Two Stones One Bird PODcast

Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future Besides the fact that a roadmap is about the future and is likely to change, it can also be a highly political process in some companies. The reality of resource constraints in all companies requires that prioritization occurs and not everything that is desired can be delivered. The major reason for developing a roadmap is to define where you want to be in the market at some specific point in the future and begin activities that drive the deliverables. This requires making resource allocation trade-offs and bets. It means not investing 100% of your resources in the next short term release, but having a portfolio of short and long term projects going in parallel. Determining where to go

Planning your future product capabilities is one of the most challenging activities in any organization. The key to success is an active engagement of executives and key functions within the organization to align the product roadmap with market and business needs. It isn’t enough, however, to just create the vision of where you want to go. There also needs to be an identification of the technology pieces required to implement it and commitment of resources far enough in advance to hit the target milestones. This comes at a cost to current planning and development activities but is necessary if you are to achieve a culture of continuous innovation and market leadership.

In this podcast episode, we explore the evolving landscape of business relationships and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the way we connect, communicate, and collaborate. Our guest speakers share insights on how to nurture long-lasting business relationships and navigate the disruptive forces of AI technology.

Don't miss this insightful discussion on how to thrive in the age of AI disruption and build stronger, more meaningful business relationships. Subscribe now to our podcast channel for more thought-provoking content on the latest trends and issues shaping the business world.

Making the choice to become an entrepreneur and go into business for yourself is one of the biggest life decisions that you may ever face. While being your own boss is appealing, you may be worried about making business mistakes that will cost you money. After all, the time and money that you have to invest in order to get your business off the ground should not be taken lightly.

Mistakes in business are inevitable, but certain ones can lead to their complete downfall. Sometimes it only takes one wrong move to destroy something you’ve built up.

As you study how to start a business, be sure you learn about common business mistakes that could trip you up.

It's supposed to be hard  

Often, entrepreneurs believe that the road to success is a smooth one, but the reality is quite different. The truth is that it's normal to face some struggles as a business grows, rather than having it easy the first time.  

Struggling with your company doesn't mean you're not smart enough to succeed or that you're a bad CEO. Rather, it means that you have room to grow and accomplish your goals.  

Growing businesses face a range of challenges. As a business grows, different problems and opportunities demand different solutions - what worked a year ago might now be not the best approach. All too often, avoidable mistakes turn what could have been a great business into an also-ran.  

Recognizing and overcoming the common pitfalls associated with growth is essential if your business is to continue to grow and thrive. Crucially, you need to ensure that the steps you take today don't themselves create additional problems for the future. Effective leadership will help you make the most of the opportunities, creating sustainable growth for the future.

More recently, the flow of capital has shifted rapidly.  

Venture capital is an essential component of the startup ecosystem, providing the necessary funding and resources for early-stage companies to grow and scale. However, over the past few years, there has been a shift in the venture capital landscape, with a focus on different deal structures and investment strategies.  

One of the most notable changes in the venture capital industry is the rise of seed and pre-seed funding. These early-stage rounds have become increasingly popular as more and more startups are able to validate their business models and secure funding before reaching the traditional Series A round. This has led to a shift in the deal structure, with more startups raising smaller amounts of money at earlier stages in their development.  

In conclusion, the venture capital landscape is continually evolving, with new deal structures and investment strategies emerging as the startup ecosystem evolves. While these changes present new opportunities and challenges, they also have the potential to democratize the startup ecosystem and make it easier for early-stage companies to raise money and scale.y, the flow of capital has shifted rapidly.

The Importance of creating a good Pitch Deck💡📊🧑‍🏫  

Raising capital from investors is difficult and time-consuming.  

For new entrepreneurs, getting an appointment to meet investors and present their startup idea is a big achievement. But what typically happens is a major letdown because only 0.91% of these entrepreneurs are able to secure finance from angel investors, and only 0.05% are able to do so from venture capitalists.  

And you wouldn’t want to be in that 99.09%.  

