Startupland: How Three Guys Risked Everything to Turn an Idea into a Global Business

"I've learned there is no formula for success; the world moves too fast for any formula to last, and people are far too creative—always iterating and finding a better way."

"I've learned there is no formula for success; the world moves too fast for any formula to last, and people are far too creative—always iterating and finding a better way."

"One thing I did realize everywhere, though, is that investors are just people. We had a good company and we had the right vision and good clean metrics. But even the most hard-core investors want to talk about more than the model. They want to get a sense for the passion and the people behind the business. They want to believe in the company for more than just its financials. They want to believe that the stuff they invest in makes a difference."

"In Silicon Valley there's a lot of talk about failure—there's almost a celebration of failure. People recite mantras about “failing fast,” and successful people are always ready to tell you what they learned from their failures, claiming they wouldn't be where they are today without their previous spectacular mess-ups. To me, having experienced the disappointment that comes with failure, all this cheer is a little odd."

"But soon the honeymoon ends. The idea becomes a reality, and you discover that even though you never really wanted to build a company, all of a sudden you are doing just that. And the reality is that building a company is hard—it's no longer about just pursuing an idea. The idea has taken off, and it becomes all about executing and scaling."

"We did, however, do one thing right: we expected everybody to spend the first week in support with our customer advocates. That way, understanding our product and spending time with our customers became most employees' introduction to the company. I still believe it's the best way for anybody to understand what we're doing."

"You will have a baby together. They need to live up to that responsibility. You both need to be in it for the long haul. It can be worthwhile to understand their fund structure, need for showing returns, and historical exit strategy. But none of these things may mean anything for the relationship you're building."