I was reading from one of my favorite blogs today authored by Seth Godin. Seth has an uncanny way of describing something that hits at our core, and does so with very few words. For those of you that do not know Seth, here is a link to his blog.

What follows below is a copy of what he published today.  Give it a quick read and I’ll hit on the topic I wanted to cover after.

“Just imagine how much you’d get done

This week I did a presentation to two sections of a prominant business school with an hour of Q&A in between. I fashioned it off a line I read in an article I discovered on XYDO.

Would it be crazy if (you fill in the blank).

Imagine just doing lunch with a few smart buddies in a total brainstorm session all keyed on that very line. The point is to observe those industries around you or where you share a passion, ones where the status quo is often dictating policies that exist because:

A) That’s the way we just do it.
B) Regulations force it that way
C) It just works, why change it.
D) Fill in the blank ______

So let’s have a little fun: Join in at your peril — you just might have killer idea for an amazing startup.

Would it be crazy if I could group a bunch a friends and dictate amazing savings at local businesses?

Groupon

Would it be crazy if we could eliminate the fees for late video rental returns?

Netflix – Remember before streaming, it was only about having a disk sent out that you could keep forever.

Would it be crazy if I could just buy every shoe out there in a single place?

Zappos

Would it be crazy if I could buy just the song I want, and do it at a known flat rate?

Itunes

Would it be crazy if I actually take contol of my personal finances?

Lombard, my company that started online stock trading. In todays world — Mint.

So this is where it gets really fun. Grab a few buddies and just do lunch. Start with the “would it be crazy if” mantra and let it flow. I’d love to see in comments a few of your ideas and how you see exciting ways to change the world. Remember, ideas are worth almost nothing, it’s all in the execution. So don’t be shy.

Still, without an idea, all the other formative parts of getting a startup going cannot begin. Take a look at all the hot startups you admire, and almost without exception, the people doing them were exactly like you when they started. Strap it up, and get in the game. Nothing in life is more gratifying.  After all, it’s just lunch.

Team XYDO has been hard at work on XYDO, our drive toward reinventing News on a truly social level. After crawling out of our bat cave of over 9 months of development, we are pleased to introduce you to XYDO.

We all know there is a place on the web to buy books, shoes, do searches — but what about news? What if there was a place to get the best news content, all 100% curated by real users? And even better, what if there was a way to get that news via the web, twitter, or the many reader apps, including Flipboard?

Introducing XYDO. If you have not yet signed up for the beta invite, you should. Xydo needs you, and I think you will find very quickly — you need XYDO.

XYDO takes news feeds from all over the world, combines them with your social graph, and then links that to all the hottest content flowing from twitter and other sources. It’s totally free, fast and amazing in it’s discovery abilities. XYDO is so much more than just reading the news, XYDO is all about “you” shaping the news.  XYDO cuts through the noise and delivers a highly tuned signal.

XYDO keeps you up to date and totally informed with a powerful notification engine, and a complete mail/inbox system. So… Give it a go. We would love your feedback.

As a reader of the Roachpost, signup and we will make sure to get you in quickly. Also, please do share your invite via both Twitter and Facebook.

We have some really exciting news to share later today.. But hey, that’s for a later post. The media is discovering our little secret…

Come on in.

We’re currently recruiting beta testers for our new startup — XYDO, a new and engaging way to get news and information from people you trust. If that sounds interesting to you, leave your name and email address and we’ll shoot you an invitation!

This morning I wanted to take a quick stab at the emotional Roller Coaster that creating, launching, and managing a startup can be. Put simply, jumping into the startup void is not for the feint of heart. By no means am I advising against seeing your dreams to fruition, I am however, attempting to ground that enthusiasm, in what “really” happens in the startup world.

My first startup was called Lombard Brokerage. Lombard was eventually to be the company that pioneered online stock trading. I started the company with a grand total of 13,000 dollars, a big fat dream, and not a clue of what I was getting myself into. I had so little cash when I started, that I had to borrow the 13,000 just to begin.

I remember well, walking into a single office, with a single sheet of paper on my desk and thinking — “what have I got myself into.” I am a firm believer that much of startup success lies in convincing ourselves that we are in fact — worthy, capable, and every bit as smart as those competing against us. That being the case, the one who wins, is often the one who is willing to give the most. It’s a little like doing average work in school. Average gets you a “C,” and what does that get you in life?

Thus begins the emotional roller coaster of which I was referring above. Confronting our fear, anxiety, and lack of confidence, have stopped many an entrepreneur in their tracks. I am by no means immune to this process, and even to this day with the launch of Xydo imminent, I still have sleepless nights. Here are some of the ways I deal with the risk, fear and anxiety.

All you can do — Many years ago I heard someone say — “all you can do is all you can do, and all you can do is enough.” The trick is to make sure that you are in fact doing, all you can do.

