This formula is proof you can launch a business for under $1,000. — I’ve built companies for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and I’ve built companies for hundreds of dollars. I’ve also lost hundreds of thousands of dollars (typically on those more expensive-to-build companies), and I’ve made hundreds of thousands on companies with an initial investment of under a thousand. I’m living proof…

A few considerations before you accept venture capital (or any other type of funding). — A few years ago I received an email out of the blue that really took me by surprise. I was at least a couple of years into my startup journey (also known as, living in a dingy 400 square foot studio apartment and trying to stretch my savings as long…

What I learned in my first startup failure and how you can determine if and when to cut your losses. — Let’s be honest: I know why you’re here. You’re excited to hear another startup failure story from someone whose dreams have crashed and burned before them, even better to hear it was all their fault (what a poor, pathetic loser of an entrepreneur they must be), and you can’t wait…

How a boy named Esmeralda changed my life. A love story for those who don’t believe in love. — Let me preface this with the fact that I’m not a very emotional person. I don’t open up quickly or easily and I have an auto-cringe response to most anything mushy or gushy hurled my way. I like to keep my friends, enemies, and pretty much all humans a good six to ten emotional feet away from me on a fairly regular basis.

In entrepreneurship, patience isn’t just a virtue; it’s a requirement — I sat there, mouth agape, as my mind slowly attempted to process the news. The man on the screen — an expert for a third-party team I hire — had shattered the one assumption that had carried me this far into the new venture. Sadly, he wasn’t kidding, and what’s…

He never would have said what he did if he knew I had his investors on speed dial — Oftentimes, there’s an unspoken camaraderie amongst fellow founders — even if they approach you via a cold email. It’s kind of like nepotism, where by the nature of your shared entrepreneurial plight, you instinctively give them the benefit of the doubt. …

A lot of startups are hurting right now; you can determine whether you flatline, nosedive, or recover with a bang — My entire body froze within a millisecond of clicking the “Sign in” button. The screen staring back at me was jarring, and my brain instantly spiraled frenetically as I clicked around desperately. It wasn’t a sales dip or an unfavorable year-over-year comparison chilling my bones. It wasn’t suspicious activity or…

If you have no skills, no clue what to do and don’t want to create a 100 hour/week grind, do this instead. — There’s are two types of first-time wantrepreneurs: The type that jumps in blindly, going full-throttle with an idea they may have neglected to validate or research much at all, and the type that spends months or years meandering in the lost zone. To clarify, entrepreneurs (not wantrepreneurs) are the ones…

My life looks drastically different from my friends and family, and that’s the secret strategy to my entrepreneurial effectiveness. — These days, it seems every other entrepreneurship-worshipping article and guru out there believe being boldly contrarian is the secret to success. …