Comments on: What to do if your startup is about fail (or "Don't Stop Believing") http://calacanis.com/2009/02/27/what-to-do-if-your-startup-is-about-fail-or-dont-stop-believing/ Just another WordPress site Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:11:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: jay http://calacanis.com/2009/02/27/what-to-do-if-your-startup-is-about-fail-or-dont-stop-believing/#comment-2600 jay Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:43:48 +0000 http://calacanis.com/?p=4037#comment-2600 thanks for taking the time out to write this article its 5:35 a am and I just lost everything i had in my business I dont even have a moth worth of cash left. I laid of all my staff and closed my office its very painful and looking back I can see how i I blew it. thank you for the article. thanks for taking the time out to write this article its 5:35 a
am and I just lost everything i had in my business I dont even have a moth
worth of cash left. I laid of all my staff and closed my office
its very painful and looking back I can see how i I blew it. thank you
for the article.

]]> By: evelyn http://calacanis.com/2009/02/27/what-to-do-if-your-startup-is-about-fail-or-dont-stop-believing/#comment-2599 evelyn Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:48:00 +0000 http://calacanis.com/?p=4037#comment-2599 Thanks so much for this article. I was feeling so depressed about my situation thinking I'm a failure but after reading your article - it gave me hope and let me know that what I'm experiencing is pretty normal in any company crisis and I have nothing to be ashamed of. Thanks so much for this article. I was feeling so
depressed about my situation thinking I’m a failure
but after reading your article – it gave me hope and let
me know that what I’m experiencing is pretty normal in
any company crisis and I have nothing to be ashamed of.

]]> By: bigpicturerick http://calacanis.com/2009/02/27/what-to-do-if-your-startup-is-about-fail-or-dont-stop-believing/#comment-2598 bigpicturerick Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:44:22 +0000 http://calacanis.com/?p=4037#comment-2598 Hey Jason, Thank you ! It's really great to be hearing from someone who is "the real deal" instead of a bunch of talking head wimps about the theories of business. You are dead on when you say that a year or so from now WE will be celebrating and the whiners will still be whining. Seriously Jason, Thanklk you for telling it like it is and having the guts to step up and or fall and then the further courage to openly talk about it. I Love you man ! Hey Jason,

Thank you !

It’s really great to be hearing from someone who is
“the real deal” instead of a bunch of talking head
wimps about the theories of business.

You are dead on when you say that a year or so from
now WE will be celebrating and the whiners will still
be whining.

Seriously Jason, Thanklk you for telling it like it
is and having the guts to step up and or fall and then
the further courage to openly talk about it.

I Love you man !

]]> By: Startup Philosophies: Loic Le Meur vs Jason Calacanis | Viralogy Blog http://calacanis.com/2009/02/27/what-to-do-if-your-startup-is-about-fail-or-dont-stop-believing/#comment-2597 Startup Philosophies: Loic Le Meur vs Jason Calacanis | Viralogy Blog Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:51:30 +0000 http://calacanis.com/?p=4037#comment-2597 [...] sure he has five years of runway to build up the Mahalo empire. He also has some insights about a team of 25 employees get more things done than a team of 40 employees(to this day, I still don’t get what a team of 120 engineers [...] [...] sure he has five years of runway to build up the Mahalo empire. He also has some insights about a team of 25 employees get more things done than a team of 40 employees(to this day, I still don’t get what a team of 120 engineers [...]

]]> By: Blogads Weblog: Calacanis counts http://calacanis.com/2009/02/27/what-to-do-if-your-startup-is-about-fail-or-dont-stop-believing/#comment-2596 Blogads Weblog: Calacanis counts Fri, 27 Mar 2009 03:54:39 +0000 http://calacanis.com/?p=4037#comment-2596 [...] Calacanis, the Donald Trump of the interwebs, has written an adrenalized chest-thumping column on living near the edge. I’ve been to the precipice and faced the fall a couple of times. I’ve learned a couple of [...] [...] Calacanis, the Donald Trump of the interwebs, has written an adrenalized chest-thumping column on living near the edge. I’ve been to the precipice and faced the fall a couple of times. I’ve learned a couple of [...]

]]> By: Inside Dragons’ Den & Rachel Elnaugh startup lessons « Nickpoint http://calacanis.com/2009/02/27/what-to-do-if-your-startup-is-about-fail-or-dont-stop-believing/#comment-2595 Inside Dragons’ Den & Rachel Elnaugh startup lessons « Nickpoint Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:11:56 +0000 http://calacanis.com/?p=4037#comment-2595 [...] You will go through a ‘Dark period’ (the ‘pit‘) - When the knock backs get too hard or they come too often you may loose all hope. Keep the faith and keep believing as this entrepreneur did. [...] [...] You will go through a ‘Dark period’ (the ‘pit‘) – When the knock backs get too hard or they come too often you may loose all hope. Keep the faith and keep believing as this entrepreneur did. [...]

