Feel the Boot
Business & Finance
About
Feel the Boot delivers advice and experience to entrepreneurs, helping them create and grow successful businesses. We help founders go from overwhelmed entrepreneur to successful CEO.
Episodes
- 131. Friends & Family Round: How to Protect Your Relationships AND Raise Money
The friends and family round is how most founders raise their first capital — but it's also where the most relationships get damaged. If you don't structure it right, you can accidentally screw over the people trying to help you, torpedo y…
- How to Build a Go-to-Market Engine That Makes Investors Pay Attention — with Javier Lozano Jr.
Most founders are doing "random acts of marketing" — a little LinkedIn, some ads, a blog here and there. Trying to be everywhere, succeeding nowhere. Javier Lozano Jr. was the CMO at Wrapmate during their run from ~$1M to over $20M in reve…
- Your Product Won't Speak for Itself — Why Technical Founders Get Overlooked | Shayna Davis
Most technical founders think their product will do the talking. It won't. Shayna Rattler-Davis has spent 15+ years helping leaders at companies like IBM, L'Oréal, and dozens of STEM startups learn how to show up with credibility in high-s…
- Hockey Enforcer to $110M: Dave Burnett on Grit, Time, and Making AI See Your Startup
Former hockey enforcer Dave Burnett took punches for a living, then helped build Achievers.com (sold for $110M), watched his own business go to zero twice, and came back both times. In this episode, we dig into why founders with non-tradit…
- The 4 Filters: Why You Aren’t Fundable... Yet
Most founders think fundraising fails because of "bad luck." Usually, it fails because of simple physics. Fundraising is a sales funnel. If you have a structural leak at the top, no amount of "slick" pitching will produce a check at the bo…
- The Investor Warm-Up Protocol: How to Turn Cold Investors into Warm Leads
If your first interaction with an investor is asking for money, you have already lost. Cold pitching investors has a success rate of nearly 0%. Warm introductions have a success rate of over 50%. The gap between those two numbers is where…
- The Super Connector System: David Homan on Building Relationships at the Speed of Trust
Stop Networking! Build Trust and Community to Fund Your Startup | David Homan Are you an introverted founder struggling to raise capital? Do you find most networking events to be a waste of time and purely transactional? Super connector, a…
- 124. The 6 Startup Pitches Every Founder Needs
The 6 Startup Pitches Every Founder Needs Most founders only create one pitch deck, and it costs them investors. In this video, I’ll show you the six pitches every startup founder needs to win funding. From your 3-minute competition pitch…
- 123. Founder/Market Fit: Your Startup’s Early-Stage Advantage
Founder/Market Fit: Your Startup’s Early-Stage Advantage Stop guessing about “Founder–Market Fit.” In this episode I break down how investors spot it at the pre-seed stage— and what to do if you don’t have it yet. When founders enter a mar…
- 122. How Founders Sabotage Themselves with ChatGPT
Are you outsourcing your thinking to ChatGPT? That’s a fast track to sabotaging your startup. In this episode, I share two real conversations I had with founders who said they got their market size numbers from ChatGPT. That is a red flag…
- 121. The mindset shift that separates stalled founders from successful ones – David Neagle interview
Most founders don’t fail because of a bad idea. They fail because fear, doubt, and hesitation stop them before they ever really start. In this episode of Feel the Boot, I sit down with internationally recognized mindset coach David Neagle…
- 120. Unlocking Startup Growth: Fundraising Strategies and Resilience Tips with Paulo Andrez
Unlocking Startup Growth: Fundraising Strategies and Resilience Tips with Paulo Andrez What separates the startups that raise capital and scale… from those that stall out? In this episode of Feel the Boot, I sit down with Paulo Andrez—ange…
- 119. Pre-Sell Before You Build: Avoid Costly Startup Mistakes — with David Hirschfeld
Pre-Sell Before You Build: Avoid Costly Startup Mistakes — with David Hirschfeld Most startups fail because they build something no one wants. In this episode of Feel the Boot, I talk with David Hirschfeld, founder of Tekyz and creator of…
- 118. Avoid These Startup Finance Mistakes — Insights from a Fractional CFO
Avoid These Startup Finance Mistakes — Insights from a Fractional CFO Most founders ignore finance until it becomes a problem—don’t be that founder. In this episode of Feel the Boot, I sit down with Josh Aharonoff, a fractional CFO who wor…
- 117. Cold Start Your Startup Pitch: Hook Investors from the First Second
Your Pitch is Losing Investors in the First 5 Seconds—Here’s How to Fix It! Most founders waste the most critical part of their pitch—the opening. Investors remember the first and last things you say. But instead of making an impact, most…
- 116. Fear is the Startup Killer: How to Overcome It and Get Started
What’s stopping you from starting your dream business? For most people, it’s fear. Fear of failure, financial loss, looking foolish—or even fear of success. In this episode, we break down the most common fears entrepreneurs face and share…
- 115. Why Startup Plans Fail (and Why That’s Okay)
