7 Events Atlanta-preneurs Need On Their Calendars
Don't miss these!
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Big events, small events, panels, parties, workouts, virtual — whatever your style, the next few months are packed with potential!
Here are a few that I’ll be hosting or attending.
Can you make it? What type of events are your favorite? Do you dislike networking like I do? 😉
Please feel free to add other events you’re excited about in the comments!
📅 Fri, May 16, 6:45a
📅 Wed, June 11, 6:45a (Atlanta Tech Week edition!)
📍Tech Square - Biltmore Ballrooms
We had so much fun in April, we’re doing TWO MORE JOGS!
Huge thank you to Julie Pierre and Katie Begando for hosting. 🙏🙏🙏
Nothing brings people together like suffering, I mean, running! Very friendly, lots of selfie stops and shortcuts, with coffee (and water 🥵) at the end.
📅 Tue, June 10, 9-10:30a
📍Atlanta Tech Village
During the “Buckhead Tuesday” of Atlanta Tech Week, I’ll be kicking off Startup Summer School presenting on my favorite topic — how to build a big-ass business!
We’ll cover things like how to:
choose the right idea
find your first customers
raise the money you need
confidently lead
…even if you don’t have a tech background.
Event is listed here and register for an Atlanta Tech Week day pass to attend.
Let me know if I should look for you!
📅 Mon, June 8 - Fri, June 11
📍All Over Atlanta!
The biggest week of the spring with over 200+ events across the city, powered by Render ATL.
OF COURSE, I’ll be heading to South Downtown, sharing about billion dollar companies (see #2), and joining the Founder Funder Jog (see #1).
Specific events and schedule are being finalized now so check back to get the latest.
📅 Fri, May 16, 1-2p
📍Atlanta Tech Village
Led by the brilliant Jacey Cadet, get *FREE* help on your startup pitch!
Every first and third Friday at Atlanta Tech Village Buckhead.
I heard from an inside source (shhhh…😉) a regular session at Atlanta Tech Village Sylvan will be added soon.
📅 Thu, June 5, 12p
📍Virtual
Join me and fellow Atlanta Ventures partner, A.T. Gimbel, for an informal Q&A sesh.
Common topics include fundraising, product development, how to get early customers, what we look for when investing, and more!
We do these every month so if you can’t make this one, join next time.
📅 Tue, May 20 - Wed, May 21
📍Charlotte, NC
Check out this 2-day capital summit (kicks off next week!) in one of my favorite Southeastern startup cities.
Led by gWen and Innovate Charlotte, there’s a $100,000 pitch prize, fireside chats (including Eric Spett of Scalebound), and alllll the networking for early stage startups and investors.
📅 Wed, Oct 15 - Thu, Oct 16
📍Woodruff Arts Center
MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW!
Venture Atlanta is the largest venture conference in the Southeast. (Prepare yourself.)
Get your tickets and start planning your happy hour/networking/pitch strategy today.
Insider tip: the Founder Funder Jog and Female Founder dinner were a blast last year!
Did I miss something? Absolutely! I can never capture all that’s going on in this bustling startup world!
Here are some of my favorite event calendars:
And even more — a list of my favorite resources, groups, and tactics for getting a pulse on Atlanta and finding other tech folks.
Please feel free to drop other upcoming events with details and registration links in the comments below! 👇
Why VCs think about canoes during pitch meetings.
Read MoreWant to get into the head of an investor?
(Do. Not. Recommend. I’m here and it’s terrifying. 😂😂😂)
Seriously though, have you ever wondered what investors looking for when they hear a pitch or meet a founder?
Just like when startups hire, every firm has different values and priorities but here are 5 common “green flags” that investors (including Atlanta Ventures!) look for in founders.
Can they sell?
Selling doesn’t mean greasy used car dealer.
It means compelling storytelling and the ability to transfer belief.
(And it’s why tech sales reps make great startup CEOs.)
Can you get others excited about your vision? Will you be able to get customers, investors, and future employees on board?
#PROTIP
If you don’t have a sales background, you can learn! Here are some great sales books and sales thought leaders to get you started.
Do they want to build a billion dollar company???
