John R Grizz Deal calls himself “an environmental entrepreneur.” Living in Colorado, I should spend time with entrepreneurs and startups in the Oil & Gas and Cleantech industry like John.
There is an incredible amount of technology you can get access to from the government. John’s expertise and experience can help any founder deal with the challenges of building and commercializing technology based on a physical product in complex industries.
“With physical goods, you have to have the money upfront. You have to buy stuff, build prototypes and models, test them, take them into the field, and get customer feedback. Then you end up redesigning the thing several times before the commercial version ever becomes available. It is a lot longer process; it's not biotech tech or pharma long, but it is definitely longer than a software play.”
How does a first-time founder manage this challenge? Simply put, John states, “you need to go get the experience you lack!” It’s not just to help the entrepreneur figure stuff out and avoid mistakes, according to John. You will need it to lend credibility and improve the story and companies’ chances of getting the funding you need to build the next great product invention.
Each week, on the IronCEO RapidFire, I will try to find out what makes entrepreneurs tick and try to get you to sit in their seat. Check out our new "The IronCEO" Youtube Channel. Subscribe now and you can follow us on your phone, computer, or TV.
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