
Are you trying to do a startup as a SOLO entrepreneur? And are people telling you that you can’t? They’re wrong. You CAN. But there are complexities you need to understand. Let’s discuss the nuances.
Fred Luddy bootstrapped ServiceNow as a Solo entrepreneur bootstrapping with a paycheck. He went on to raise a lot of VC funding. And, he went on to build a Unicorn.
If you are a solo entrepreneur doing a startup for the first time, assume you have to bootstrap.
Sramana Mitra: If you quantify what was happening in these accounts, you were landing the accounts with your ERP channel and partnership management expertise and then growing those accounts. So, when you landed those accounts, what were the deal sizes and what kind of deal sizes were you able to expand these accounts to?
>>>
As founders, we often focus on product development but overlook the critical factor that can make or break our chances of securing funding: Velocity.
Potential for Velocity in the early stages.
Evidence of Velocity in the later stages.

As a startup mentor, I always think about how I can make the most impact.
These days, everyone claims to be a startup mentor. Whether they have ever done a startup or raised money, they are ready to give advice on how to raise money.
Most of the advice you get this way is blind leading the blind.
What constitutes good startup mentoring?

Will you be seeking investor introductions for your startup in 2025?
Top VC funds operate in the 98% rejection rate zone.
Let’s avoid the pitfalls of wasting time and money without achieving results.
If you are looking for investor introductions, you have to be READY.

Please post this on your wall in 2025:
“Startups: Do NOT Go to VCs as Beggars. Go as Kings.”
This is the 1Mby1M mantra and it works.
Over 99% of founders chase funding before they are fundable.

Can you hit $1M+ in Revenue in 2025?
In working through the current landscape of our industry, a few trends become evident:

As the new year begins, entrepreneurs need to think about new year resolutions.
Perhaps you have come to the conclusion that you will not seek further funding.
Instead, you will look for an Exit.
Now you have to show potential strategic acquirers how they can quickly drive revenues by pushing your product through their existing channels.