Therefore, make sure that you put your best foot forward when you meet the investors by effectively establishing value through a pitch deck that articulates a compelling and interesting story.  

Note that there is no guarantee of success, even after creating the strongest pitch deck for your company. So, don’t hesitate to take feedback from the investors and implement those in future fundraising rounds.

"Access to capital" is of course an important reason many entrepreneurs seek to forge long-term relationships with VCs.  

Many startup founders become fascinated by the pursuit of VCs and angel investors, whether it's because they feel like they've been accepted into this exclusive club or because they believe it's impossible to launch a new firm without millions of dollars in funding.  

Maybe the saying "We want what we can't have" is accurate. However, it might be argued that your chances of success are higher if you give up on seeking VC funding and instead put all of your efforts into building your company from scratch and gaining clients.  

Venture capital, while it provides an opportunity to significantly boost your bank account and invest in things that will grow your company rapidly, comes with certain caveats that you need to be aware of. Make sure your choice of finance is the best one for your startup by carefully considering all your options.

Goals are powerful—they can focus attention on achieving desirable outcomes.   

But in order to achieve this goal one should have mental clarity. Mental clarity is a state in which your mind is fully active and engaged. We need mental clarity in order to work through problems and stay productive throughout the day.  

Everyone goes through ups and downs that cause different states of cognitive performance throughout our lives. If we could choose to be mentally sharp every day of the week, we probably would. But it’s not that simple. Sometimes our mental fitness suffers, and we feel stuck in a slump.  

Mental clarity sits at the epicenter of wellness, performance, and productivity. No matter where you find yourself in your business or personal life, your mental clarity helps to create the conditions for clarity for the people around you, at work or in life.  

An organized mind is able to approach tasks with more efficiency and can execute them in order of priority.

Thus, to accomplish our goals, one must not only have to set goals but also have the mental clarity to accomplish them.

Some of the world's brightest innovators and entrepreneurs dedicate their time to inventing something new and bringing it to market in order to effect worthwhile social change. This is not an easy proposition. Being an entrepreneur is hard enough in and of itself, let alone doing it as a student who is trying to get a degree at the same time, has no entrepreneurial experience, and is trying to perfect complex new technology, all with the goal of helping people and the planet.  

Securing significant investments to propel a venture forward remains a big challenge to any entrepreneur. As you move beyond grants, it’s essential to line up milestone objectives with funder expectations.

If a business can transition from simply delivering a product to building a community, they can unlock extraordinary competitive advantages and create a superior business model. In fact, strong communities help support the ideal business model.

In the fundraising world, personal introductions and referrals are king. Word-of-mouth is still one of the most common ways deals get done. In order to land a meeting with a venture capitalist, you need to get introduced and referred.  

The world of VCs is notoriously exclusive, but despite how hard it is to land an introduction, there are ways to manage the process and maximize your chances of success.  

It boils down to this: get the right people to introduce you to the right connections—and do it in a way that makes the person introducing you look good, rather than sacrificing their reputation because of you.

But the question is. How much should you compensate to a person for introducing us to an investor?

This is actually a complex issue that many startups have wrestled with for decades. Giving someone an incentive can be amazing at how it produces results.

People are always looking to put themselves in the best possible position financially.  

Making sure all team members — from new hires to C-suite executives — are compensated well and equitably from day one can translate into heady advantages, such as improved retention, reduced turnover costs, and better-performing teams.   

When people feel valued, they feel better about coming in to work. Overall company morale increases and people are motivated to go to work and do a good job. Additionally, when employees know there are bonuses or commissions, they are increasingly motivated to deliver grander results.

Ideas are catalysts for progress, change, and human development in society. 

In business, ideas spur creativity and innovation.  The complexity and competitiveness of today’s business environment mean knowledge of how creativity can be stimulated within organizations has become critical for effective managerial practice.   

Ideas are the act of introducing something new to a company—a new product, a new market strategy, a new method, and so on—to reinvigorate the company and promote new value and growth. Innovation is all about business leaders coming up with (or listening to) creative ideas, and then using strategic planning and decision-making to implement the new business ideas successfully. When a business innovates, it can either improve its existing products, processes, or methodologies or create new ones from scratch.

