sure, there are other terms.
The Most Important Four Numbers in a Board Deck
I attend many board meetings and have done so through multiple market cycles. Regardless of your business model, I think ultimately four numbers are the most important. I call them The Big Four. The numbers may reflect whatever is most relevant for your companies: they could be pageviews, active number of users, or revenues. But, to
Trust
Do you “like” and “respect” someone? But, do you “trust” that person? I learned about that today. This morning, I spoke with a potential executive hire for one of our companies. I asked him what he thought of that company founder. Without hesitation, he said, “I like, respect, and trust that person.” At Kepha, we
Progress Is a Cloud of Dust
I think progress is about a cloud of dust. Here’s what I mean. We’re entering now, in mainstream media, the “tough” part of the start-up cycle. As the stock market becomes more volatile, more and more stories are being written about start-ups that may fail. It’s a curious and fairly predictable phenomenon. The mainstream press,