Even if a founder is secretly happy with a $100M exit (and who’s not? 😂), they’ve got to relentlessly go after a huge market to build even a mid-sized startup.
(Here’s why investors love — and require — startups building in big markets.)
That drive for greatness keeps you going even when shit is hitting the fan and you could make 6 (or 7!) figures working a corporate job.
Yes, it can feel a little delulu when you only have 10 customers.
But the most successful founders were thinking big from Day 1 and making 10x decisions that aligned.
#PROTIP
Talk about your big vision and practice answering downside questions with upside answers.
Startups are hard.
Even for wildly successful startups, it’s a rollercoaster with highs and lows and a decade of grinding.
Do you want to paddle a canoe with this person for the next 10 years?
Will it be a fun, wild adventure? Or a sufferfest with finger-pointing and grumpiness?
What will they be like when the boat capsizes or springs a leak?
It can be hard to articulate but it’s a mix of attitude, values-alignment, and general likeability. Quirkiness is a-okay and expected!
#PROTIP
Canoe Test goes both ways. Founders should be vetting investors too. Do YOU want to be in a canoe with this investor for 10 years????
Can they read the room?
Or are they so maniacally focused on their vision, they don’t notice someone fell asleep and everyone else is confused? 🥴
Self-awareness is the important counterbalance to someone’s vision and ambition.
You need to believe in yourself and not let haters deter you.
But you also have to clued into reality.
It’s going to be hard to pass the Canoe Test without some humility and emotional intelligence!
#PROTIP
Have trouble reading the room? Check out this amazing interview with Vanessa Van Edwards, body language expert, who explains different micro-expressions (and how to be more charismatic).
Last but definitely not least — are they coachable??
Are they open to an investor’s influence? How do they handle constructive feedback?
Do they get defensive and tell you you’re wrong?
Or do they ask follow up questions to understand more deeply?
What got you here won’t get you there, so a founder’s ability to learn and grow is one of the most important leading indicators of a company’s success.
Growth happens when you seek out feedback and listen judiciously to those around you.
Investors don’t expect founders to be puppets. OF COURSE, founders will take the inputs and do what they think is best. But if a founder is never open to feedback, it will be a frustrating (and short) canoe trip!
#PROTIP
Tons of resources to facilitate personal growth — here are strategies used by top founders and a primer on finding an executive coach.
Like anything in Startupland…there’s exceptions!
Every investor is different.
We have different personalities and life experiences.
Investment firms, like startups, are a reflection of their founder, thus the culture and strategy can vary significantly between firms.
Good news/bad news — there’s no single playbook for success!
Investors, do you agree? What “green flags” do you look for?
Founders, what do you look for in an investor??
Enjoying the O’Daily? Share with a friend!
Most startups measure the wrong thing. Here's how to fix it, starting today!
Read MoreI was focused on the wrong metrics for a decade.
Like most startups, we religiously tracked subscription revenue, renewal rates, # of customers, average deal size, plus alllll the product usage.
Does this sound familiar?
How well are they using the product??
How many users?
How often are they logging in?
How many in-app actions are they taking?
Do they like our product?
How many support tickets do they submit?
Let’s set up alerts for customers not using the product so we can reach out!
These are all good ideas. You do want to track these to measure the health of your business.
But they miss the most important point.
Which will be SO OBVIOUS after you hear it.
That’s how I felt when Francis Cordon opened my eyes to what really matters…
Here’s the most important thing to measure related to customer success (and ultimately the overall health of your business).
It’s not how much are they like or use your product.
It’s things like:
Are you making your customers better at their jobs?
What mission-critical business metric are you improving for your customer?
What does your customer get measured on?
While I was busy tracking how many emails customers sent, the customers were looking at how much revenue they created for the business.
We could even track revenue generation in our product — but that wasn’t the metric we looked at to understand customer success! 🤦♀️
Quick and dirty examples to get the wheels turning.
Marketing software → are your marketing power users generating revenue?
Faster website software → do you have more online sales?
Financial management software → is your net worth/income/saving growing? do you sleep better at night? 😉
Vertical CRM software → are revenue/profits growing?
