In my experience at a startup, I found many things to be eye opening contradictions of what I was taught in school, mainly college. “Systematic processes with finite rules and explanations that have no wiggle room, in which if you fail, you will be fired.”  That is what I learned from dozens of business classes in college.  Who knew the real world was a lot more like High School.

Day one at my first startup was not exactly what I had expected.  There were no men in suits and there were no exaggerated hierarchies there to intimidate.  There was however, something waiting for me at my desk.  Intangible as it may be, fun greeted me as I arrived.  I was asked to sit down and sell.  I wasn’t asked to make sure x, y, and z were done in order to sell.  I wasn’t thrown into a 10 day training class followed with an SAT type test to see if I would make it.  I also did not have people breathing down my neck to ensure I was doing my job.  From the moment I was hired, a trust was built that I felt unworthy of.  It instantly instilled a work ethic that led me to the top.  Naturally, being in sales, you always want to be the best.  Fortunately for me, I was given the one tool to make that possible.  Being surrounded by successful and money driven people.

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Max has a great post up over on his blog, 5 realities of the Startup Interview.   There’s some really good stuff in there and most of us have experienced at least one or two of these things on either side of the interview equation.  Just like he says in the intro, the startup interview is nothing like the one you were trained for, so bring your A game and take some of these lessons with you.

In case you recently developed amnesia, it’s holiday time again. Do you have time-sensitive press pitches you need to send out? Take your time and think it through before hitting “send.”

If there’s any way to avoid sending a press announcement the week before, during or after a holiday, avoid it. Things are hectic everywhere, and in the media just as many people want to spend their holidays at home as in any other business. Writers are squirreling away “evergreen” stories to run while a skeleton staff is on duty, covering for vacationing colleagues and keeping up with the “must-do” assignments.

However, some companies have news that has to go out, perhaps it is something that was unforeseeable or an event happening within the week and there’s just no rescheduling.

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I am a firm believer in the Everybody Sells model but sometimes the more technical people in my circle need some convincing. I am a marketer at heart and while technology fascinates me and I like to think that I am knowledgeable enough to be technically “dangerous”, the appreciation of the sales process comes naturally to me. This is especially true in a start-up environment. If you are a technologist like Vivek Wadhwa and you aspire to stretch your wings, consider what he says in his recent post: It’s All About Selling for Survival.

Whether or not you believe print media is dying, there’s no harm in spreading the word of your business far and wide.

The key to getting your news in print (or online) is to write it right. Most mainstream outlets use a specific style of grammar known as Associated Press style. It includes different abbreviations, punctuation and structure from prose you would find in a book. Find a cheat sheet for AP style here, but consider having your release edited or proofed by someone with media experience.

With shrinking budgets everywhere (smaller budgets=smaller staff), outlets are looking for print-ready material. There’s a real possibility to have your news printed verbatim if it’s in the right form.

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Excellent post by @cdixon reminding us that pitching yourself and your team is more important than pitching your idea. Ideas are all over the place but the credibility of a team with a track record is significantly more valuable to a potential investor. Further, when building that core team, make sure that they have the “it” factor with demonstrated ROI.

The article Max mentioned, 4 ways to get rejected by an angel, had a follow up piece on Venturebeat, 4 MORE ways to get automatically rejected by an angel investor.

The follow up calls out:

• Having a big monthly burn
• Pretending this isn’t risky
• Not interviewing the Angel
• Not having an exit strategy

I particular like the part about pretending this isn’t risky. I can’t even begin to remember all the ideas I’ve heard that are sure things. Working with an investor should be a healthy relationship, not one started on a false premise.  Everyone knows startups are risky.  If they weren’t, everyone would be doing them, and be a huge success.  Be honest and give all the facts, but show why your calculated risk has a good chance of working out well for both of you.