Michael

"Having moved from the finance world into the startup world, I get asked by many former colleagues whether they should ask investors to sign a NDA (they get mad when I laugh at them). Personally I've found that it's the CFOs and "rich uncles" of the world that are telling young entrepreneurs never to do business with people that won't sign an NDA." - Michael

"Didnt we have this debate a few months ago?" - Michael

""I read it last night after we had dinner..." Is the book that short or do you read at a superhuman pace?" - Michael

"Depends on what you need to accomplish but buying something like QuickBooks and setting everything up will teach you the basics better than just reading about it. When you book your first major sale and realize that you're only paid 1/12 upfront, you quickly realize the difference between revenue and cash flows!" - Michael

"What comparison would you use?" - Michael

"Obviously this is your first FAKE GRIMLOCK sighting. If you read any tech blogs, I assure you it won't be your last." - Michael

"Be careful with your definition of "useless criticism" because sometimes a reason to stop what you're currently doing actually does help improve things. In my book it's all about intent. Useless criticism is flippant generic advise meant to condescend, destroy, or build someone's ego. Constructive criticism is meant to improve the product itself." - Michael

"This is the reality that few founders consider before taking the leap (myself included). It's easy to say competition is good because it proves your assumptions are correct, but what's missing is the reality about how this plays out day to day. Not to mention the many other stresses of being a founder. Personally I've never been more stressed or slept less in my life, but man I love it. Plus I've found that I'm driven to succeed primarily by living each day in the space where passion and fear coexist. Congrats on the sale to Ebay by the way!" - Michael

"Good luck guys. RentSavvy will be there rooting you on!" - Michael

"This sounds like the opposite of the "brazen life". Good advice, just not very brazen." - Michael

"Fred, Thanks for the write-up. Now I can explain which one to buy to my wife!" - Michael

"Hey Peyton, You did receive an email from me about winning MW3 Hardened Edition. Thanks for posting a comment to the blog - as you can never be too careful these days. My name is Chris Bond ( founder Rentsavvy). You can also look at the email address this was sent from to be double sure (from chris@rentsavvy.com). To add proof to it, I can tell you that when you entered, you also shared on twitter and followed us. If you give me your twitter handle, we can even tweet your from @rentsavvy if you'd like. You definitely are the winner. We just need to know how to get it to you. Thanks for entering, we really appreciate it and hope you enjoy the game. czbond -------------- I received an email about winning this, but can't link the name to anyone actually at rentsavvy.com, kinda scared to respond due to it possibly being a hoax. Is there any information I can give (email address or name of the person that sent the email) so that i can know that its safe to respond? (don't want to break any..." - Michael

"Got carried away with the "/". It should be working now. Thanks!" - Michael

"Absolutely, but if your goal is to raise money then you have to know your market inside and out and where your product fits into the competitive landscape. My point is that if you're a 1st timer, the best business plan will (most likely) still not lead to 1 penny from anyone other than friends and family. Why? Because there are 5 teams out there right now building a business that can do what you are only claiming to be able to do. By the time you finish your business plan, you're already behind. Here's mint.com's investor deck. They were a later stage company at this point, but the slides articulate what you need to know when pitching investors: www.slideshare.net/hnshah/mint..." - Michael

"The best tip I can give is to avoid building a business plan. Assuming you're a first-time entrepreneur, traction and a one-pager is way more important than a well crafted business plan.  Build your product, know your market inside and out, and create a 10 slide investor deck based on your results. When meeting with investors have a 1 sentence elevator pitch that clearly articulates your value add, and speaks to differentiation (if you're in a crowded market).  Form your team, build your product and start kicking ass." - Michael

"Thanks for the writeup. Hope you enjoy the service! Mike Ivey RentSavvy.com" - Michael

"How're the videos on Lynda? I taught myself html / css over the summer, and it's already paid dividends on my own startup. You should definitely check out css-tricks.com, but I found the best way to learn is just to dive into a live site. As far as your startup, hopefully you've already checked into licensing issues. A personal friend is the founder of hoop it up sports, and I've heard many horror stories about how ruthless the NFL, MLB, etc... are in protecting their brands. Best of luck though." - Michael

"Except in a startup the goal is to build something that succeeds, not just keep the CEO in his job!" - Michael

"C Corp's are also preferred because tax losses would otherwise typically have to be passed onto the funds LP's (which is obviously not a good thing). Brad, LaunchDFW is a great place to get to know local VC's. Hope this is a regular on the blog. The only question I would add to these guys is "how many deals have you funded in 2011?"" - Michael

"Yes we need more experienced entrepreneurs to stick around, but I think you succinctly point out why Dallas will continue to lose these people to the coasts.   While I agree with your overall point, I don't think what has made SV work is an environment that says, "come back and see me after you've made it big."" - Michael

"I don't know the experience of everyone else, but I'd suggest that investment activity has a role to play in entrepreneurial density. In Dallas for example, there are plenty of entrepreneurs and startups but the majority tend to relocate once they are able to raise money due to a lack of active early stage investors. Of those that remain, you tend to see each locate close to their home since there isn't really an incremental benefit to be close to a) other startups or b) investors. Thankfully there are people trying to change this, but for now Dallas is very much in flux." - Michael

"Marc, I love that you responded to this because your example is the gold standard in having a voice and standing out in a crowded space. One question, how long did it take you to overcome the fear of being so public with your thoughts each week? Or does that come pretty natural?" - Michael

"Not sure if this is what you're referring to but http://su.pr is a fantastic URL shortener. Along the same lines, someone else asked a question about how SU could be driving more traffic than Twitter. I wonder if one's not leveraging the other." - Michael

"Not sure if this is what you're referring to but http://su.pr is a fantastic URL shortener. Along the same lines, someone else asked a question about how SU could be driving more traffic than Twitter. I wonder if one's not leveraging the other." - Michael

""But over time, that use case will go away." If you had to guess, how far off are we from this?" - Michael

""But over time, that use case will go away." If you had to guess, how far off are we from this?" - Michael

"Since I spent 10 minutes explaining to a family member the other day that it's impossible her "facebook had a virus", and another 30 minutes assuring my inlaws that paypal is secure enough to handle credit card transactions, I'm inclined to agree with DonRyan. Keep in mind that the largest global email provider is hotmail!" - Michael

"Since I spent 10 minutes explaining to a family member the other day that it's impossible her "facebook had a virus", and another 30 minutes assuring my inlaws that paypal is secure enough to handle credit card transactions, I'm inclined to agree with DonRyan. Keep in mind that the largest global email provider is hotmail!" - Michael

"There was no minimum order and shipping was free. Hard to believe it went bankrupt!" - Michael

"There was no minimum order and shipping was free. Hard to believe it went bankrupt!" - Michael