You’ll see that it’s rarely about “efficiency” and it’s never about the functionality of the product. Yes, your product does cool automation. Users don’t care. (I know! I’m sorry!!! I love your product baby too!!) They care how your product helps them achieve something even more important that “good product adoption.” 😉
Happy to brainstorm for your business if you’re stuck. Just shoot me a note!
Save yourself a decade.
Start now aligning everyone in the company to the metric that customers care about.
Not the in-product or revenue-related proxy metric that your company cares about.
Ideally, you want to show this North Star metric to your customer in the product.
If you’re not there yet, start leveraging Customer Win Slides asap (a good idea anyway!).
I’ve never heard from a single company who didn’t have great results from Customer Win Slides.
Yes, you still need to think about pricing and go-to-market strategy and build a good product and all those things.
But at the core, if you are helping your customer be better at the thing they truly care about, you will have a great business!
P.S. Want more customer success advice, lessons, and templates? Check out the complete guide.
What do you wish you learned 10 years ago? What startup lesson seemed so obvious in hindsight? What do you measure to track your customer’s (true!) success?
Enjoying the O’Daily? Don’t be shy. Share with a friend!
How do you build a billion dollar company? Bring a lot of energy and momentum for days, weeks, and years. Here's how.
Read MoreHow do you build a billion dollar company?
One day at a time.
Over 10 years.
That’s 3,650 days. (3,653 if you’re counting leap years!)
How do you last that long and have energy to tackle every day?
❌ NO: Spend 10 years grinding — sitting at a desk, in a dark room, staring at a screen.
❌ NO: Do “healthy” things that feel like another job.
❌ NO: Sacrifice your physical and mental well-being and burn out after a few years.
✅ YES: Do things you enjoy along the way that bring you health and momentum!
Here’s 4 ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle as a founder — while still having fun along the way!
Cross-my-heart-hope-to-die-stick-a-needle-in-my-eye, I PROMISE, you can find healthy foods that you like.
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t sit around eating raw broccoli for every meal.
BLECH.
I put olive oil and salt on that broccoli and roast the heck out of it!
Show me an adult who can’t find a roasted vegetable they like, and I’ll show you Warren Buffett or Donald Trump.
(That was a fast food joke, not a political one, okay, people?? Those two are notorious fast food lovers.)
Here are some of my favorite quick, nutritious lunches, healthy fast food options, and easy recipes.
Hate everything mentioned there?
That’s cool.
Tell ChatGPT what foods you like and ask for healthy recipes that can be made in 20 minutes or less. “Healthy” can be defined as certain carb/fat/protein splits or calorie count or however you want to be eating.
AI is my favorite meal planner!
I love my Whoop.
Every morning I get a score!
Hellooooo, dopamine hit.
(And it’s related to health instead of social media metrics! 😅)
Oura ring, Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit, Reframe App, step counter…there’s 100 ways to turn health into a game!
If a tracker doesn’t do it for you, how about joining Atlanta Ventures for our (very unofficial, is-it-even-happening) six-pack challenge?
Here’s the game (as borrowed from the genius/sadist Shawn Tucker):
6 months to get “6 pack” abdominals or you pay everyone else who is participating $1000.
Now, none of us really have $1000 sitting around which means…SIX PACK OR ELSE!
(Comment below to join the “fun” 😂)
Okay, if trackers and peer pressure don’t sound like games to you, here’s one more option: play an actual game.
Tennis, pickleball, kickball, basketball, soccer, squash, frisbee, gung fu, and thousands more.
Social connection is really important.
Social connection outside of your startup is really, really important.
Do something healthy and make it social:
Play a game with friends.
Eat healthy food with friends.
Join a sports league or training facility.
Sign up for a race and train with a group.
Become friends with people who like healthy things.
Go on an organized outdoor adventure trip.
Come to a Founder Funder Jog - duuuuuuuh!
Yeah, it’s not rocket science. But neither are startups. (Well, unless they are.)
Doing things with friends gives you accountability, makes it more fun, and fills your emotional cup!
Everyone has a few things that make or break their well-being. They are different for everyone.
I’d like to get something off my chest:
Meditating stresses me out and I never do it.
Yes, yes, I know it’s good for me. I’m doing it wrong. I need to practice. Blah blah blah.
It’s not my thing.
