LinkedIn Templates: Venture

This is a story I’ve never shared with anyone... January 2nd, 2019. I was broke.I had raised $2M in VC for my startup, but the bank account was empty.

VCs had bailed.

“Facebook will copy you,” they said.

I was burning my savings to fund payroll. Desperate for an exit, I got a lead: an intro to an exec at TikTok. Let’s call her Sarah.

She seemed interested in buying the company. LFG.

Deals get done in person.

So, I said, “I’ll be in LA later this week.”

“Oh really? Yes, let’s meet,” she replied.

Boom. There was a chance.

I rented a Kia Soul—not a G-Wagon, but it would do. Hotel Tonight showed rooms at $500+, so I grabbed a Best Western in Pasadena, an hour from TikTok HQ but only $99/night.

I arrived at 8 PM, had a cheap buffet dinner, and went to bed thinking, “Tomorrow is the day.”

Next morning, I rushed to my Kia Soul and headed to the office.

“I’m Greg Isenberg from Islands, here for Sarah,” I told her EA.

“Have a seat right here.”

My meeting was at 9 AM.

9:05... 9:10... 9:25...

“Is she coming?” I wondered.

The EA approached. “Sarah can’t make it.”

I asked to reschedule.

“Sorry, we’ll get back to you.”

I literally felt my heart burst in real time. I felt terrible.

Time was ticking.

Defeated, I walked back to my bright green Kia Soul with barely any gas.

I emailed her, staying positive, and left my number.

I got in the car, put it in drive, and headed north to San Francisco. Feeling defeated, I wondered what my girlfriend would think.

As I got onto the I-5, an unknown number called. I answered.

It was the TikTok exec. She apologized for missing the meeting and wanted to make a deal happen. “Can I intro you to the corp dev team?”

I never sold to TikTok, but it got the M&A process rolling. I ended up with a few offers and did well. I even joined TikTok as an advisor when I didn't sell to them.

It all worked out. And my team did well too. From the exit, they bought houses in NYC and brand new cars (most nicer than a Kia soul tbh)

And I got my nest-egg back.

Why I’m sharing this:

1. Entrepreneurship is full of ups and downs. Here are a few lessons I learned:

2. Stay positive when the world feels like it’s crashing down. You never know what might happen.

3. Relying on VCs means you’re never truly in control. One moment you're everyone's darling, the next moment they leave you on read.

4. Shoot your shot. Always.

Startups aren’t all red roses and green cash, but they’re fun.

Now, I focus on profitable, cash-flowing businesses—running agencies, internet communities, and SaaS products. Less stress.

That startup experience aged me a decade.

But here's the thing... you learn a lot about yourself and others through startups. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

It's a beautiful thing.

By the way, I put together 30+ profitable startup ideas that are pretty validated. You can grab them here totally free.

Grab 'em while you can...

https://lnkd.in/dGt8Cch4

When I first moved to Silicon Valley, engineers were gods. A "10x engineer" could make or break a startup. Now, things have changed...

I studied computer science at school so it kinda pains me to say this but marketers are the new engineers.

Attention is the new currency.

People who start VC-backed companies will spend $1.8M on a domain without launching a product and not even flinch.

Challenge them on it, and they’ll say, “You think small.”

It goes against what's natural. Maybe it works, and maybe that business becomes a billion dollar business. I don't know.

But I can think of way more efficient ways to use $1.8M for a pre-traction startup. Investing in the product. Investing in the distribution.

I gotta say, building cash-flowing businesses feels so much more natural. And I say this having built and sold 3 VC backed businesses.

How most bootstrapped businesses start:

You come up with a startup idea (probably after a couple drinks). You buy a $10 domain . You build an internet audience. People start following it.

You build a product. People want it. You make your margin. Do some profit sharing. And keep compounding for as long as you possible can.

Unlike VC-land where you can buy a $1.8M domain and its totally normal, cash-flow startups you scale as you go. The bigger bets come later.

You think small first, big later. And it usually pays off.

If you don't interrupt the compounding, you'll have no issues retiring with millions. And hey, you can even pass over your business to your children.

I don't hear many founders of venture-backed startups turning them into family businesses. They’re too busy chasing exits and IPOs.

So, next time you hear about someone spending millions on a domain, there’s another way to do this.

Build something people want. Keep it lean. Keep it profitable.

And watch it grow.

It's a beautiful thing.

Btw, I put together 30+ of my favorite profitable startup ideas in this database. You can download it here (100% free) https://lnkd.in/dGt8Cch4

How to build a business empire in 2024 isn't complicated. You don't need to spend $1M on an minimum viable product. Start with a social account. Costs $0.

Grow it. Hit 10,000 followers.

Get confidence. Learn about who you're building for.

Then build micro-lead magnets. Get conversions. Begin a two way conversation.

Then build a product. You what to build for them. They've already told you their pains, hopes and dreams.

Sell stuff to them. Make their lives more convenient, happy and be helpful. Make profit.

Reinvest. Buy S&P500. Acquire similar companies. Create cash-flow. Let it compound. 8th wonder of the world.

