Accelerate yourself (with help)

As the largest incubator/accelerator in the San Francisco Bay area, we consider it our job to help you succeed. But as the saying goes:

We help grow companies

Not that I am the lord, but at Angel to Exit, we help those who help themselves too. Which is to say, you are responsible for your success. All we can do is help you get there from here. We cannot make you do anything, nor do we want to. We have a saying:

And that is what we do - advise.

But it gets boring...

How many times do I have to repeat the same thing to different people? I prefer the answer being 1. But realistically, I have to go through a process of perfecting the way I express things and I learn from companies as they learn from me. So when I figure stuff out that I think is valuable to you, I record it in a video or write it in an article, or sometimes do both. Then I automate it in our software so it finds things and tells you (and us) about them automatically.

That's what the Web site is for. It is not a sales driving engine, it is an engine to help grow companies. But like any motorized contrivance, you seem to need to be trained in how to use it. And apparently writing it does and recording it and automating it is not good enough, so we go through it live as well, with examples.

But how, you may ask, do I take advantage of this gold (plated) offer for assistance?

Your first best step

Here is how you do it with us - for free - based on your efforts and taking advantage of our efforts along the way:

• Sign up for something: Sign up for one of our monthly calls (actually 2/month now because of the high volume) HERE.
• Watch the videos and read the articles: Before joining the call, you might want to watch some of our hours of free videos, listen to some of the hours of audio recordings that go with our free articles, and read the articles you are interested in.
• Show up and participate: Some say that half the battle is showing up. I don;t think it's necessarily half, but if you don't show up, we aren't going to help you as much. The participate thing is not just doing your brief pitch. It's listening to others and learning from what they do, the questions they get, the answers they give, and how we react to them. It also means getting there on time and staying till the end. You should also network while there with others who have opportunities of mutual benefit. You get out what you put in, and there is plenty to learn from others.
• Watch more videos and read more articles: Over the next week, do more listening, watching, and reading, do it actively, and prepare questions for the "ask anything" session you will be invited to following the presentation (demo) day. If you got a free GWiz™, make certain to complete it and setup an appointment to discuss it before the ask anything call.
• Show up and participate again: Hopefully, you have put in the time and effort and have lots of questions for us. Now is your chance to ask them, get answers, and listen to the questions and answers form other participants. Show up on time again, stay for the whole thing, make more connections, and actively participate to get the most out of it.
• Repeat: You can come again as long as you are polite and reasonable about it. I suggest no more than once a month for no more than 3 months. But we are flexible and love good questions.

Conclusions

We can only help you if you help yourself. The help you take is equal to the help you make (a really bad misquote of the Beatles). The opportunity is right in front of you, but you have to see it and use it, or it is just an illusion.

More information?

Join our monthly free advisory call, usually at 0900 Pacific time on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, tell us about your company and situation, and learn from others as they learn from you.

In summary

We're here to help, but we help you by helping you help yourself. It's not a hand-out - it's a hand up - for all of us.