Walter ⏺ Paulsen

Want to talk GTM? Join us on October 2nd at Gasworks Brewing for another round of Seattle Founders GTM. #founders #entrepreneurs #startups #gtm Sign up with the link below.

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I clearly have a startup obsession!😍 EVERYTHING feels like a startup lesson or comparison to me.🤔 I realized I had a problem this past weekend when I ran the San Jose Rock & Roll half marathon. Everywhere I looked, I saw something that felt startup related.  Even when looked at the long lines waiting to use the Port-o-Potties, all I could think of was "Clearly they have Product/Market fit".  Then I thought about the fact that the people in line were the users, not actually the customers...  and  it spiraled from there. But when I was actually running, I thought of some things to share with the founders who follow me... Before I became a distance runner, the idea of becoming a distance runner had never crossed my mind. ✖️ I was old(ish) ✖️ I was overweight ✖️ I had never been any type of athlete ✖️ I was not able to run 2 miles without needing a serious nap ✖️ It didn't strike me as something I would succeed at because I didn't have whatever it was that runners have It's not that I didn't have any interest in the benefits of running. I was just content to dwell on the reasons that I either: a) Shouldn't try b) Was not likely to succeed c) The excuses I could use if I didn't succeed Then one year I committed to trying, and ran my first 26.2 mile marathon 4 months later (with the help of a coach and training community) So what's the startup connection? I see founders doing what I did... ➡️ They focus on reasons why things won't work (e.g. validation interviews, fundraising) ➡️ They think there are things they can't overcome that are to blame for their inability to get funding ➡️ They think they might be too old ➡️ They compare themselves to others and come up short (usually comparing themselves to the visible examples of success) If I didn't ignore my excuses, I would not have become a distance runner. If founders hang on to reasons they might fail, they will likely double their chances of actually failing. ❗We drive where we look❗ Focus on what can be, not on "why it's not worth your full commitment." Launching a startup means doing things without a guarantee, but taking a chance.  It's about doing things where you might fail. Commit anyway. Don't half-ass it! If, like me, you decide the effort might go faster with a coach and support, you know where to reach me. Even it you don't, stop giving explanations for failure as a reason why you shouldn't try. When you do, the results will surprise you (in a good way) If it doesn't succeed, you've learned something useful.👍 What challenges have you taken on after letting go of your excuses? Drop a victory below!👇 #EarlyStage #StartupLife #Founders #LeanStartup #TheFoundersForge

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Excited to announce our partnership with Kyle and Evan via our investment in Two Boxes 📦📦 - a company focused on streamlining returns processing for 3PLs and self-fulfilling brands. I believe they are currently one of the most dynamic start-ups in the reverse logistics sector globally. 🌎 The importance of properly managing free returns deeply impacts ecommerce brands - especially given that online merchants currently face average return rates of 20% to 30%. Two Boxes' workflow software and hardware solution streamlines the returns process for 3PLs and brands, turning costs into potential profits. 💰 By providing deep and actionable data on returns, Two Boxes helps merchants identify fraud, improve sustainability, and reduce inventory costs. As Two Boxes becomes the returns processing hub for 3PLs and brands, our team at Assembly Ventures is excited about their potential to deliver tremendous value today while expanding into other areas like recommerce and outsourced returns services. Excited to move the world with our new friends at Peterson Ventures, Vinyl Capital , Range Ventures, and Matchstick Ventures as Two Boxes executes on their mission to make returns an asset instead of a liability. #twoboxes #assemblyventures #movetowin #movetheworld #petersonventures #siliconvalley #detroit #berlin #beyond

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Why We Decided to Share the CEO Role at CoFound Yesterday, Lina Indarto and I spent time refining our accountability chart and organizational structure. We found ourselves debating the traditional C-suite titles like CEO and COO, and how they fit into the CoFound culture. Given that Lina and I both thrive in the visionary role, which is typically linked to the CEO position, we thought: why not embrace our complementary strengths in true CoFound fashion? So, we decided to take a unique approach – we are now Co-CEOs! Because what’s more CoFound than leading together, combining our visions, and breaking the mold? #Entrepreneurship #CoFound #VisionaryLeadership

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Matt Sharrers emphasizes the critical role of vulnerability and humility for founders: 🌟 Being a great founder doesn’t mean you’re automatically a great board member or talent picker. 🌟 Ask for help—seek objectivity from experts who can guide you. 🌟 Focus on what’s right, not who’s right—it’s about the best decision for the business. 🌟 Embracing humility allows you to see the bigger picture and make better choices. "Success isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about knowing when to ask for help." 🎧 Watch the full conversation: https://loom.ly/sUc4-T0

