Founder Fridays No. 148
Happy Friday.
$0-$5 Million
When every deal closes differently, how do you build repeatability? The dangerous trap isn't lacking deals — it's mistaking founder-led wins (warm intros, friendly customers, lucky breaks) for a scalable sales process. Before hiring your next rep, map your buyer's journey through four clear stages: awareness, interest, evaluation and conversion. Focus ruthlessly on two to three personas maximum, establish funnel metrics that reveal where deals break and translate your founder magic into repeatable tactics that any hire can execute. First Round Review (9 minutes)
You Need a Fixer
Your best employee probably has the worst job title and sits in the most boring department. These "fixers" tackle complex problems that fall between departments, working without formal authority but with CEO-level access to cut through coordination gaps that traditional hierarchies can't handle. They're not firefighters or project managers, but organizational connective tissue who translate between silos and focus relentlessly on outcomes over process. If problems persist longer than they should and you're constantly pulled into operational weeds, you don't need better processes — you need a fixer with cross-functional credibility and permission to operate like your company's mechanic. Designing Work (8 minutes)
The NVIDIA Story (2006-2022)
By 2012, NVIDIA was on a decade-long road to nowhere. Or so most rational observers of the company thought. CEO Jensen Huang was plowing all the cash from the company’s gaming business into building a highly speculative platform with few clear use cases and no obviously large market opportunity. And then a miracle happened. A miracle that led not only to NVIDIA becoming the eighth largest market cap company in the world, but also nearly every internet and technology innovation that’s happened in the decade since. Machines learned how to learn. And they learned it on NVIDIA. Acquired Briefing (12 minutes)
Founder FAQ: How Do I Onboard Employees?
Most founders treat onboarding like paperwork when it's actually their cheapest retention tool. Haphazard onboarding creates overwhelmed, confused employees who quit faster and produce less, turning what should be your growth accelerator into a revolving door of wasted hiring costs. A proper onboarding process that starts before day one and continues through probation sets clear expectations for both sides, giving new hires the resources they need to be effective immediately. Early-stage startups that invest in structured onboarding see faster productivity ramp-up and dramatically lower turnover rates than those who wing it. Westaway (5 minutes)
Startup Funding Guides
I’ve put together a series of guides to equip founders to excel at fundraising. These guides break down the deal term by term and give you negotiation tips so that you can speak to investors with confidence.
Convertible Note: Guide / Video
Is the Billable Hour Right for Startups?
Most law firms bill startups by the hour because that's the status quo. But while it may work for big companies, the billable hour is likely the wrong model for startups. Why?
It incentivizes inefficiency. Firms are motivated to pad hours rather than work efficiently. This adds unnecessary costs.
It rewards busywork over results. Startups care about outcomes, not hours logged.
Costs are unpredictable. With fluctuating monthly hours, legal spend is hard to budget.
It stifles innovation. Hourly billing gives no incentive to find better solutions. Startups need forward-thinking counsel focused on results. That's why we've ditched the billable hour for transparent flat fees.
If you're ready to explore a law firm with a better billing model, let's talk.