There I was in the eighth grade, riding with my friend to our baseball game in his dad’s new Infiniti. I was sitting in the backseat, just hanging out, when my friend’s dad said, “Hey, do you want to see some new technology in this car?” “Sure,” I replied. His dad then said out

Over the last couple years, I’ve been working on incorporating AI tools into my personal workflow. One of the fun questions I enjoy asking other entrepreneurs is how they’ve integrated AI into their own lives and businesses. This has provided me with a variety of ideas and use

Last week, a fellow entrepreneur said something to me that really stuck in my mind: "I knew he'd be successful based on his updates." In this case, we're both angel investors in another entrepreneur's venture, and we were talking about all the great progress this company is

Most beginning entrepreneurs suffer from the same problem: chasing too many shiny objects. With a clean slate or in the early stages of a new venture, there's no shortage of ideas to pursue. When a prospect asks for something, the response is often, "Let's do it." If a different

Last week, I spoke with an entrepreneur who shared his elevator pitch. I then asked a few questions and learned more about his business. He mentioned that they have two early adopter customers: one in Industry A with a unique use case, and another in Industry B with a completely

Last week, I caught up with an entrepreneur who shared his plans to raise a round of capital. Toward the end of our conversation, he asked my thoughts on selling some of his shares during the round to take chips off the table (sell his own equity). “Absolutely,” I said. “I’m a

Over the past few weeks, I’ve spoken with several entrepreneurs who are developing all-in-one, AI-powered vertical SaaS applications and making significant progress. In contrast, the previous generation of SaaS companies typically consisted of horizontal platforms that excelled

Last week, an entrepreneur asked me what I appreciate now, after 25 years as an entrepreneur, that I didn’t fully grasp back then. After a moment of reflection, I replied that everything compounds. As children, we learn about compounding in the context of money, often citing

Last week, I listened to an entrepreneur deliver his pitch, and by the end, I was struck by how deeply he believed in his company’s vision. His conviction was contagious, transforming his belief into mine. All entrepreneurs believe in their work, but some have a unique ability to

Last week, I attended a startup event and met with various entrepreneurs. One of my favorite questions to ask is, "What's going well, and what are your latest challenges?" During one conversation, an entrepreneur shared that their company had pivoted to a new product direction

Last week, I caught up with an entrepreneur who shared an update on his company’s progress. The business has been growing steadily, boasting a critical mass of over 1,000 customers. Now, they’re contemplating their next round of financing. From a business perspective, the company

Last week, I caught up with an entrepreneur, and we discussed a preemptive funding offer. The startup is thriving, growing rapidly in a large market with limited competition. Currently, the entrepreneur doesn’t need to raise capital, as key business metrics continue to improve.

Last week, I caught up with a very successful local entrepreneur. While I knew parts of his story, I hadn’t yet heard the origin of his idea. With enthusiasm, he shared the moment that sparked it all: a use case in the internet communications world that was becoming increasingly

Whenever I visit a founder at their office, I always ask for a tour. Naturally, the entrepreneur perks up, eager to show off their environment. So much time, energy, and thought go into building a cool, collaborative office that there's a sense of pride and joy in sharing it with

Last month, I was talking to an entrepreneur about his experience with a variety of investors over multiple rounds of funding. Toward the end of the conversation, I asked which investor provided the most value and why. Without missing a beat, he said one of the investors stood

Last week I was at dinner with a group of executives, and of course, the topic of ChatGPT and AI came up. We went around and shared some of our favorite use cases for the technology, as well as ways we are experimenting with AI in our respective companies. Then I asked if anyone

A question I get from entrepreneurs from time to time is to look at past board decks from other startups. Board decks are a normal part of venture-backed startups and help align the executive team, the entrepreneur, and the investors on a quarterly basis. Now, decks don't have a

As we're dreaming up amenities and experiences for entrepreneurs in South Downtown Atlanta, I'm reminded of the early years, when things were much more challenging and lean. When I first moved to Atlanta in 2002, our big customer at the time, Noble Investment Group, was kind

As I look out my window this morning, I can't help but smile watching my robotic lawnmower carve pictures and words into the backyard. Of course, the artwork is silly and there for fun, but the aha moment for me—as a kid who grew up in the Deep South mowing grass for hundreds of

Last week, I spoke with an entrepreneur whose company is growing at a pace that goes beyond even traditional hypergrowth standards. I’ve read about companies like Replit and Lovable going from $0 to $100 million in revenue in under a year, and coming from a more traditional SaaS