Commentary on business plan competitions and demo days. What’s important is building your business, not the accolades that come from contests.

Picasso said the good artists copy and the great artists steal. Look for opportunities in the US you can take to the non-US market AND look for opportunities in the non-US market that you can take to the US. Make Picasso proud!

Where have I been for the past year? In Startup Chile building my startup: Kedzoh. And, I wanted to share 10 things I think you need to know when doing your own startup.

In the past I’ve written more than a few blogs about the opportunities that exist for non-US entrepreneurs in the United States. Today, I’m writing about the vast opportunities open to all entrepreneurs worldwide. They just need to know how to look. So here are 5 tips on how to look for and spot international opportunities. […]

Dear Jeff Bezos, I owe you an apology. When the iPad first came out in April 2010 I taunted you and told you that the Kindle had seen it’s last days. I might have even said a few other nasty things too. At the time, I just couldn’t understand how a retailer could even begin […]

        In Memorium February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011 Tweet

Would you hire Steve Jobs? What if someone told you in an interview that taking LSD was one of the most important moments of their life..What if they told you they were an orphan and their father was an Arab Muslim. What if they told you that one of the classes they took that had the most impact on them was a calligraphy class. What if they told you that they dropped out of college after one semester. All these things are true about Steve Jobs. Would you hire him?

Companies can still have zero revenues and have tremendous value. Most VC’s assume $2 per user per year in revenues, with one million users and a multiple of 20X that’s $40 million of value with zero revenues. Good, if you’re a US company. Difficult if you’re in Europe where angels and VC are still struggling with the concept that a company with zero revenues can have tremendous value. So, what’s a European entrepreneur to do? Simple, find a local VC who “get’s it” or come to America and unlock the value you’ve created!

Here are three business development tips you’ll need to be successful: 1) make the f’ring phone call, 2) have something the client wants and 3) actually deliver on what you said you’d deliver. That’s right, sounds simple but hey that’s the fun of having the rubber hit the road.

Some say marketing, some say sales, some say business development. The sale happens where these three come together. Your marketing is the physical manifestation of your strategy; it’s the web site, brochures, videos and ads. Sales is the stuff inside the web site, brochures, videos and ads. And, business development, we’ll that’s a fancy term for when you get your butt out of the office and start knocking on a customer’s door.