I’ve asked multiple entrepreneurs this week how long it took to find product/market fit. Answer: two years. I followed up asking how long it took to get to $1M ARR from scratch. Answer: four years. Settle in, it’s a long journey.

Last week, I was talking with an entrepreneur who’s built an incredible business. Later in the conversation, I asked if the idea he started with was the same one that ultimately made him successful. I’ve asked this question many times before, knowing that most entrepreneurs pivot

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend AdPipe’s annual user conference and hear a number of guest speakers share their thoughts on where the world is headed regarding authentic storytelling through video. Seeing so many employees and customers gathered in one

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Last week, I had the opportunity to talk with a successful tech entrepreneur about his journey. Deep into the conversation, we reflected on the boom years of 2020 and 2021 and then the lean years from 2022 to today. That transition, from growth at all costs to measured growth

Last week, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel of growth-stage entrepreneurs as part of Venture Atlanta. Whenever I moderate a panel, I like to approach it as a conversation. It usually takes a few minutes to find the flow and develop some rapport with the room, but once

Last week, I was talking with an entrepreneur about ensuring a business is set up for an exit. After a few minutes of discussing the pros and cons of thinking about an exit early in the startup journey, I pushed back and emphasized that the real goal is to build a great, enduring

Last week, I had the opportunity to spend time with a group of executives working on a regional project. One phrase that came up repeatedly was: control your controllables. Although this was said in the context of regional development, it’s incredibly applicable to startups as

Last week, I was catching up with an entrepreneur who was lamenting how potential investors didn’t like his market. It reminded me of the early days at Pardot. We were about three years into the business, had over $1 million in annual recurring revenue, and were growing 200% year

Once or twice a month, I’m introduced to someone who wants to plug into the local startup community. Sometimes it’s a person new to town. Other times it’s someone who has been here for a few years, heads down in their work, and is now at a career crossroads. And occasionally,

Last week I was talking to an entrepreneur who had built a solid business, growing modestly with plenty of room to run. During the conversation, the question came up about whether or not to raise institutional capital. Over the past several years, the startup has raised a few

Last week I was catching up with an entrepreneur who was thinking about doing some angel investing, and he asked me what I look for in other entrepreneurs. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many great people and learn from their experiences. Entrepreneurship

Last week, I was talking to an entrepreneur who is building a new business. The company has some decent traction, and he’s deciding what to do next on the fundraising side. As part of the discussion, one important consideration that came up was how to think about a competitor

Last week I was talking with an entrepreneur about financing options and the current fundraising climate. One of the topics that came up was customer value financing, an idea I first explored a couple of years ago. Customer value financing works like this: an investment company

It’s that time of year again. The new 2025 Inc. 5000 awards list is out, and once more, a number of great Atlanta companies are represented. I always enjoy digging through the list, both to see the local standouts and to explore companies from across the country. It’s a great way

Last week, I was reminded of the importance and value of being around other founders who believe the impossible is possible. When I was first starting out, I would read the local paper and business journals, looking for any articles about startups in the area. If I saw that an

Last week, I was talking to a would-be entrepreneur, and the usual questions came up about my personal experiences, background, and philosophy. As I thought about how to emphasize a key point, I shared that my favorite word when it comes to entrepreneurship is permissionless.

Last week, I spoke with an entrepreneur whose company is growing at a pace that goes beyond even traditional hypergrowth standards. I’ve read about companies like Replit and Lovable going from $0 to $100 million in revenue in under a year, and coming from a more traditional SaaS

As I look out my window this morning, I can't help but smile watching my robotic lawnmower carve pictures and words into the backyard. Of course, the artwork is silly and there for fun, but the aha moment for me—as a kid who grew up in the Deep South mowing grass for hundreds of

As we're dreaming up amenities and experiences for entrepreneurs in South Downtown Atlanta, I'm reminded of the early years, when things were much more challenging and lean. When I first moved to Atlanta in 2002, our big customer at the time, Noble Investment Group, was kind

A question I get from entrepreneurs from time to time is to look at past board decks from other startups. Board decks are a normal part of venture-backed startups and help align the executive team, the entrepreneur, and the investors on a quarterly basis. Now, decks don't have a

Last week I was at dinner with a group of executives, and of course, the topic of ChatGPT and AI came up. We went around and shared some of our favorite use cases for the technology, as well as ways we are experimenting with AI in our respective companies. Then I asked if anyone