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When a house isn't a home

November 04, 2025

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.

Well here we are again

November 03, 2025

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.