Insights
What we’ve learned building companies.
Lessons from the businesses we’ve built with founders, and the ones that taught us the most.
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The real secret to raising a pre-seed roundThis is every founder pursuing a lead investor for their startup. Founders, you may think… …it’s because you’re too late. …it’s because you’re too early. …it’s because you’re not creating A. I. …it’s because you’re building hardware. …it’s because you’re a minority founder. …it’s because you went to the wrong school.Read the post →
The truth about angel investing from 70 deals and $400K investedMost people think angel investing is “high risk, high reward”, but that’s not true. More often than not, it’s actually high risk… low reward. After nearly 15 years of early-stage investing, here’s my approach. One of my 77 direct investments 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 paid out recently.Read the post →
Should you build a personal brand as an entrepreneur?What’s the main reason for building a (personal) brand online? It’s probably not what you think. I just shared my takeaways from 18 months of posting with the founders of our portfolio companies. Nobody guessed the right answer. 👇 To learn? No. To network? No. To open doors? No. To generate leads? No.Read the post →
How one founder “bootstrapped” his way to a $250,000 lossJust because you sold a business doesn’t mean you have the Midas touch. Here’s one of many painful examples… Oliver, one of my DQ partners, is advising a friend who’s raising money. The friend launched a consumer app in the fitness/outdoors space and onboarded about 3,000 users. Not a bad start!Read the post →
One decision that led to 400% growth in SaaS revenueI had a mind-blowing chat with a SaaS CEO last week. He grew his European startup by 400% by entering the US (which now represents 75% of $13m ARR). He also slashed overheads 40% by offshoring successfully to India, and overhauled his entire product via acquisition. Here are my 5 takeaways: #1.Read the post →
10 ways top execs manage stress to outperform their peersA study of 2 million people showed that 90% of top performers are skilled at managing stress to optimise performance. Here are the 10 ways they do it. (Research shows that intermittent stress actually makes you more alert and boosts performance.Read the post →
How not to lose your own startupIs there a better way to start a business than handing over 49% to a cofounder? Yes, there is. In this post I described some of the cofounder car crashes I’ve seen. But what’s the alternative? Answer: Do the first part alone You wouldn’t hire someone on a salary before it became unavoidable,Read the post →
10 cofounder clashes I’ve witnessed first-handI understand the urge to start your business with a cofounder, but after 7 ventures and 50+ investments, here are 10 co-founder situations I’ve witnessed first-hand: One company with huge potential closed down immediately after raising a round of investment(and gave the money back to investors) because the founders couldn’t agree to work together.Read the post →
Here’s the real reason your startup isn’t taking offStop. Your product does NOT need another feature. Here’s the real reason your startup isn’t taking off… Since I began investing in startups in 2012, I’ve seen hundreds (thousands?) of founders with no traction. Often they would explain that nobody was using their product because it lacked a certain feature.Read the post →
The startup superpower: taking a breakI realise I’m opening myself up to ridicule with this picture, but there’s a reason I’m sharing it… and no, it’s not for feedback on my swing (although if you have tips, don’t hold back). I just got back from a holiday in Scotland. (That’s why I haven’t posted for a while. Thanks for noticing.Read the post →
Why, unfortunately, startup life is for the privileged fewAre startups a great leveller? Equal opportunity for all? Nope. Startup life is for the privileged. Here’s why I believe this… Who, other than someone with a safety net, can do the following? – Give up salary for 18 months – After that, earn below market rate for 3-5 years – Put their careerRead the post →
Welcoming Darius to DQ, and Unexpected Learnings from the Hiring ProcessYou know that interview you never got, or that job you were passed over for, despite being a great fit? … Here’s why you didn’t get it. 👇 The chap in the picture is Darius Safavi. He’s the guy we just hired as our latest team member at DQventures… out of an amazing 398 applicants.Read the post →