Why Startup Plans Fail (and Why That’s Okay) Welcome to Feel the Boot, the science of startups! In this episode, host I share three insightful sayings about planning and their relevance to startups. Using quotes from Dwight D. Eisenhower,…
- 114. Building Products Right: Essential Advice for Early-Stage Founders by Chad Perry
Building Products Right: Essential Advice for Early-Stage Founders by Chad Perry Building a tech product as a non-technical founder can feel like a daunting challenge. Should you hire a developer? Outsource? What about mockups, tech stacks…
- 113. Effective Team Building and Self-Management for Founders – Emily Hawkins Interview
In this episode of Feel the Boot, I sit down with leadership expert Emily Hawkins to tackle one of the biggest challenges founders face: effective team management. Whether you’re a new founder or a seasoned entrepreneur, this conversation…
- 112. Go Niche or Go Home: Why Your Startup Needs a Narrow Initial Market (and How to Pick One)
In this episode of 'Feel the Boot,' host Lance Cottrell delves into the strategic importance of targeting a niche market for startup success. He guides early-stage founders through the crucial process of focusing on specific customer segme…
- 111. Freemium Business Models: The Good, the Bad, and an Alternative You Should Consider
The freemium business model is popular, but is it right for your startup? In this video, I break down how freemium works, common mistakes founders make, and why it often leads to revenue problems. We’ll also explore an alternative approach…
- 110. How to Pivot Your Startup Before You Launch Pre-Pivot Strategies for Entrepreneurs
How to Pivot Your Startup Before You Launch Pre-Pivot Strategies for Entrepreneurs In this episode of Feel the Boot, host Lance Cottrell dives into the concept of pre-pivoting for startups. Avoid the common pitfalls and wasted resources of…
- 109. What is Secret Sauce? Why Every Startup Needs It!
In this episode of Feel the Boot, host Lance Cottrell delves into the concept of 'secret sauce' for startups. Learn why identifying and protecting your unique differentiator is crucial for attracting investors and maintaining a competitive…
- 108. The Waiting Game: Why Pre-Seed Investors Delay and How to Speed Up Commitment
In this episode of 'Feel the Boot,' I address a common frustration among startup founders: investors who show strong interest but delay their commitment. I explain the reasons behind this behavior, such as risk minimization and strategic l…
- 107. Startup Failure Analysis Key Lessons from Abby Sugar
Startup Failure Analysis Key Lessons from Abby Sugar In this episode of Feel the Boot, host Lance Cottrell delves into the startup journey of Abby Sugar, the impressive founder of PlayOut Apparel, a gender-equal apparel brand. Despite the…
- 106. Why Startups Fail: Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid
Why Startups Fail: Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid In this podcast, I dive into the common pitfalls that cause most startups to fail within their first few years. Based on my decades of experience in the startup ecosystem, I share invaluable insi…
- 105. How to Make Your Startup Elevator Pitch Effective and Get Venture Capital Investment
In this episode of 'Feel the Boot,' Lance Cottrell shares essential advice on crafting an effective elevator pitch to capture the interest of potential investors or partners quickly, stressing the importance of brevity, clarity, and engagi…
- 104. Negotiation skills for startup founders
This podcast is tailored for startup founders looking to enhance their negotiation skills. It emphasizes the importance of negotiation in various aspects of running a business, including dealing with investors, vendors, customers, employee…
- 103. Better than TAM SAM SOM startup market sizing
In this episode of Feel the Boot, host Lance Cottrell delves into the significance of understanding and presenting your startup's market size to investors through the concepts of Total Addressable Market (TAM), Serviceable Available Market…
- 102. Testing Startup Ideas and Assumptions ⚖️ John Li of PickFu Interview
Testing Startup Ideas and Assumptions ⚖️ John Li of PickFu Interview In this interview, John Li, the co-founder of startup PickFu, discusses the innovative concept of his company as a digital focus group for businesses. He walks us through…
- 101. Decoding Startup Sales Strategy Michael Regnier Interview
In this discussion, Michael Regnier, founder of Sales Design & Delivery, shares vital insights into sales strategy tailored for startup founders, particularly those with a technical background. He explains that a company's sales strategy m…
- 100. Recognizing and Surviving a Startup Heart Attack
In this milestone episode, host Lance Cottrell dives deep into several critical topics inspired by his recent heart attack. First, he compares a heart attack with a financial crisis in a startup, emphasizing the need for recognizing early…
- 99. The 10x rule Why better is not enough
The 10x rule Why better is not enough Having a superior solution is not good enough. The special barriers startups face force you to build at least ten times better products. Why Your Startup Needs to Be 10x Better In this episode of 'Feel…
- 98. Startup Fundraising Facilitators Surviving the Pit of Serpents!