]]> By: Jay http://calacanis.com/2009/02/27/what-to-do-if-your-startup-is-about-fail-or-dont-stop-believing/#comment-2594 Jay Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:19:05 +0000 http://calacanis.com/?p=4037#comment-2594 Jason, I will surely buy the hard cover version of this post, when it comes out! Every word here rings with the truth of experience, the gut wrenching feeling that these situations bring, and the hope- oh, the high octane hope, that all entrepreneurs inhale, when they hold onto their idea and run, run, run! And yes! like the micro-climate in the Valley, sales solves everything! will keep watching this space, esp. for dry humor- i.e. fauxpreneurs! cheers, Jay Jason, I will surely buy the hard cover version of this post, when it comes out!
Every word here rings with the truth of experience, the gut wrenching
feeling that these situations bring, and the hope- oh, the
high octane hope, that all entrepreneurs inhale, when they hold
onto their idea and run, run, run!
And yes! like the micro-climate in the Valley,
sales solves everything!

will keep watching this space, esp. for dry humor- i.e.
fauxpreneurs!
cheers,
Jay

]]> By: Jeanette http://calacanis.com/2009/02/27/what-to-do-if-your-startup-is-about-fail-or-dont-stop-believing/#comment-2593 Jeanette Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:16:55 +0000 http://calacanis.com/?p=4037#comment-2593 Jason - I was one of the 17 who made it to the bottom with you! Thank you for the inspiration. I'm dusting myself off and back at it! Cheers Jason – I was one of the 17 who made it to the bottom with you! Thank you for the inspiration. I’m dusting myself off and back at it! Cheers

]]> By: Mark Searle http://calacanis.com/2009/02/27/what-to-do-if-your-startup-is-about-fail-or-dont-stop-believing/#comment-2592 Mark Searle Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:27:20 +0000 http://calacanis.com/?p=4037#comment-2592 Hi Jason, you and I met when you and 'Venture Reporter' named my last company one of the "Top 100 Venture-Backed Companies of 2002." Thanks for the great post, it's nice to see that your suggestions have tracked almost perfectly with the steps we've taken in my current (failing) startup. The only comment I would add is to acknowledge the extra challenges involved if you were "going it alone" without VC investment, as I was this time (actually the old plan had been to raise Series A in Q4 '08 with 2+ yrs. of operations behind us -- oops). In our self-funded/bootstrapped state, even in the best of times we were often living with a rolling 6 to 12 weeks of cash on hand, so deciding finally to go down the asset sale path 120 days out, as you suggest, wasn't possible. I pushed that decision off until about ninety days past zero, after doing everything else we could think of (i.e. following your checklist without having the checklist!). The other hassle in the self-funded/bootstrapped side of life is the extra dimension associated with potential personal bankruptcy, having invested all of one's savings, IRA funds and personal credit card advances into the business as well. Even aside from the fear/terror that arises (and increases the risk of depression and paralysis, at least in my case), dealing with all the personal creditors also begins to consume a lot of time that gets in the way of getting the assets sold. Hi Jason, you and I met when you and ‘Venture Reporter’ named my last company one of the “Top 100 Venture-Backed Companies of 2002.”
Thanks for the great post, it’s nice to see that your suggestions have tracked almost perfectly with the steps we’ve taken in my current (failing) startup. The only comment I would add is to acknowledge the extra challenges involved if you were “going it alone” without VC investment, as I was this time (actually the old plan had been to raise Series A in Q4 ’08 with 2+ yrs. of operations behind us — oops).
In our self-funded/bootstrapped state, even in the best of times we were often living with a rolling 6 to 12 weeks of cash on hand, so deciding finally to go down the asset sale path 120 days out, as you suggest, wasn’t possible. I pushed that decision off until about ninety days past zero, after doing everything else we could think of (i.e. following your checklist without having the checklist!).
The other hassle in the self-funded/bootstrapped side of life is the extra dimension associated with potential personal bankruptcy, having invested all of one’s savings, IRA funds and personal credit card advances into the business as well. Even aside from the fear/terror that arises (and increases the risk of depression and paralysis, at least in my case), dealing with all the personal creditors also begins to consume a lot of time that gets in the way of getting the assets sold.

]]> By: True Reckoning Blog » Is your Startup in Trouble? What now? http://calacanis.com/2009/02/27/what-to-do-if-your-startup-is-about-fail-or-dont-stop-believing/#comment-2591 True Reckoning Blog » Is your Startup in Trouble? What now? Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:59:22 +0000 http://calacanis.com/?p=4037#comment-2591 [...] on how Jason Calcanis covered this topic in his post last month, I’ve tried to provide a list of 5 key areas you need to make sure you’ve got [...] [...] on how Jason Calcanis covered this topic in his post last month, I’ve tried to provide a list of 5 key areas you need to make sure you’ve got [...]

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