Ben Zises’ Post

Here are 5 things I learned in 2023 from looking at hundreds of start ups: 🌸 To invest in founders I resonate with ~ we may be very different people, but if there's resonance we're unlikely to think the other is unreasonable. Apply this to life as much as possible. 🥑 Quarterly email "updates and asks" are awesome to receive as an investor ~ both to follow progress and know what advice or connections founders want. It also prevents investors bugging you & maximizes their usefulness. 💫 To respond to founders quickly when a company isn't in my investment sweet spot ~ it clears the cognitive load for both sides, when you know something is a definite no. 🐒 To invest in what I'm super interested in ~ I love healthier and artisanal food and drinks, so I scope out this market for fun all the time wherever I am. 🌊 Valuation vs. traction is an art and a science, but it matters ~ being able to imagine a business 10 or 20x-ing in value is important, given the risk of angel investing. Last year I invested in F&B companies Soul Fruit, Nolo Coffee - Decaf and Low Caf Coffee & Ojo de Dios Mezcal. Approaching potential investors for your business baby is tough. I have so much respect for all founders out there building their dream companies. Wishing you all a productive, healthy and happy week (and year) ahead 🌟

🌙 **Handling Founders: A Delicate Dance 🐱💼** 🔍 In my previous post, "Working with Founders is Like Handling Cats," I compared founders to our feline friends. It generated a lot of interest! 📝📈 Now, consider this as a sequel where we explore discerning when to push and when to ease the pressure. 💡 🔥 It's no secret that being a founder is exceptionally challenging. They face demanding customers, employees seeking more for less, and investors pushing for growth. It's a tough job that attracts unique personalities. 😅👨💼 💥 But what happens when things deviate from the plan? Founders become painfully aware, with projected figures haunting their dreams. It's their worst nightmare. Investors, too, get frustrated when companies fall short of targets, affecting the agreed-upon valuation. 📉💼 ⚖️ As investors, we must determine which issues require scrutiny and embrace necessary changes. Venturing into venture capital is no easy feat. Finding the balance between trust and accountability is crucial. 💯🙌 💡 I've learned that open and honest discussions with founders yield effective results. By caring personally while being direct, we can achieve a harmonious balance. 🤝💪 📚 "Radical Candor " by Kim Scott greatly inspired me. It emphasizes the importance of caring personally while offering direct feedback. It's a must-read for anyone navigating communication in business. 📖🌟 #founders #venturecapital #communication #radicalcandor #businessgrowth

Here's an excerpt of something I shared with an entrepreneur the other day: "When you started this venture 4 years ago, you were creative, energetic, wildly optimistic, and bold. You had raised nearly 1M in outside investment. Everything was clicking. You were living your dream, casting vision, and inspiring people. You were positive... you were also pretty naive. In between then and today, life happened. Some of your ideas were shut down by the customer. There's been challenges finding, keeping, and retaining the right people. You've made some mistakes. You've had some false starts. You've been bruised, battered, and bloodied by the marketplace. You've also been on a personal roller coaster. Now, you are mustering your resources to finally make this work in a big way. Here's the trick though: The heartache, disappointment, and failure of the past 4 years can't make you approach today in a way that is cynical, low energy, and paranoid. That will cause you to fail. You have to find a way to combine the energy, boldness, and passion of year 1 with the maturity and intelligence of year 4. Dig through the past 4 years to find all of the lessons and principles. Bring those things with you. BUT refuse to carry the associated emotional baggage."