The Difference Between Success and Failure is Right Between Your Ears

The Sure Shot Entrepreneur

Mike Smerklo, co-founder and managing director at Next Coast Ventures, shares his journey and lessons learned through his experiences as an entrepreneur and now an investor. Mike gives practical examples of how founders can prudently build a relationship with investors right from the first meeting.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

[7:08] Learning to silence “Mr.Monkey” in order to succeed as an entrepreneur

[12:41] Why going after a bad market doesn’t work even for great entrepreneurs

[18:01] Are you obsessed about your idea but are always ready to take feedback?

[20:05] Doing a bit of research on investors before meeting them can help a founder to avoid getting unnecessary no’s.

The non-profit organization Mike is passionate about: Mr. Monkey and Me

About Guest Speaker

Mike Smerklo is a Co Founder & Managing Director at Next Coast Ventures. Formerly, Mike was CEO of ServiceSource (SREV) and prior to that served as Director of Business Development at Opsware. He’s also the author of “Mr. Monkey And Me,” a book which looks into the psychology and mental rigor of starting, growing and operating a successful business.

About Next Coast Ventures

Next Coast Ventures is an Austin-headquartered venture capital firm. Next Coast’s thematic investing approach targets Texas and other emerging technology hubs. As one of the fastest-growing venture capital firms in Texas, the firm has invested in several standout technology companies across the U.S. Next Coast’s portfolio companies include Navegate, Everlywell, Bridgespan, Tenfold/Callinize, Submittable, Brain Check, among others.

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