Enhance ReadabilityThe purpose of this site is to serve entrepreneurs by unleashing the secrets to entrepreneurial success—publishing wisdom and advice that prepares entrepreneurs for the trials of building a company. We’re a digital Unreasonable Institute.
The purpose of this site is to serve entrepreneurs by unleashing secrets to entrepreneurial success. Tweet This Quote
We do this by asking entrepreneurs to give us their greatest challenges and questions. In turn, we send those questions to mentors in our network best positioned to give relevant advice from their experiences.
Here are the skills, outlooks, and words of wisdom—directly from those who have done it before—that we recommend every entrepreneur should read on UNREASONABLE.is.
18 Keys to Engaging Mentors and Funders
Build Strong Friends—which describes three phases to building relationships with mentors and investors that will take your startup to the next level—gives a step-by-step on what you should do before, during, and after a meeting. The post also has a success case: Mosaic raised $5 million a year and a half after participating in the Unreasonable Institute.
Five Tips to Build A World-Class Team on a Shoestring Budget
How do you hire “A-Players” and world-class talent with little to no budget? For example, you might need a brilliant engineer to finish the back-end of a mobile app in order for you to get paying customers, but how do you find that talented engineer? Read this post to get five insights from an entrepreneur who has done it—she would love your ideas in the comments section, too. (Check out this post for another perspective.)
The 7 Emails You Need to Know How to Write
How should an entrepreneur get a hold of a busy investor? How many times should you email an unresponsive mentor or investor, how often, and how do you do it politely? Teju Ravilochen’s post is an essential source for entrepreneurs to learn what’s appropriate, directly from the type of people who you might want to get a hold of one day (like David Cohen, Eric Schmidt, or Reid Hoffman for example).
What Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Pitching
Investor, entrepreneur, and heretic, Pascal Finette outlines the five most important parts of your pitch deck as well as tips on design and flow. This statement signifies the importance of a pitch deck: “If I (or any investor for that matter) don’t understand what you are doing in the first 10-15 seconds, you already lost me.”
The Secret to Getting Investors to Say Yes
Take another perspective from a serial entrepreneur turned investor. These five practical steps follow after a change of mindset: treat investors like customers (and people). In Jeff’s words, “start your pitch with an explanation of why your investment is a great fit for them, and how it will help them achieve their goals, not yours.”
How To Get The Sharks To Bite—4 Key Insights on Getting Investment
How do you know when an investor is interested in your startup? How do you write regular email updates? How do you ask for money? Get inside the mind of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned angel investor to find out—and don’t forget to read the update at the bottom.
A Blueprint for Building Your Board of Advisors
Your advisory board is one of the most important assets to the founding team, but it’s also a tricky aspect of your business to create, manage, and get the most out of the relationship. Read this post to find the practical questions and tactics you can use to create an amazing board of advisors.
The Pre-money vs. Post-money Confusion With Convertible Notes
As venture capitalist and entrepreneur, Brad Feld explains why entrepreneurs must be well informed on convertible notes—whether they convert on a pre-money or a post-money basis—as well as other derivative notes, such as SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity). Read Mark Suster’s article at the beginning and then heed Feld’s warning to clarify things up front with investors and lawyers.
What Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know Before They Talk to the Press
If you’re solving one of society’s greatest challenges, more often than not the odds are stacked against you. Making your mission-driven story known to the world is critically important for the survival and progress of your startup—you never know who might be compelled to reach out to help. But, unless you’re a natural in media relations, it’s good to practice Q&A interviews and learn from those who have done it before. Check out this article for the Cliff Notes on how to talk to the press.
Why Meaning Beats Marketing
According to Tom Chi, startups rarely die because of competition. They often fail because of founder or money issues. This post explores one of the most important, if not the most important, things startups should focus on: creating meaning in the lives of customers. It can also save an incredible amount of time and money.
The True Secret To Great Leadership and How To Do It
Founderitis—or “Founder’s Syndrome”—is real. As Jeff Hoffman says, it’s tough to “Hand the ball to your All-Star pitcher and go take your position in right field,” but true leadership requires it. Read this story of how the founder of Priceline designed himself out of a job to learn what true leadership is. Quote: “Hire people smarter than you. Then let them play.”
How to Get S*$t Done: Three Steps to Becoming a Productivity Ninja
Being productive is understanding what is essential for progress and then learning the tactics that best keep you in a state of productivity. This post is legendary in the Unreasonable community, coming from one of the most straight-forward and productive people I’ve ever met. Check out these three steps and test them. It could produce one of your most productive days.
The Key to Preventing Burnout—From a Serial Entrepreneur
Eating well, exercising, and sleeping can only go so far when it comes to being a happy and healthy entrepreneur. As Chris Yeh says, “In the long run, you need to invest in friendships outside the entrepreneurial world, or you’ll burn out.” Read this post to learn a serial entrepreneur’s methods for preventing burn out—backed by research. (Also, check out Kelly McGonigal’s TED Talk: “How to make stress your friend.”)
One Simple Trick to Creativity: Constrain Yourself
Plato said, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Hidden in this age-old piece of wisdom are the principles of affordable design. This post dives into a couple of examples the founder of Unreasonable Group gives on how constraints can produce creativity and remarkable design. Try out the steps with your team and see what comes out of it.
How Do I Tell Someone Their Job Has Outgrown Them?
The question that came in from an entrepreneur was this: “What to do when the company outgrows people who were previously solid contributors?” The harsh reality is that companies outgrow their employees, leading to tough conversations. But there are four steps you can take to make those conversations easier.
If you have a post or article that you think every entrepreneur should read—whether from UNREASONABLE.is or elsewhere—please share it in the comments. If you’re an entrepreneur, we would love to get post ideas for mentors to write about and feedback so we can improve. Share your ideas below or send them here.
