Tom Tunguz

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

Bill Gurley and Fred Wilson have focused on burn rates as an important topic for startups. The immediate question that follows this commentary is: How much does the typical startup burn throughout its life? And what is a “risky” burn rate for a company? I use a rule of thumb to evaluate the burn rate of a Series A startup. I multiply the number of employees by about $10-12k, depending on the location of the company.

Startup 203

Startup Scale Sales Hiring Benchmarks 203

Practical Advice on SaaS marketing

OCTOBER 2, 2014

Why in the world would I want a box of business cards with a different design on each one? In radio ads, I’ve heard a company that sells business cards promoting that very feature: “Business cards with a different design on each one.” I’m sure they use some very nifty software to make this happen. But why? Do people expect me to hand over more than one card when I introduce myself?

Acquisition 100

Acquisition SaaS Software Marketing 100

CloseSaaS

OCTOBER 3, 2014

Want to reach out to “important” people (I don’t mean the really important people like family and friends, but big shot investors, well-known entrepreneurs, celebrities, highly desirable prospects)? Here’s a simple hack that has worked very well for me in the past, and that you can use to get in.

Sales 52

Sales 52

Tom Tunguz

SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

I met a founder a few days ago who captured the idea of building brand equity really well. He said something along the lines of, “Every time we provide a magical experience to a customer, we invest in our brand equity. Each time we do something that disappoints them or overtly extracts value from our users, we expend brand equity.” This founder prided himself on continuously investing in and increasing his business’s brand equity over long periods of time.

Sales Recruiting 111

Sales Recruiting Startup Branding Acquisition 111

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Tom Tunguz

OCTOBER 1, 2014

Come work at Redpoint! The Redpoint Software team would like to add a new associate to the software team in our Menlo Park office. We’re looking for someone to work alongside the small, tightly-knit group managing Redpoint’s early stage software practice. This person will work shoulder-to-shoulder with all the members of the team, discovering new startups, evaluating their market opportunities, working with portfolio companies , expanding the firm’s network and contributing to

Software 100

Software Investment Startup Technology 100

CloseSaaS

OCTOBER 1, 2014

In my free startup sales course I talk about one of the most important lessons I ever learned in sales - and then I invite the participants to share one of their most important sales lessons with me.

Startup 52

Startup Sales 52

CloseSaaS

SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

Many sales reps don't even see their prospect's requests to receive some info materials as an obstacle. Early on in a cold call, a prospect will ask, "Can you send me some more information? I'll review it and get back to you.

Sales 52

Sales 52