That's the playbook.

It's not complicated.

My brain can't compute this. If you walk around Times Square in NYC today, you might see my face.

Growing up in Montreal, New York felt like a different universe. The NY State Border was just 40 minutes away, but it might as well have been a galaxy apart.

But the internet changed everything. I started building products and sharing my ideas. People call it creating content, I just shared my observations along the way.

Then a few weeks ago, Attio reached out and asked, “Want your face in Times Square?” It was an instant yes.

I flashed back to when I drove through Times Square in my little Mazda at 17. My neck hurt from craning to see the skyscrapers. It was a world I never imagined being a part of.

When you consistently put yourself out there, good things happen. This is your sign.

It might take time, but ideas spread, opportunities arise, and before you know it, your face is in Times Square.

And sure, I know what you're thinking, it's just a silly billboard. The real milestones are more substantial. They are hitting $5M/year in profit. Hiring a killer CEO. Or acquiring a beautiful business.

As someone who's been apart of a bunch of VC business that's raised millions (and billions), I know first-hand how vanity milestones don't really matter.

But, I can't help but smile today.

Keep sharing, keep building.

It works wonders.

:)

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For those who want to build an internet business, I put together a database of 30+ startup ideas that you can start with no investors, it's free to access https://lnkd.in/dGt8Cch4

If your website is longer than 280 characters, it's too long. Short is sweet.

When you've got more to say, just add a 2 minute video. It'll get your point across better anyways.

The future of web design looks more like a short tweet than a long article (like my website gregisenberg.com)

Less is more.

The future of web design:

- More images

- More video

- Less words

- Scannable

- Rewards for loyalty/engagement

- Feels like a game (drops, games etc)

- More interviews, less about pages

- Enjoyable to browse

Don’t be house poor. I have friends in high-cost cities making great money, but they can't enjoy life. Their mortgages eat up everything. No good food, no trips, not even a gym membership.

Quality of life suffers.

I’d rather live in a small town, save cash and truly live.

If I was in my early 20s right now just starting out:

- Create content or partner with creators

- Ship products often

- Live somewhere where I can save money

- Live somewhere 60-90 mins close to a great airport

- Travel to SF/NYC often

Create that nestegg while learning a ton.

Can always move to the big city later. And you get your doses of inspiration on trips there while saving $$ so you can compound.

What do you think?

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If you're interested in profitable startup ideas, I put together a database of 30+ startup ideas you are totally free to steal https://lnkd.in/dGt8Cch4

How I use Reddit and AI to find winning startup ideas. Watch this video or read the 4 steps below:

1) Use AI tool Gummy Search to find trending subreddits:

- Target 10k-100k member communities (less competitive)

- Answer the "why now" question (easier)

- Leverage your "unfair advantage" (your moat)

- Pro tip: Track daily/weekly/monthly growth trends

2) Analyze subreddit for problems & solutions:

- Add subreddit to Gummy Search "audience"

- Check "pain and anger" for common patterns

- Review "advice" & "solution" requests

- Look for recurring themes and write them down!

3) Identify creators in the niche:

- Use PerplexityAI

to find top influencers

- Search YouTube for popular videos

- Read comments to understand audience needs

- Analyze 20-25 videos for deep insights

- Use vidIQ's chrome extension and sort popular videos by "contains a question" to understand what questions people have

4) Wireframe your startup idea:

- Sketch out your product/service based on insights

- Prototype with tools like Framer

- Create a catchy, relevant name

- Example: @DesignScientist

for conversion-focused design

5) Bonus: How to create a niche audience

- Use Gummy Search's "top content" feature

- Analyze high-performing community content

- Ask AI about content preferences (e.g., "Do they love memes?")

- Treat AI tools as your "entrepreneurial assistant"

- Open an iOS notes file calls "ideas" and write content ideas

- I use my Friday AMs to workshop those ideas.

NOTE: LinkedIn limited me to 15 minutes of the video, so the full 21 minute video (including how to find killer content ideas) is here

https://lnkd.in/eyGe64ab.

I found working on the right startup ideas is like swimming downstream.

Everything is easier.

The ideas are out there. They are on Reddit. They are on YT. They are on TikTok.

Just gotta go out there and find 'em.

Enjoy.

Happy startup idea hunting.

If this was helpful/interesting, comment below and let me know what video you'd like me to do next

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Resources for you:

- Full YouTube video: https://lnkd.in/eyGe64ab

- GummySearch: GummySearch.com/community

- Database of 30+ startup ideas you can start without VCs: https://lnkd.in/eKicBBqe

- Design/Copy agency to build your ideas: designscientist.com

- AI-assisted SEO agency to get your ideas ranked #1 on Google: BoringMarketing.com

- Perplexity AI search - https://Perplexity.AI

- VidIQ chrome extension https://lnkd.in/eapZpcEk

- Subscribe for future videos here: https://lnkd.in/ebpMJaHS

- Free 5 day course on the ACP (audience, community, product) funnel: https://lnkd.in/eYnzEi9B