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"I think the way in which entrepreneurship is taught in this country is a very perverted view of what true entrepreneurship is." Catch Mike Salguero on the Just Get Started podcast with Brian Ondrako chatting all things entrepreneurship -- from the challenges and expectations founders face to finding and celebrating the wins to scaling a bootstrapped business. https://lnkd.in/eEqkc-N7 #ButcherBox #Entrepreneurship #FounderStories

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🚨 Key Framework for Successful Exec Searches 🚨 When it comes to hiring execs, most founders don’t spend enough time on one crucial step: setting up the search right from the start. I recently joined Daniel Huerta and Stephen Huerta for the The Modern People Leader podcast to talk through this and Index's latest book Scaling Through Chaos. Things to bear in mind with exec searches: 1️⃣  Define Priorities Early: Before jumping into the search, figure out the must-haves and nice-to-haves. And get your team involved early. 2️⃣  Choose the Right Partner: A great search partner should not only be able to tell your story in the market but also be willing to give you tough feedback when needed. True partnership = accountability. 3️⃣  Think Creatively: Don’t focus solely on hiring the person who checks all the boxes today. Look for the candidates who can grow into the role and lead you into the future. 4️⃣  The Hiring Doesn’t Stop When They Sign: onboarding is just the beginning. It takes a year or more for a new exec to fully hit their stride, so it’s crucial to keep supporting them beyond day one. Check out the podcast link in the comments to the full episode! #ExecutiveSearch #Founders #Leadership #HRLeadership #Hiring #Scaling #PeopleOps

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✨ Elevating Consciousness, One Leader at a Time ✨ 🧠 Mental health investors, entrepreneurs, advisors, and advocates: As a proud board member of the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), I’m deeply committed to educating current healers and future leaders to create more compassionate, inclusive, and impactful communities. I’m delighted to spotlight an inspiring interview with Kini Chang, LMFT, Chair of the Community Mental Health Program at CIIS. In this piece, Kini highlights the transformative potential of community mental health (CMH) and the vital role it plays in addressing mental health challenges in marginalized communities. Did you know? Community mental health services have been a cornerstone of equitable care since the Community Mental Health Act of 1963. From that shift away from institutionalization to today’s integrated approaches, CMH graduates are now stepping into leadership roles in community-based organizations, bridging gaps in care with empathy and expertise. Mental health is a critical frontier, with 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experiencing mental illness annually. In a world grappling with rapid societal change, lingering pandemic effects, and a growing mental health crisis, leaders like Kini—and the students she mentors—are essential to shaping a better future. 🔗 Curious to learn more about how CIIS is preparing professionals to drive this change? Check out the full article featuring Kini’s insights—click the link in the comments below! 👏 Well done to S Brock Blomberg Chip B. Goldstein, EdD and the team. #MentalHealth #Leadership #CommunityWellness #CIIS #EducationForImpact #PsychologyMatters #ElevateConsciousness

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I just wrapped up a panel with the Marketing Leadership affinity group within the How Women Invest community with my hero Auntie Nancy Hayes, aka the Yoda of board membership, angel investing, and general badassery. We talked about different ways to serve on boards, a role in which experienced Marketers seem to be often underrepresented. Why? If I had to guess, I'd say: 1 - Most heads of marketing are women 2 - marketing is undervalued, especially under sales/revenue experience 3—Compound the first two with the messages you tell yourself about your own worthiness, and suddenly, you're a great marketer for everyone else but yourself. ___________ For those who are interested in getting closer or into the board room, there are so many ways to start/get experience: 1—Board Observer (one of my current board roles)—you represent the investor but have no votes. It is unpaid, but/and hugely essential to act as a bridge of visibility and communication between the fund you've invested with and the company in which the fund has invested. My role brings value to both sides with much less bias than the other VC board seats. 2—Corporate board director—There is much governance but not much influence on the product, as the company usually has big enough teams for that. There is a lot of hiring/firing CEOs (read: drama), which can still be fun, especially for those fresh-popcorn-in-my-bag swag kinda folks (both grossly generalizing and way understating this role's fiduciary importance, but you get the idea). 3—Independent board director—this is another of my favorite places to sit. It is much like the Board observer role but with voting rights and equity (although not always, as these terms are negotiated and influenced by the shareholding board seats). You are NOT representing a VC fund (typically), but you might have subject matter expertise in the product or are a generalist boss gal like myself and bring a sense of neutrality and balance to the board. 4—Advisor. Advisors are similar to IBD in terms of influence and type of advice but are not part of the board or its meetings. This role is usually paid in some combination of equity and cash. It's another of my faves. (Are you seeing the trend here?) We have not even touched non-profit boards (where I got my start and am currently sitting on my sixth), but we will save it for next time as it's a whole 'nother Oprah. If you want to learn more, How Women Lead is hosting its 5th annual #getonboard week, starting October 21. Hybrid virtual and in-person. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/diizwv8j #womeninleadership #boardofdirectors #howwomenlead #governance #boarddiversity #corporategovernance #boardservice #businessleadership #leadership Julie Candelon Susan Greenwood Schroeder Mikayla Ludwig

