🤖 Yaniv Bernstein’s Post

“I know what to do, I’m just not doing it! Argh!” During a recent Office Hours for my 2X Accelerator Community, one of the members said this in utter frustration. It’s a sentiment a lot of Founders can relate to. We have a lot of knowledge. We’ve read a lot of books. We buy courses. We listen to podcasts. We take nuggets from our social media feeds. We consult with our coaches. We’ve gotten clear on the important but not urgent thing that will move us forward the most. We know what we need to do. Sometimes, we just can’t seem to do it. Then there tends to be a bit of a judgement spiral. Are we simply deficient in our ability to focus? Do we lack discipline? Are we being lazy? Do we lack the right stuff for this Founder game? In this week’s Rocket Ship Founder Podcast, I talk about what keeps us from doing the things we know we need to do. In my experience, these four things get in the way: ❌ Getting lost responding to day-to-day fires ❌ Going to our happy place instead of where we need to be ❌ Being out of alignment with the thing we need to do ❌ Lack of ruthlessness In this episode I’ll give you strategies that will help you identify which blocks you are experiencing - and what to do about them. I’ll cover: ✅ 3 keys to getting unstuck and moving forward ✅ Being ruthless with your calendar ✅ How there right peer group can up your accountability This 12-minute episode will help you just do it. PS I'm opening up my 2X Accelerator Community for 3 Founders who want to create the path to their next $500k-$1M in revenue in the next 90 days. 2 spots are left. Comment "2X" and I'll get you the details. #founders #entrepreneurs #growth #b2b

Did you know immigrant founders statistically outperform in the startup world? This week on Episode 20 of The Diligent Observer I chat with Patrick S., Principal at Elevate Ventures, who shared data-backed insights from his Harvard research days on predicting startup success. We discuss why empathy in saying "no" to founders matters more than you think, how a single 1968 regulation transformed VC (enabling ~75% of today's public company value), three key indicators of true product-market fit that every investor should watch, and much more. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gjvyB3GN #TheDiligentObserver #ElevateVentures #DueDiligence #StartupInvesting #Podcast

Check out the latest episode of The Diligent Observer!

After nearly 3 weeks fighting Covid, my voice is good enough to scratch through a new episode of the Rocket Ship Founder Podcast. What's on my mind this week? Navigating pivots. Pivots enter the picture when your business isn't getting the traction you'd like in spite of great effort over time from you and your team. There are two main questions to answer when contemplating pivots: What's at the heart of the lack of traction? Where to pivot to? Getting clarity on #1 is crucial to figuring out #2. You have to discern if you are not getting traction because of some fundamental issue in your offer, market, delivery, model - or if you simply aren't selling and marketing well. That clarity is crucial because pivots came in different shapes and sizes: you can pivot audiences, business models, product/service or application of product/service. So how do you know know if it's time to Pivot? And if it is time to pivot, how do you figure out where to pivot to? In this week’s Rocket Ship Founder Podcast, I’ll talk about making your way through pivots. I'll cover: - The 3 things to look for in assessing if it's time to pivot - How looking at everything as on Offer is the key to navigating pivots - How to quickly test hypothesis when contemplating a pivot This 14-minute episode is pretty much fire! #startups #startupgrowth #founders #entrepreneurship

After nearly 3 weeks fighting Covid, my voice is good enough to scratch through a new episode of the Rocket Ship Founder Podcast. What's on my mind this week? Navigating pivots. Pivots enter the picture when your business isn't getting the traction you'd like in spite of great effort over time from you and your team. There are two main questions to answer when contemplating pivots: What's at the heart of the lack of traction? Where to pivot to? Getting clarity on #1 is crucial to figuring out #2. You have to discern if you are not getting traction because of some fundamental issue in your offer, market, delivery, model - or if you simply aren't selling and marketing well. That clarity is crucial because pivots came in different shapes and sizes: you can pivot audiences, business models, product/service or application of product/service. So how do you know know if it's time to Pivot? And if it is time to pivot, how do you figure out where to pivot to? In this week’s Rocket Ship Founder Podcast, I’ll talk about making your way through pivots. I'll cover: - The 3 things to look for in assessing if it's time to pivot - How looking at everything as on Offer is the key to navigating pivots - How to quickly test hypothesis when contemplating a pivot This 14-minute episode is pretty much fire! #startups #startupgrowth #founders #entrepreneurship