Getting a good night’s sleep…now THAT’S my thing. All grumpy days can be directly correlated to me sleeping poorly.
So, here’s the question — what are your personal keys to success that help you have a great day, feel good, and bring the energy?
If you don’t know, it’s a good reason to test things out. Here’s how I like to test things!
Here’s a few categories to trigger ideas. Within each are sub-categories, e.g. try out different types of exercise.
Exercise
Morning sunlight
Sleep
Meditation/Prayer
Certain foods or supplements
Schedule/Calendar
If you’re looking for ideas, here’s a few things that work for me:
Standing desk with walking pad (if you’ve seen me on Zoom, you know…)
Red Light (s/o Kathryn Farrell!)
Less alcohol (use Reframe to cut back and try my fave non-alcoholic beer)
Walk my kids to school (sunshine, fresh air, exercise, family time)
(NOTE: I added these slowly over time! Don’t try everything at once. 😂)
Want more?? Check out the The Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide to Staying Healthy!
What are some of your favorite ways to make healthy habits fun? What worked for you? What’s the most fun healthy thing you do??
Brilliant founder getting in their own way? Try these 3 things today.
Read MoreI recently spoke to someone working with a brilliant founder who was getting in their own way.
The founder wasn’t open to new ideas or different perspectives and it was hurting the company.
How do you reach someone who won’t listen or shuts down other people’s suggestions????
Replace “founder” with “boss,” “co-worker,” “my teenager.”
Or maybe instead of reporting to the founder, you are an investor (hypothetically speaking of course) who can’t “tell” someone what to do but wants gently steer in a positive direction.
Here are 3 strategies I’ve found helpful when working with strong-willed founders (or anyone!) — as a startup COO, tech investor, and general human being.
You almost never change someone's mind by telling them what to do.
But you can change someone's mind by asking them thoughtful questions so they realize what to do.
And think it's their idea.
There's a reason why therapists (and business coaches!) ask questions.
And it's not because they don't know the answer. 😉
Having someone else come up with the answer, say it in their own words, feel ownership, use their own wisdom — is wildly important for buy-in and change.
Furthermore, it’s possible that you don’t have the exact right answer. Maybe you don’t fully understand the situation or maybe they have an even better idea than what you’re thinking of.
Asking questions can uncover all sorts of brilliant solutions!
You know what the title of this section should have been???
What happens if you ask more questions?
What are good questions to ask?
What helps change your mind?
See how much more fun questions are than directives???!!!!!
Did it trigger any great ideas?? 😉
If you know me, you've probably heard me suggest this before:
"Can you do it as a test?"
Yes, of course, at Atlanta Ventures, we love to run tests around business ideas (examples here and here).
It works for internal projects as well!
If you have a new idea or you’re hitting a lot of objections, instead of trying to change everyone’s mind, suggest an experiment.
“What if we try [XYZ] for [30] days? I could run a quick test doing [ABC] for [$1000] with the goal of [123].”
Designate a specific amount of time, money, resources, and what a successful outcome would be. Here’s a step-by-step process and template and a description of SMART goals.
It’s low risk for the business and — very important — the ego!
No one is directly challenged, no one is “wrong,” no one has to communicate a change in strategy.
It’s a low-key, short-term experiment with clear parameters.
Who doesn’t love to try new things and look at the results?
A brilliant HR leader (hi Carey Bongard!) taught me this one…
Whenever possible, phrase feedback or coaching as “more”:
Why are we pouring money into that dumpster fire? Let’s do more of what’s working well.
Be less negative. Can you give even more positive feedback?
Don’t focus on the details. Do more strategic, big picture work.
You’re not communicating enough. Communicate more across the company.
You are going rogue and it’s causing problems. More collaboration with the engineering team.
Humans are much better at doing more of something than less.
Feels abundant, expansive, and positive.
Especially good for someone who:
reacts poorly to constructive feedback
you want to influence and inspire in a positive way
is your boss 😉
Do more “more”!
Spoiler Alert: these strategies work on direct reports, anyone in your organization, even family members.
In a shocking turn of events, most people don't like being bossed around and aren’t going to do what you say even when you’re right!
(I know. It was a terrible realization for me too. The world would be so much better if everyone just did what I say!!! 😜)
I should also be clear that there is a HUGE upside to that annoying stubbornness you’re dealing with.
