Here's an excellent video of @GuyKawasaki from March 2013.

The Top 10 Mistakes of Entrepreneurs

• 1) Multiplying big number by 1 percent (0:9)
  • Getting 1 percent is not that easy!
  • No investors wants to hear you only get 1 % !
• 2) Scaling too soon (0:11)
  • No companies have died because it didn't scale fast enough -> High quality problem
• 3) Partnering means nothing. Sales is important! (0:15)
• 4) Pitching instead of prototyping (0:16)Prototyping is key
  • Everything free or cheap -> then show with a prototype-> show you can deliver
• 5) Using too many slides and too small a font (0:20)
  • 10 slides /20 mns /30 point font
• 6) Doing things serially (0:22)
  • Serial world in entrepreneurship does not exist-> it is a parallel world! It is not:
    • Raising money then
    • Build team then
    • Write software then
    • Collect
  • But all these parallel activities at once:
    • Raising money
    • Writing software
    • Prototyping
    • Selling
    • Recruiting
    • Collecting money
• 7) Believing 51% = control (0:23)
  • In board meeting things don't come to a vote!
  • Moment you take outside money you've lost control of the company.
  • 51% is an illusion of control
• 8) Believing patents = defensibility (0:24)
  • Patents realistically will not help you!
  • Years to file
  • You don't have the time & resources to defend your patent!
• 9) Hiring in your own image (0:28)
  • Hire people who complement your skills
  • 3 types of people/ skills s o. to make it, s.o. to sell it & s.o. to collect it
  • Balance talent in your company!
• 10) Befriending your VCs (0:29)
• Q&A