Startups are all about breaking the rules and changing the 'natural order' of things. So let's do that for Series A terms.
All I do is talk to people, email people, take meetings with people, and do interviews. Then I work at maintaining relationships with my investors because the trust people place in me is my business model.
You're under tremendous pressure, and everyone needs you to be perfect all the time, and that often creates a perverse incentive to not tell the truth. Please remember - when you get caught not telling the truth, it's over.
I was one of the early folks at eBay, and by 1999, it was completely overrun by consultants from McKinsey, Bain, and BCG. It went from being a cool, fun startup to an MBA factory.
A mistake I've made is investing in my idea rather than the entrepreneur's. Sometimes I'm excited about an idea that is similar to the entrepreneur's idea - but not the same. A smart entrepreneur will convince me it is the same, until I write a check!
Focus. It's powerful to do just one thing and pour all your energy into it.