It means someone has high conviction, they don’t give up easily, and they’re not swayed by others or peer pressure.
When dealing with humans, it’s always a mix of good, bad, and messy!
Just like a startup. 😉
Have you used any of these strategies? Do you have other tips for helping to shift a stubborn individual? Founders, have you ever been hard to convince?? 😁😉🙋♀️
I’d love to help more entrepreneurs! If you’re enjoying the O’Daily, please share with a founder or startup leader who would enjoy practical tips and #momjokes. 😁😁😁
A lot of U.S. families head out on Spring Break this month.
Which makes it a great time to reshare my favorite quote from founder and investor, Alex Friedman!!
Idk who needs this but I’ve seen a few startups fail because of founder burn out. I haven’t seen any startups fail because a founder took a couple days off.
I’d even go so far as to say, often the biggest business “ah-ha” moments happen when you’re away from the day-to-day grind — even if it’s 24 or 48 hours!
One of my other favorite quotes is from Tim Ferris:
What one thing, if done, could render all other things irrelevant?
It’s hard to see clearly when you’re in the weeds. Everything is urgent and important. You’re just trying to get through your inbox, Slack, and meetings.
With a bit of space, all the sudden you realize:
a customer insight that’s been staring you in the face
things in your schedule that don’t make sense
the industry you need to start looking at
problematic customers you need to fire
the mission critical senior leader to bring on
which sales strategies are working
what KPIs matter the most
and a million other things that are obvious as soon as your subconscious takes over!
Give yourself and your company extra fire power this month — by taking time away.
Do it right now. Block a whole day on your calendar. Plan a camping trip. Have a friend “force” you to do something fun for a weekend. Leave your phone at home.
Your soul — and your business — will be better for it.
(Pass this along to a founder who needs the reminder!)
Any fun stories about a great business “unlock” that happened when you took time off? I’d love to hear them (or share them below)!
Step-by-step instructions plus current job openings at great startups.
Read MoreYour Ultimate Startup Career Guide is here!
Do you or someone you know want to break into startups??
Do you love working for startups and want to find a role at the next rocket ship?
Are you wondering how to grow your career at a startup where things like “internal job boards” or “promotion paths” are unheard of?
Are you a founder who is tired of getting asked by that random high school friend, how do I get a tech job, and want to reply with a single blog link?!? 😉
Here is my best advice from 15+ years of moving up the startup jungle gym (it’s not a ladder, people!), hiring over 100 direct reports, and interviewing thousands of people.
(Don’t worry. I hate networking too. Here’s my anti-networking advice.)
**BONUS** I’m including a section of current open roles at startups I know and recommend.
How to Break Into Tech—Or Find A New Role In The Biz
Read this one first. Especially if you don’t have a startup or tech job but want one! I’ve helped dozens of folks get tech jobs with these strategies.
7 Ways to Find Your Startup Dream Job
If you’re applying to jobs on websites, you’re doing it wrong.
Here's What Startup Leadership Looks Like
How to move up quickly and become an invaluable employee. Hint: it’s the soft skills not the hard ones.
4 Stages to Expect After Joining a Startup
If it feels messy, that’s normal. A high-growth startup told me this article is required reading for new hires!
7 Steps to Create Your Own Startup Role
I’ve shaped my perfect role at multiple companies — and had a blast along the way. Here’s what works when there’s no playbook.
Want to dive even deeper?
Here’s advice I’ve given to startup leaders on hiring and career growth over the years!
Understanding how startups evaluate candidates can help you in the interview process and beyond.
How To Hire Stellar Startup Interns (applies to all hires!)
In-House or Outsourced? Here's How to Find the Right Fit (+ 5 Contractors We Love)
Need to Hire But Don't Have Funding? 8 Scrappy Ways To Get S**t Done!
I’ve been lucky enough to see and work for many great startups.
I’ve also had a front row seat to F500 companies. And I read business news.
Which is why I say:
All jobs are “risky”!
Industries come and go. Large companies do layoffs or cut products and teams regularly and unexpectedly. Businesses lose important customers and adjust headcount. Pandemics hit. Political priorities change.