What can I change? — Like all problems or challenges, there are things you can affect, and most that you cannot. It’s important to get hyper focused on only the areas where you can affect change. Make sure as well that your focus is in areas of change that actually move the ball.

Do the hard stuff — Also easy to do is to convince ourselves that we are doing all we can do, when in fact, we are doing that which is easiest to do, thus avoiding the “real” work to be done.

Break your tasks down — Looking at a major problem or challenge can overwhelm the best of us. Learn to break each task down into actionable and measurable steps. When you can gain comfort that the tasks lying in front of you are in fact doable, then you know that you have taken the effort far enough. If not, keep minimizing the task until you gain that confidence

Learn to trust — Nothing in the startup world beats a good co-founder. Whether it’s a co-founder, mentor, advisor or trusted friend, learn to know how and when to lean on them. In my experience, they welcome the participation, so long as your motives are good. If your reason for using a mentor is to say… get financing from them, then you are violating their trust, and you do not deserve their help.

On the other hand, being willing to trust the advice and counsel of another is hard for most to do. My advice — just listen. Stop arguing — listen. I have many times had to stop myself in my tracks to just stop, clear my mind, and listen. Every single time, I have been rewarded for doing so.

Be tenatious — No matter what the odds, problems, or challenges that confront you, keep your head up and keep pushing. Doubt will come, do not let it stop you.

When I was negotiating the sale of Lombard Brokerage with an army of attorneys from Morgan Stanley, each with a unique and special task of breaking me down, I recalled a song that I would go home at night and play over and over…  From Tom Petty, “I won’t back down.”

In the end, I got what I wanted, and they got Lombard.  You too can achieve a big win.  Follow a few of the adages from above and keep on keeping on…

We’re currently recruiting beta testers for our new startup — XYDO, a new and engaging way to get news and information from people you trust. If that sounds interesting to you, leave your name and email address and we’ll shoot you an invitation!

The other day I had the opportunity to watch a full hour long presentation by Mark Suster on how to communicate and present to a VC. His presentation was excellent, packed with lots of good info regarding everything from, “how to dress” all the way down to “how to answer questions.” BTW — How did I find this presentation? Xydo of course.

Here is a teaser sample of the Deck he recommends you come with to the meeting.

1) Bio of top 3 people in the company. Short sentences, bullet points, easy to read.
2) Problem definition (with the market … it’s why you exist)
3) How you solve that problem conceptually at the highest level
4) Details on the solution
[Demo could go here]
5) Why you believe there is economic value in what you do / how you think you can monetize one day
6) Competition
7) Progress to date of your company (when started, key milestones, what shape is the product in, any pilot / beta customers, financing)
Market sizing (TAM)
9) Potential future exit possibilities
10) How much are you raising, how long will it last, key milestones you plan to hit before the next round

In particular he speaks to the presentation having a narrative. That you present it in a non-lecture type fashion. He advises that you engage the VC’s with legit questions on how they are seeing the market and on how they view the competition. (Remember, they are likely seeing more than one company with “your” idea.)

He also gives advice that you have a Financial slide with 18 months of forecast. Important in the financials is that you make the “unit economics” very clear.

Okay… Here is the link. Enjoy and let me know what you think…

We’re currently recruiting beta testers for our new startup — XYDO, a new and engaging way to get news and information from people you trust. If that sounds interesting to you, leave your name and email address and we’ll shoot you an invitation!

There is something I have observed in our human condition that never fails to amaze me. Put simply — To the degree we focus on ourselves, the less happy it makes us.

We all have tons of responsibilities that hit us each day.  From work, to family, to our hobbies and on and on… I’ve learned that if I fail to include a specific effort toward working with or helping others, I become increasingly unhappy. I notice that I become shorter and more aggressive in the way I treat others, and that I am far more easily offended.

On a positive note, I’ve found that when I do go outside my norm, and actually engage in providing service, my whole psyche changes. I become kinder and more appreciative of the smaller things in life. I notice that I feel better and that I become more trusting, more sincere, and more caring in my interactions.

Why am I talking about this in a blog typically focused on startups and business? Because work is hard and unpredictable. Controlling our feeling and psyche, enables us to do more. It allows us to stay focused on that which really matters, and more importantly, on that which we can actually do something about.

I’d love to hear your experiences on the same?

We’re currently recruiting beta testers for our new startup — XYDO, a new and engaging way to get news and information from people you trust. If that sounds interesting to you, leave your name and email address and we’ll shoot you an invitation!

Raising capital for a startup is tough business. Most entrepreneurs spend the majority of their time thinking about product features, market fit, team building, launch strategy and on and on. The big ugly that sneaks up is of course, funding.

In the past, a startup would begin by hitting up friends and family. Next, the move would be to open a round for angel investors, and hopefully still later, nail a fat check from the venture capital community.

So what’s new? Looks like there is a growing trend toward eliminating the notion of rounds and maintaining an open offering. What?

Read more here…  ”How to raise money with no lead.”

So what do you think?  Will it fly?