...the expectation is that you're already shipping...
...and that you're not trying to raise money in order to create something to ship.
So prototyping is everything.
The concept of, "We'll raise some money then we'll write the software or create the product..."
"...and then we'll ship and then we'll raise some more money," that don't fly anymore.
So basically, you need to prototype,...
...you need to ship and get it out there and get the cash flow.
And may you never need venture capital but if you do need venture capital,...
...you should use it for expansion, not for creation.
I think one of the things that...
...entrepreneurs forget the most or the most common problem I see...
...is that their financial forecast is so off.
And I mean off by a factor of 100 times and one year.
A good rule of thumb is, you know, whatever an entrepreneur says is their financial plan,...
...you add a year to that 'cause it's gonna be a year late and you divide it by 100.
And, you know, prove me wrong, I'd like to see that.
So the message here is that, you know, you've really gotta get out there.
You've gotta get out there and ship.
And sandbag your investors,..
...do something that you're 90% confident you could actually achieve.
Very seldom does an entrepreneur reach even their most conservative estimates.
So I'm not saying I'm advocating sandbagging but I'm definitely...
...advocating that you not promise 250 million dollars in year three,...
...because that ain't gonna happen.