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Ready to elevate your team's performance with NeuroCoaching™? Discover the three transformative phases we bring to ensure lasting impact and growth. Our process is designed to leave your team more empowered, engaged, and effective than ever before. https://hubs.la/Q02X8j0k0

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It’s one thing to go to events in DTC and e-comm, it’s another to fully take advantage of them. Here are my two main takeaways from the conversations I had at Shoptalk in Vegas: 1) Meeting/chatting in person is key to deepening relationships. I had the opportunity to meet customers, partners, and even Prive team members for the first time in person while at the event. Chatting in person helped us bond and understand each other better, which holds a lot of value. It was also cool to see that even in a very competitive market, people are still genuinely kind and friendly. It might seem from the outside that competitors should dislike each other, but I saw first-hand at ShopTalk that we’re all in this together and can still be kind to one another in the process. 2. Strong partnerships are something more brands are looking for. When talking with brand founders, the one big thing a lot of them mentioned was the desire for a strong partnership with every company they work with. Many people shared that they were left unsupported with tools/tech after buying them — this underscored the value of our approach at Prive. We prioritize a partnership mentality, offering whatever help our customers need post-onboarding. For a lot of brands and industry leaders, the emphasis is on the quality of partnership, not just the product features. Overall, ShopTalk was a blast and it was great getting to chat with every single one of you. If you were there — do you feel a similar way?

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Being an athlete closely parallels the journey of a founder. Placemade.co CEO Celia Lopez explains how the discipline and persistence she honed as an athlete are the very qualities essential for success in business. #founders #startupfounder #startuplifestyle #startupadvice #entrapreneur #femalefounder #founderlife #healthylifestyle

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There’s a common misconception that high performance for professionals means pulling all-nighters and grinding until burnout. Placemade.co CEO Celia Lopez reveals the true key to sustained, long-term success. #founders #startupfounder #startuplifestyle #startupadvice #entrapreneur #femalefounder #founderlife #healthylifestyle

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Employee terminations: they're a topic no one wants to discuss but that every company has to navigate. Thankfully, Melanie Naranjo and wonderful Ethena advisor (& Gusto's former People Leader) Jess Yuen are tackling this tricky topic for the next Ethena webinar. Register if you want to learn more about these topics: How to pressure test whether or not termination is the right course of action Best practices for communicating termination decisions How to minimize risk and choose the best course of action when things get tricky Critical pitfalls to avoid

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In this interview with Bill Prater on the Business Builders Show, I dove into the real struggles that technical founders face. Here’s the truth: you can build the most innovative, game-changing product, but that doesn’t guarantee the market will line up for you. Too many technical founders fall into the trap of thinking that if they build something, customers will come. Spoiler alert—they don’t always. We talked about how to break out of the niche market loop and get your technology in front of the right audience. The B2B sales game has changed, and navigating today’s complex buyer’s journey requires more than just a fantastic product—it demands a strategic approach to turn early success into massive growth. If you’re ready to take your company to the next level, you'll want to hear these insights. Listen to the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/gu52SAtm

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Get a few founders in a room and this question always comes up. If you're running an ecommerce brand - is there a #3PL that you're actually happy with? Our friend Aaron Alpeter recently launched a cool tool: Slotted—a collaborative RFP platform that connects brands with fulfillment providers, streamlines RFP creation, and simplifies proposal evaluation- check it out. (link in comments) Curious: are there any other tools out there tackling all these challenges? Let me know in the comments! Herman Goihman

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Thanks to Ryan Daily for having me as a guest on the FoodNavigator - USA Founders' Fundamentals podcast. Check out the full discussion below, especially if you are a founder or executive at a growing CPG company. Some of the key topics discussed: - When to say no to free fills and slotting fees - How the capital raising environment has evolved over the past few years for food companies and what to do about it - How companies can maintain their competitive advantage even as they scale - how they can continue to disrupt even at scale - What to think about if you are exploring a sale transaction ....and much more. I hope you enjoy the full episode.

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Are you catching yourself being too transactional in your team member conversations? Leverage our extensive experience and research to cultivate impactful, purpose-driven relationships that inspire change. Discover more about NeuroCoaching™ at https://hubs.la/Q02P3fdy0.

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