What’s not risky?
Your attitude and skills.
Investing in yourself.
Doing work you love.
In my experience, smart go-getters, when hit with unexpected job changes, land on their feet quickly, regardless of industry or company size!
It’s hard to predict how any job or company will work out.
IMO - doing interesting work with good people is always a smart choice, wherever that takes you!
Startups have a ton of upside too.
Financial, yes, but also getting to take on big projects that you’re not “qualified” for that build your resume, confidence, and skill set.
So if you need some talking points for yourself or your family, remind them that everything’s risky. Might as well go for it. 😉
Just a sampling of jobs I’ve heard about recently from founders I know and trust (as of March 2025 - things move fast at startups so act now!).
If a great company is hiring, get a seat on the rocketship!
If you’re a startup that’s hiring, please link to open roles in the comments!
Hypepotamus Job Board and Atlanta Tech Village Job Board are also great resources.
If you’re a startup who told me about a role and I didn’t list it here, apologies in advance. I’m a tired mom of 2 who is training for a marathon, working full time, and writing a blog post every week. No intentional slights, just a fallible human brain! 😂
Great Startups Who Are Hiring
Carpool Logistics - 9 open roles w/special shoutout for Exec Assistant/Chief of Staff for my ops generalists 😉
Dr. Noze Best - Customer Success Manager, Social Media & Influencer Manager
P.S. More on Undaunted & The Perlant here and Carpool just raised $12M Series A!
If you apply to one of these, let me know! I’ll put in a good word for an O’Daily reader. 😉
Share other startup job listings below and add any favorite advice for breaking into startups or growing your career at one!
Here are some wild and crazy hiring strategies that top startups use.
Read MoreHere are some wild and crazy startup hiring strategies.
And by wild and crazy, I mean, not-that-crazy but easy to overlook when you get caught up in the whirlwind of hiring.
If you’ve recently raised money or brought in a slew of customers, you’re thinking about how to grow the team.
I’m a huge fan of using low/no-cost options as much as possible and really analyzing if you need a full-time hire or not.
Here are 4 more strategies I’ve seen work phenomenally well for startups!
Call me crazy but I love a hiring plan where new hires get “unlocked” when you reach certain revenue milestones.
Some investors want you to hire quickly so you can grow and scale.
Yes, of course! Put the influx of cash to good use. If you wanted to grow organically, don’t raise venture capital.
But also, having a measured approach can be educational and motivational for the team (“We get to hire more people when we hit revenue numbers”) and save a lot of heartache (“We scaled too quickly and now need to let people go”).
You can, of course, blend the two approaches also. Hire aggressively with revenue safe guards or contingencies on the plan.
I spoke to a founder who was considering hiring for a commission-only business development role.
Me: “It’s hard to find someone for a role like that.”
Founder: “I have someone great who is a friend of a friend.”
Me: “WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO???? Hire them today!!!!”
Time, effort, and likelihood of finding The Person are always factors in startup hiring!
If you know someone great for a role, that is wildly different than when you have to create, post and promote a job, then do 100 interviews, and maybe find someone.
Of course, sometimes, you need a specific, senior hire, you know it will take a while, and that’s just the price you pay for someone who is mission critical to scaling.
(But maybe you can contract out parts of the work for now or look for someone junior with high potential…?)
Opportunistic hires also factor into decisions and planning. If someone amazing drops into your lap, it may be smart to reprioritize or hire ahead!
Speaking of opportunistic hiring…could two part-time roles be done by one person with a unique background?
Maybe a customer success hire also loves event planning so they could handle customers and conference planning?
The HR person who also edits blogs and owns recruiting.
The marketing manager who onboards customers.
The inside sales rep who does social media.
(All real examples btw!)
Not forever, of course, but getting creative and leveraging the strengths of your team is key in the early days.
Be open to that combo role and people who can wear multiple hats.
If your office manager wants to do some cold calling or respond to support tickets, sounds great to me!
Do you want to be able to adjust your monthly burn quickly if needed? Are you running an experiment or have very seasonal needs for some functions?
It might be more cost-effective to hire in-house but some founders use contractors or consultants so they can adjust priorities or spend quickly.