Startup Fundraising Facilitators Surviving the Pit of Serpents! You might want to ask for help when you need to raise capital. Take care, most of those people are useless or actively harmful. Quoth the AI describing this episode: In this e…
- 97. Exposing the top reasons for angel investment pre-screen rejections
Exposing the top reasons for fast angel investment rejections Investors only take a few seconds to decide if a startup is worth a serious look. These eight factors lead to most of the fast NOs ☠️ In this episode, I discuss the screening pr…
- 96. Startup Privacy Policies What you need to know about GDPR, CCPA and beyond!
Startup Privacy Policies What you need to know about GDPR, CCPA and beyond! In this interview, Sabir Ibrahim, an attorney and entrepreneur, provides valuable insights on the implications of privacy and privacy policies for startups. He emp…
- 95. You’re delivering your pitch deck ask wrong What you should say instead
You’re delivering your pitch deck ask slide wrong! What you should say instead. Learn the right and wrong thing to ask for. How to handle hard questions during your ask. I was listening to several founders deliver their pitches. Most of th…
- 94. Escape the Startup Paradox Strategies for Funding Product Development
Escape the Startup Paradox MVP Without VC Can’t Build Your Product Without Funding But Can’t Get Funding Without a Product In the newest episode of Feel the Boot, we're diving headfirst into the world of product development sans angel inve…
- 93. Startup Branding and Positioning Mara Rada Interview
Branding is far more than just a logo and color scheme. Learn how to leverage both positioning and branding in your startup buisiness In today's fiercely competitive business landscape, effective branding and positioning strategies are cru…
- 92. The Economics of Angel Investing Angel Investing 101
How to create an angel investment portfolio for maximum returns. Learn what drives the returns for your angel investments. Read this as an article: https://ftb.bz/92B Watch the Video: https://ftb.bz/92V Subscribe to BootPrints: https://ftb…
- 91. Non-monetary Startup Rewards and Recognitions
Non-monetary Startup Rewards and Recognitions. Eight employee incentives that work better than cash. In this episode of "Feel the Boot: The Science of Startups," I, discuss seven highly effective motivators and rewards for employees that f…
- 90. Thirteen Key Considerations for Evaluating Angel Deals Angel Investing 101
How to quickly eliminate the losers, and identify companies worthy of further due diligence. As an angel investor, you will need to look at many startups. This guide provides a framework for quickly analyzing deals to see if digging deeper…
- 89. Non-Dilutive Startup Fundraising SBIR Grants for Innovation
Non-Dilutive Fundraising SBIR Grants for Innovation Get cash for your startup without giving up ownership. Government grants can fund your development from idea to MVP and beyond. Read the transcript: https://ftb.bz/89B Watch the Video: ht…
- 88. Talking to friends and family about investing in your startup.
Your earliest investors are probably unsophisticated. You must help them understand how startup investing works. When you are at the idea stage, almost no angel or VC investors will back you, but people who know and care about you might. U…
- 87. Get Angel Investor Dealflow
Get Angel Investor Dealflow You need to look at a lot of startups to find good investments Learn several ways to uncover quality startups Our Angel Investing 101 series teaches new Angel Investors how to invest in startups. This episode fo…
- 86. BoD vs. Shareholder ⚖️ Startup Corporate Governance
Who decides what between the board and shareholders? How to handle the BoD and Shareholder meetings as a founder. Read the blog: https://ftb.bz/86B Watch the Video: https://ftb.bz/86V Get access to office hours and Boot Prints: https://ftb…
- 85. How venture capital kills startups ☠️
VCs destroy more startups than they make unicorns Learn how to identify and avoid that trap The reason is the “marginal dollar problem” Understanding that will help you choose whether to accept venture capital investment with open eyes. Re…
- 84. How to start angel investing
How to Start Angel Investing What you need to know to start investing in early-stage startup companies Best practices for new angel investors This is the second in a series of videos on angel investing. It explains the best way to begin as…
- 83. Angel Investing 101
Angel Investing 101 What is angel investing? How to invest in pre-IPO companies Angel investors put their own money into early-stage startup companies. This is the first in a series of episodes on becoming an effective angel investor / ven…
- 82. Startup Fundraising in a Bear Market
Startup Funding in a Bear Market Adapt your fundraising strategy to succeed in a downturn Raise angel investment and venture capital in challenging times When the economy is rough, investors become cautious. Learn how to position your comp…