Ever wondered how a business can stumble its way into a $12 Billion dollar sale after being 100% bootstrapped? That's the story of MailChimp and its co-founder, Ben Chestnut. 

"Business isn't always a straight line. Sometimes, you just Forrest Gump your way into success." - Ben Chestnut

Ben...

One of my biggest personal accomplishments is remaining close friends with my last business partner, Catherine, after our business failed.  There was no greater comfort than to know that we'd done everything we could and were still there for one another in the darkest days.  

Most...

I’m gonna go ahead and take one wiiiiiiiild guess that you’ve started on your path to secure startup funding. 

That it’s full steam ahead and all aboard the VC Express. 

But what if I told you that only .05% of startups receive funding from venture capital?

Yeah, you...

10 Customer Acquisition Strategies for Early Stage Entrepreneurs

There you are, finally ready to launch your startup “baby” into the world and you couldn’t be prouder of what you’ve accomplished.  Your website and social media looks great, and you’re ready to...

Let’s say you’re a founder selling a physical product that requires you to manufacture something. And let’s say that manufacturing something means that you have to pay a percentage of the cost of your inventory upfront.  If you have a long lead-time product that ships from...

8 Creative Ways Entrepreneurs Can Use Pre-Sales to Boost Cash Flow

Hey there, fellow entrepreneurs! Are you looking for effective ways to generate cash flow for your startup – without giving up equity to investors? 

Look no further! Pre-sales are a fantastic way to achieve just that....

I used to wonder why entrepreneurs would waste time on donation-based crowdfunding for their early-stage ventures. You typically don’t raise much more than $10,000, if that, so why bother?

Now that I’ve seen some clever campaigns that have gotten PR , raised significantly more than...

After the death of my son and my father (both named Clark) within 15 months of one another, I moved to Austin in 2020 to be near my other 2 children. Along with a steady diet of reality TV, I built my own community of entrepreneurs – deliberately –  to minimize loneliness and...

Bob Hower, Founding Partner, G20 Ventures, is one of my favorite VCs because he is an entrepreneur himself, and he empathizes deeply with the challenges that founders face each day.  I also love Bob because he's my brother and has spent more time that I can count helping me with my own...

How To Get Funding For Your Startup: 3 Ways to Make it Easier 

There are many exciting things about being an entrepreneur, like developing a product that connects with customers, filling a gap in the market, building something of your own, being your own boss, and setting your own...

I first met Mike Troiano years ago when my partner and I were struggling with messaging for our Cat Perkins shoe line. My brother, Bob Hower, a VC at G20 Ventures, recommended his partner, Mike, because he was the best storyteller he knew. I reached out to Mike to kick off our VCs We Love segment...

As an entrepreneur trying to raise a Friends & Family round of financing, I often felt nervous about presenting the dirty little secrets of an under-funded and under-staffed start-up to potential investors; Early-stage founders are tempted to embellish the truth. I’ve felt this...