
It’s Hard for Start-Up Owners to Find Good Advice
It’s Hard for Start-Up Owners to Find Good Advice At the moment we’re deciding whether to raise a large capital round and go for growth or keep things tight and focused. Both approaches have merit, and I respect all who have offered their guidance. But people are...

The Problem With Going Into Business With a Friend
The Problem With Going Into Business With a FriendI spent a recent night consoling an associate who had fallen out with her best friend. They tried to start a business together, and she quit her high-paying job to do it. Three months in, the friend had yet to commit...

How Investors Can Kill a Business Without Losing Money Themselves
How Investors Can Kill a Business Without Losing Money ThemselvesThis is the story of a trap into which I’ve fallen twice at Posse. Investors often set the trap unknowingly – no harm is intended – while they are figuring out whether they would like to invest. Both...

Why I Do All My Recruiting Through LinkedIn
Why I Do All My Recruiting Through LinkedIn Recruiting the right team member is always difficult. I start off knowing that I need someone to perform a task, and imagine what qualities that person might possess. How, in a sea of people, can I find my ideal candidate?...

Letting Someone Go With Dignity
Letting Someone Go With DignityObviously, it’s no fun to get fired. But it’s also no fun to be the one doing the firing. I have heard it said that the stress of terminating someone’s employment can reduce your lifespan. I certainly know that I’ve awakened in a sweat...

When Hiring Employees in Poorer Countries, Difficult Moral Questions Arise
When Hiring Employees in Poorer Countries, Difficult Moral Questions Arise Earlier this year, I wrote about the issues I’d encountered while building an outsourced office in another country. We’ve now expanded to a team of 14 in Manila, and we recruited everyone there...