I have a friend. I hope you’re lucky enough to have one like him too. He’s a joy to be around. But sometimes it’s the slightly unaware way he communicates.
When that happens it feels less like my friend of 20 years talking. And more like a recital made of equal parts academic privilege and F500 corporate policy.
My friend lives in Spain where bedtimes are sadistically late. I live in Prague, which has historically had one of the earliest start times on the continent. So we tag each other a lot on DM. The response to our last electronic waltz was, “Let’s choose a mutually convenient time during the week to connect.”
“Mutually convenient time?” It felt like I was stuck in a corporate recital. But perhaps he had a long day and was just tired—and so that muscle memory kicked in. Then I reminded myself that I was trained in the same kind of recital. For the longest time I talked that way too. It was easy and oddly comfortable.
So next time around, when it comes to a “mutually convenient” time, perhaps I’ll just suggest something like “How about now?”
Imagine someone builds a beautiful house, but it’s completely landlocked. It’s entirely surrounded by other properties and there’s no road leading to it. None of the windows face south and the doors are all on the second floor.
Inside, the occupants worry about one thing: what color to paint their house. Because it’s a house and always will be. It will never be a home.
I was recently asked to edit an investor pitch deck. And it was one of “those” houses. It would have meant a lot of money, but I’m no painter.
So I politely declined. Why?
The deck targeted ten industries simultaneously. Investors want focused positioning. First decide where your product can help an underserved market or unmet need. Show investors you know the market space you’re entering.
Fall and spring come and go one time each year. Investment seasons are tied to them. Plan outreach ahead of time. Starting in October to land meetings in November isn’t going to work. Work with the seasons, not against.
There is a rule of three. It also applies to pitch decks. The process typically sees three decks: a teaser deck (5 pages), meeting pitch deck (10-12 pages), and a due diligence deck (up to 20 pages). Don’t go in the door on the second floor by sending the wrong deck at the wrong time.
I’m curious. What do you do when you spot one of “those” houses, but the price is right? I remind myself I’m not a painter.
Back in the blog boom era (think Nokia candy bar phones) I created the first blog on a bestselling innovation and strategy book. “It’s a boring subject. No one will read it,” folks said. And that’s why you shouldn’t pay too much attention to what others say. It wasn’t until ten years and 1,200 posts later that I put it to bed.
Everything old is new again the worn expression goes. I’ve found that in business and in life it wields great truth. The baggy raver jeans I wore at university have come back in style and are almost on their way out again. People are as scared of AI as they were of having AOL dial up in their homes.
I’m starting this new blog because there are so many experiences and feelings where we can connect. Especially at a time when it seems we’re encouraged to disconnect from each other. I hope you will feel comfortable visiting here—just like those days when I used to sit down with a cup of coffee and start my morning with the blogs I loved (and not doomsday scrolling). And that you will take away something that might make you look at your day just a little bit different.