Startup Hustle invited Stephen Wolfe onto the podcast to talk about practical funding and founder-market fit. Some key themes from the episode include: - Founder-market fit is crucial to success - Traditional venture capital isn't appropriate for most entrepreneurs (read Greg Head's content about practical founders) - Early growth capital, like Growth Street's, is a sensible path for most founders to raise the proper amount of capital for their opportunity and to get the right kind of help Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gfZNnmAk

Redefining Startup Success and Funding Strategies. I really enjoyed an insightful conversation with Toby Egbuna, CEO & Co-Founder of Chezie, on the WorkTech podcast! 🚀 Watch or listen to the whole conversation at https://lnkd.in/eX8dd9WH or on the WRKdefined network. Toby shares a refreshing perspective on startup growth and funding:• Keep your options open in the early stages • Early self-funding can lead to unexpected opportunities • Reaching $2-3M in revenue without VC funding makes you a "unicorn" to investors • Proven success with limited resources can be a powerful selling point. Toby's journey with Chezie is a testament to alternative paths in the startup world. His approach challenges conventional wisdom and offers valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs.For more gems on the founder's journey, startup strategies, and alternative routes to success, follow Toby Egbuna on LinkedIn. His posts are a goldmine of information for anyone navigating the entrepreneurial landscape. #StartupGrowth #AlternativeFunding #EntrepreneurialJourney #WorkTechPodcast #HRTech #WorkTech

Could a girls weekend trip and a few hundred grand launch a $100m company? You know the answer!   I had a chance to sit down with Gestalt founder and CEO Stephanie (Alsbrooks) Hanson to talk about entrepreneurship, the challenges of early stage funding, building a $100m company as a single mom, Texas, poker, faith, and family. This episode is as real as it gets. Check out the link in the COMMENTS below for my full interview with Stephanie on the VENTURE 2 VICTORY podcast! What would you do if you secured commitments for your first multimillion-dollar funding round, but on game day, only $300K—from just two close friends—actually came through? Now, imagine facing the usual pressures of being a startup founder, but this time you’re doing it as a single mom! How do you recover when life throws a curveball or two? Sometimes, the truth is, you simply can’t do it alone. Stephanie and I touch upon Faith in this episode; its helpfulness on the entrepreneur's journey, overcoming existential challenges, and balancing the demands of being both a good mother and effective CEO. This is truly an inspirational story for anyone with big dreams. But if you’re a mom or parent to a young daughter, Stephanie’s story will really hit home! Let us know in the comments below if this message personally resonates with you. #startups #venturecapital #executivesearch #fintech

Could a girls weekend trip and a few hundred grand launch a $100m company? I really enjoyed my time getting to know Stephanie (Alsbrooks) Hanson on a project several years ago. She's the classic entrepreneur. Lot's to learn here for anyone trying to build a big business while balancing family responsibilities. Check out Tim's full conversation with her on the V2V podcast (link in Tim's first comments below). #startups #venturecapital #executiverecruiting #fintech

Grateful for the Leaders Who Took a Chance on Me Reflecting on my journey, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work for two amazing female CEOs who shaped not only my career but also my confidence in ways I’ll always cherish. Watching them lead with vision, resilience, and purpose in a startup environment was truly inspiring. They saw potential in me—a chef transitioning into the tech world—and gave me the opportunity to grow, learn, and thrive. That leap of faith transformed my career and taught me the value of hard work, adaptability, and believing in oneself. Without their mentorship and leadership, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Their example gave me the confidence to push boundaries, embrace challenges, and strive to be better every day. To all the leaders out there giving others a chance to grow: thank you for making an impact. And to those wondering if they can make a leap into a new role or industry—sometimes all it takes is someone believing in you. #startup #productmananger #fintech #devops #cloud