It’s much easier to tweak spend on a project, adjust deliverables, or not renew a monthly contract than regularly hiring, firing, or cutting pay.
It’s WAY better for company morale and can cost less long term when you factor in severance pay, onboarding costs, and recruiter fees.
Have you leveraged any of these strategies? Do you have other hiring strategies you’d recommend? I’d love to hear what worked or didn’t work!
If you’re a woman who is thinking about starting a company, here’s my top advice!
Read MoreIf you’re a woman who is thinking about starting a company, here’s my top advice!
Spoiler alert: applies to founders of all genders, ages, sizes, shapes, backgrounds, sock length, everyone!
My not-so-secret BHAG is 10 unicorn companies ($1B valuation or higher) founded by women in the Southeast in the next 10 years.
I’ve written about strategies that unicorn founders embrace (part 1, part 2) and how male leaders can support women.
There’s a lot of unique challenges women face like, say, centuries of discrimination and being responsible for carrying on the human race. (Ahem, help on the homefront please!)
But if you get certain things right early on, the path to success is a little smoother.
Smart people (aka founders) take every advantage they can get!
If you’ve never heard me on my soapbox (presentation slides with summary) or you’re in the trenches and need a friendly reminder, here’s my top 5 pieces of advice I share alllll the time!
Building a business is tough. Ask any founder of any size company.
It’s hard to build a big business. But it’s hard to build a small business too!
We’ve seen first hand with companies like Salesloft and Calendly. Yes, the founders are amazing and worked their ass off. But that’s true of founders of smaller companies too!
It’s not 100x harder to build a company 100x bigger.
But the impact is 100x bigger.
So…why not go big???
Building a big business means:
more job creation
helping more customers
bigger impact in the world
larger wealth creation for you, your employees, philanthropic interests
How do you build big?
It starts with your intention and ambition.
When you set your sights higher, it changes how you act, think, and plan!
Hopefully you’re tired of hearing me say this!
Great founders who pick small markets will never build a big company. They have limited themselves from day 1.
Pick a BIG market!
Here’s the math:
$1B valuation usually means ~$100M in ARR with very high growth potential.
Presumably, one day, you could be at $1B ARR. Yes, B as in billion.
So how big does the market need to be for you to make $1B of revenue?
Bigger than $1B!
Even the world’s greatest businesses don’t have 100% of a market. 50% is incredible. 10% is amazing.
So, you need a market that’s at least tens of billions.
Okay, got it. But how do you pick a big market?
At Atlanta Ventures, we like markets that are small but growing so we grow as the market grows. Ideally, something that will be really big in 3-5 years.
Examples are robotics, “third spaces,” video AI, sales AI, and things (like dev tooling) that help companies make more money!
Bonus points for B2B SaaS. Investors love B2B SaaS companies for a reason. High margin, good CAC, low churn.
Lastly, your product doesn’t need to be unique! Market is way more important.
Sounds obvious but you would be shocked at how many founders don’t talk about money!
To build a great business, you have to stay focused on:
what people will pay for (the value you create)
how you make money (have a viable business model)
learning quickly (understand what’s normal or possible)
The fastest way to do this is making money (revenue, business metrics, contract terms, pricing) part of everyday conversation.
Here’s common ways founders can (and should!) talk about money:
every day at your company (even if you don’t have revenue!)
weekly, during a metrics review
at events with other business people
Great entrepreneurs do this practically automatically.
When I’m around top founders, the conversation always turns to sales, profit, business models, and growth plans. People ask about and share specifics!
At any stage of your startup journey, talking about money is one of the best ways to learn and improve your business!
You know what’s hard?
Learning to read.
Having a baby.
Paying off debt.
Getting into college.
Playing sports.
Learning something new.
Doing things you’re scared of.
Dealing with loss or mental illness.
Building a company is hard too.
BUT YOU DO HARD THINGS ALL THE TIME.
Most things seem overwhelming at first, when they are unknown, or if you think about them in totality.
You don’t build a billion dollar business overnight. You build it over 10 years, one day, one customer, one feature, one problem at a time.
I have often talked to people doing insanely hard things (e.g. founding and running 2 bootstrapped companies with a newborn at home) who shy away from building a venture-scale company because it would be “too hard.”
