When a startup is formed, the founders usually receive all the company’s stock (at least all the stock initially issued). How the founders’ stock is allocated depends on the founders’ agreement.

In a startup, the most effective salespeople are the founders—the folks who really understand the technology involved and have been thinking for a long time about how it might be used. Eventually, though, it’s likely that you will need to hire some people who aren’t techies, who are there primarily to sell.

You have a young company. You’re desperate for orders. And then you get an order.

Stop celebrating.

I frequently mention that there is a big difference between big companies and small ones, startups in particular. And I often quote Steve Blank, who has said that small companies search, big companies execute.

There are many places where the differences show up, none more important than when you are adding staff to your startup.

You’ll meet a number of people who say they help startups. Many of them are great. They’re truly interested, genuinely helpful, and pleased by the chance to assist you.

But be careful.

Entrepreneurs may begin their journeys thinking like techies, not like investors: they love their technology, but they struggle to explain how they’ll build a successful business around it. Following are some things you may be tempted to say to potential investors.

In electrical systems, the goal of impedance matching is to allow maximum power to transfer from source to load. In sales, think of impedance matching as describing what you’re offering in a way that will be well-received by your prospective buyer.

What do platform technologies have in common? The answer is that they have many potential users and uses, but no obvious single customer who stands out as the best buyer. They’re dangerous for an entrepreneur, because they represent general capability rather than focus.

You want to start a company and build it around your technology. There are different paths—different strategies—that can allow you to get to market. By “get to market,” I mean being in a position to sell your technology and receive payment for it from multiple buyers.

If you’re new to commercializing your technology and building a company, there are some frameworks that have been around for a while. In this post, I’ll discuss two of them.