deals rain in once we had something (and the right guy in #5). (I didn’t run the shop after ‘12.) A Bad Day: The Day My Mentee Quit on Me to Go Off and Do Better. This was a tough day, at least time for me. There are only so many people in a start- up that both help carry the load and you can fundamentally trust. I only lost one of these, ever. But it was terrible. A Good Day: Our Company Retreat at $10m ARR. Being together as a real team all rowing the same way to the same goals with the business on firm ground. 5-stars all the way. It’s really the greatest thing in the whole start-up world, a real team executing together with a singular goal. Maybe one of the greatest things in the whole wide world. A Mixed Day: Selling. It’s your life work, your baby. It’s great if it grows, if it quadruples and quintuples, after you sell. But then when you see that-- you know what could have been and you only get so many at bats. 9. What are some of the lesser-known, unwritten rules of the Valley as they pertain to startups? Some random-ish esoteric thoughts to add: • If I haven’t heard of your start-up, it doesn’t exist. • You pretty much get “credit” as “one of the guys” for a successful start-up as long as you were one of the first 30-50 employees and had an impact. Not quite founder status but pretty good. • Having a super-strong reference from the CEO/a founder of a well known, successful start-up pretty much lasts forever (10+ years) and is golden. • Anything you put in a deck and email outside of your domain will find its way to your competitors, period. • Failing is OK early but the great ones don’t really fail. They may not have an RBI at every-at-bat, but they find a way to make something of their start-up. Acqui-hire. Small zero/low gain M&A. Soft landing. Something. SAASTR.COM 9