Sequoia Says RIP Good Times: Brad Feld's Advice to Startup CEOs

Published by Andrew Wise on October 10, 2008

So Sequoia is telling their startups the sky is falling, and what they can do to prepare themselves for a bleak 12-24 months. Well luckily there is some positive advice coming from Brad Feld at Mobius Venture Capital.

Brad Feld’s Advice to Entrepreneurs

“My recommendation to all of you entrepreneurs out there is to get off the negative sentiment treadmill, step up, and lead. The people working for your company are likely confused, concerned, and overwhelmed with all the noise in the system. In the near term, building your business will likely be more challenging on a number of dimensions. So what – that’s the normal cycle of business. You don’t need to be a blind optimist and spout happy talk, but you do need to have a clear sense of purpose and goals for your company. Leadership 101. When I look back at the dotcom apocalypse that was 2000 – 2002, I realize some of the best companies I’ve ever been involved in were created during that time. In the midst of this, I remember the endless stream of “the Internet is over” and “the information technology business in now a mature business and there will never be innovation again.” Yeah – whatever. Get some exercise, take a shower, eat a good breakfast, and get out there and build a great business.”