It’s hilarious in that not-funny-at-all kind of way because if you look at what they’re doing or already accomplished…they move mountains daily and think it’s normal!
If you’re feeling intimidated or worried, think back to all the hard shit you’ve done.
Building a business is hard but YOU DO HARD THINGS ALL THE TIME!!!
I’ve said it 100x and I’ll say it again:
Act and communicate with confidence (even if you don’t feel it).
Understand the unwritten rules of VC to feel more confident.
Use these 3 tips to build credibility with anyone.
To get better, you have to be the worst. Get started.
If money is the love language of investors, confidence is the secret currency.
You don’t need to feel confident every moment. But you do need to project confidence around customers, investors, and employees. When you believe, they believe.
It’s palpable, infectious (in a good way 😜), and — drumroll please — YOU CAN IMPROVE IT with practice and awareness.
Founders, what was the most helpful advice when you got started? Investors, what advice do you share with founders? Any tips especially for or from women founders?
Money is the language of business. Here's how to have a not-awkward conversation about it!
Read MoreTalking about money is SO IMPORTANT.
Possibly the easiest and most impactful way to improve your startup or make more money.
I spell it out with these 5 examples.
But how do you actually do it if you’re not used to money talk?
“Talking” really means “asking questions” which leads to helpful conversations!
What are the unwritten rules about these questions and conversations?
Here are my best how-to tips to get a money conversation started!
Get the information that will help you negotiate better deals, understand term sheets, pay (or ask for) market rate salaries, and 100 other benefits of talking about money!
If you’re new to asking about finances, contracts, margin, revenue, or other money and business topics, here’s 5 suggestions to get started!
Keep it to an intimate conversation or small group to start. Often people can’t share info in public settings but they can (or will) privately.
Important: don’t believe the news!
Often what’s reported publicly is not the full story. Get the nuanced info from an insider.
Of course you are asking about money. And of course they are going to answer you. You don’t need to be apologetic or act like it’s confidential.
Asking questions in a neutral, matter-of-fact way is a key business skill!
It may take a few tries to nail the right tone. That’s okay!
Just get started (ideally with a founder friend or mentor) so you can get the awkward ones out of the way.
If you’re not sure how someone will react, an indirect money question is a good warm up:
What’s a typical salary for a role like that?
What kinds of offers did you see when you raised money?
What’s the price range per square foot for property like this?
You’re not asking personal financial specifics. It’s a general, informational question.
You can even ask about non-money numbers to start:
How many sales people do you have? How quickly are you hiring?
Approx how many deals per quarter are you closing?
How many locations do you have? Do they vary in size or pretty standard?
Here’s the funny part.
Most (business) people will immediately jump in and say:
Oh, I’ll just tell you. Here’s what we paid. Here are the terms we negotiated. Here’s our margin. And this is what we’re going to do this quarter and next quarter.
Seriously.
Business people love to talk about money!
Occasionally, someone will give me a vague or general answer. UGH. Annoying.
Then I explain:
I love hearing about the specifics so I can learn and share with other founders so they know what is normal.
Floodgates unlocked!
If you explain that you want to learn, you love business, you’re building a startup and want to negotiate well for all involved, I guarantee people will share!
I do NOT recommend talking about money at the next church potluck or school party.
(Or at least feel them out carefully — see #3!)
A lot of people fall into the “money is private” category. Or, sadly, the “I don’t understand money” category.
I DO think the world would be a better place if we could talk more honestly and openly about money.
(Note: posting expensive things on social media is NOT the same as talking about money!)
I encourage everyone, especially people historically excluded from financial systems (ahem, women and people of color), to normalize talking about money and sharing financial information!
High tide raises all boats. Expensive boats. Like yachts.
How much did that yacht cost, btw? 😉
When you go out to lunch with business friends and only talk about revenue, COGS, and growth projections…
When you get a great holiday gift and start asking questions about the cost and time to make 30 homemade cookie cakes…
When you go to a store, meet the owner, and ask what their highest volume and margin items are…
CONGRATULATIONS!
You’re a money conversationalist and certified business nerd.
What strategies do you use to broach sensitive business topics? Do you find that people share information if you ask? What’s the most random money conversation you’ve had??
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