I’m amused by all of the folks who have been calling since we announced our funding round last week. The pitches are just awful. It’s not quite this bad, but what I hear is along the lines of “Um, I’m just reading how you raised all that money, and, you know what? Um. I want to help you spend it. Cuz I’m really good at that. You know what I mean?”
What kinds of people are calling me?
*) Lots and lots and lots of recruiters. If my phone rings between 12:45 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. there’s a 75% chance it’s a recruiter.
*) Commercial real estate agents wanting to know if we need any new office space.
*) High net worth financial planners. Do they think the money went into my personal bank account?
*) Offshore development shops.
*) Direct mail fulfillment houses.
*) Video marketers.
*) PR agencies.
I have a better idea. Don’t work so hard. Instead of you all calling me, how about if I need any of your services, I’ll search for you? You’ll save money and do less work, and I’ll enjoy getting more work done by being less frequently interrupted. Does that sound like a plan? Cuz I’m really good at coming up with these kind of win-win solutions to really hard problems, you know what I mean?
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Kevin, please remind me not to call you from 12:45 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
These are people willing to help you spend money you’ve made without them vs. people looking to help you make money with them. Who is better to deal with? Take the calls. Keep a list. When you need something call anybody but people on the list.
If you are a vendor, unless you’ve been there with the team the whole time the only right thing to say about new funding is “congratulations.” So, congratulations. It’s nice to see some VCs that get it. It’s a real opportunity and you guys are executing – the beta is pretty sweet.
Unfortunately, developers and staff who want to join you because you are hot also come in two flavors – those looking to ride, and those looking for a team that pulls as hard as they do. It’s the peril of succeeding – it attracts the wannabes perhaps even more than the contributors.
The Downside Of Coming Out Of “Stealth Mode”…
My friend Kevin Merritt (CEO of Seattle startup blist) hit the nail on the head with his recent post about the hordes of people who will call you when you announce a financing.
I’ve noticed the same thing since we came out of stealth mode two wee…