“No person is an island.”  

Ignore the notion of the single professional "superman" and the rest of our culture's isolationism. Making an inner circle of "lifeline relationships" with a select few important trustworthy people is the actual key to success in both your professional and personal life. These relationships will provide you with the support, feedback, and encouragement you need to realize your full potential.  

Whether your goal is to run a successful business, be the best in your industry, reduce weight, break bad habits that hold you back, or have a positive impact on the world. A good support circle will give you a roadmap and help you achieve the success you deserve.

Making Learning a Part of Everyday Work

In business, it's one great way to spend a day with other entrepreneurs or professionals to really understand how things work. Because in this way, you'll be able to start seeing how the business people interact with each other. So that's one whole strategy as you get to learn how these people will work together. And use it to work a strategy of your own. 

Never be the smartest person in the room, but instead one should always strive to learn new things. Perhaps instead of working to be the smartest or best person in the room, it is smarter to focus on becoming a better version of yourself at work, in business, or in everyday life.

Unexpected economic downturns can occur, and in extreme instances, like the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact as we say is unprecedented📈⬇️💰

This year brought the first signs of skepticism and pressure on ventures. Building out during a recession shouldn’t always be a focal point depending on your current runway and cash flow. Instead, concentrate on bringing your original vision to life.

Remain optimistic!

A positive mindset is the most valuable asset you can possess during a downturn. Remaining a “glass-half-full” person is vital to spotting the opportunities in a crisis.

The most important thing you can have in tough times is a positive outlook. Being a "glass-half-full" person will help you recognize the opportunities that arise during a crisis.

Solutions to capital allocation issues are often to go above and not through the issue right away. Breaking it all down and end up with a larger idea of a solution that goes above the issue.

Traits between generations differ in capital allocation. Baby boomers are good at money management in slow who are slowly retiring and there are emerging millennials are making fast capital that is quickly spinning up.

Is the path that you are going to make is the safest kind of speculation? The idea of your job being fund controllers who bring the highest quality possible speculation vehicles to investors in order to help them preserve and grow wealth so they could be done in the world. The amount of energy that it takes to be a conscious capitalist is tremendous.

There are a lot of other types of considerations you can get involved with when organizing deals. Instead of thinking macro one should need to be a little micro. To become better at organizing deals is to be also good at managing who's a part of what and aligning their interests to connect them in the right opportunities for their capital.

Venture capitalists are sitting between investor demands and hungry entrepreneurs which really doesn't sound comfortable at all. As Venture capitalists are often in an impossible situation with their stakeholders. Frustrated by the fact that some LPs lie which causes downhill stress.  

If the entrepreneur wants to build a thing but gets burned out because they try to do it all themselves. The fact that this is not an easy thing. But remember that you can be as successful as the people you work with. Knowing whom you surround yourself with. If there is an opportunity to merge with another company that reduces your stress and increases your velocity then find a way to make it work.

Building relationships. On how you should not attempt to raise money if you don't have access to the people who can write checks. And if you don't have access to them. You need to network your way into it or build relationships with influencers to get in.

When your identity is wrapped up so tightly in what you do, you could run a risk of when someone rejecting what you do and what you're offering or what you're producing. You would feel that objection deeply inside of you as well. Logically you know that. Logically everyone can say that's all that makes sense. Experiencing it in practice as a conscious human being who is humble and that they think of themselves accurately not too much or too little but have radical acceptance of exactly who they are. Then that would be a whole different story and that's something you can work on every single day.

Insights on how the business model drives the people not the people driving the business model. As if you're going to be trying to play in the Venture Capital game you really have to reverse engineer that you have to say what is the business models that are most appropriate to steward capital and deploy capital most efficiently for outsized returns and what kind of humans and rock stars do you need in that company. And how the fund will only be as big as the relationships that it has especially as you're starting off.