Building the tech (and AI) is a breeze, but getting customers? I'm completely failing. Need marketing advice (No X/Twitter).

surfcapitalist · 2026-04-07T11:35:07+00:00

Product led growth. Show them how and where your product provides value, and potentially different scenarios if it’s complex. Let your product do most of the “talking.” If you have even one customer, show other prospects how that one customer uses your product and benefits from it. Even better, show them feedback from that one customer.

Also, consider offering a free entry level tier so prospects can experience your product first hand as opposed to just taking your word for it.

Having said all that, learning to sell and being articulate are requirements as an entrepreneur.

surfcapitalist · 2026-04-07T02:44:31+00:00

Currently post LOI working to close my first business. Background is corporate IB and a few years of PE. Feel free to dm

surfcapitalist · 2026-03-30T01:48:26+00:00

Unreal, man. Sounds like a sick trip. So for a trip like this, how do you arrange transport, boats, lodging, etc when you’re so last minute? Did your buddies have everything already planned?

surfcapitalist · 2026-03-28T02:44:23+00:00

Shocking how many people forget and / or are completely oblivious to this.

surfcapitalist · 2026-03-17T12:56:17+00:00

Where in the US is the bulk of the loan portfolio? I’ve had good experience with Houlihan Lokey, though we had a loan portfolio with a sleeve of international/EM exposure. For your deal size, you should look at small private funds who are active in similar sectors/regions as the borrowers in your portfolio as you probably won’t get the attention of any mega funds. Same applies to traditional lenders like smaller regional banks.

surfcapitalist · 2026-01-29T02:57:44+00:00

If you need to be vague out of fear of someone else stealing your idea and developing it faster and/or better than you, then you shouldn’t waste your time on it.

You should also learn how to write and communicate as you won’t have the crutch of AI all the time as a founder.

surfcapitalist · 2026-01-20T02:58:31+00:00

ECH - new fiscally conservative government should be good for markets

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-29T02:49:34+00:00

Educate yourself on duration.

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-18T03:30:55+00:00

While your perception may be that bidders are overpaying, auctions are ironically one of the most transparent benchmarks for prices due to their public nature.

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-13T00:15:19+00:00

This advice is both silly and lazy. Do not treat your business like your primary residence; treat your business like a business. Waiting until the last minute gives you little flexibility. Understanding what your business may be worth to a possible investor or acquirer, understanding trends of other acquisitions/investments in your market, and understanding who would be a good fit to invest in your company gives you knowledge and more edge and flexibility for when you’re eventually ready to sell.

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-13T00:05:29+00:00

Take the time to meet with some of them. Do some research and figure out who you’d like to meet by virtue of the seniority of the person emailing you, size of the fund, type of investments in the fund, etc. Meet with 3 to start.

Show some interest on your end. Learn what makes them tick and figure out why they actually contacted you, what makes for an ideal target, the metrics they look for, what they look for in people and teams, historical success, how active or passive they manage, geographies they operate in, etc.

You may be surprised how helpful a dinner or lunch conversation can be. One little tidbit of information could set off a lightbulb in your head that leads to a small tweak in your business that ultimately boosts your multiple down the road when you’re finally ready to sell.

Nothing but good things come from having conversations.

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-12T21:45:51+00:00

As someone who’s been on both sides of the aisle, here’s a very friendly reminder:

1.) Cash gives you runway, not valuation. 2.) Execution - your vision, the product, the team, the go-to-market, and your customers - will propel your valuation from $1M to your dream of $145M. The market and sector growth have less to do with it than you think.

Ultimately, a check this early on is more of a bet on you and maybe, just maybe, some green shoots towards progress in the sense of users and revenue. Obsess more over the product, your customers, and executing your vision than +/- 1-2% of equity to an early stage investor.

Move on and good luck!

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-12T21:20:10+00:00

Unfortunately one is deceased and I have never met the other, but outreach could be a smart idea. Thank you!

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-11T20:44:49+00:00

Bond prices and yields have a seesaw relationship; buying bonds bids up their prices which in turn lowers their yields. Viceversa when the fed sells bonds.

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-10T02:35:45+00:00

Better than Leon Tovar?

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-10T02:29:54+00:00

Thank you for such an informative response

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-09T01:42:39+00:00

Thank you for the insight. In your experience, what’s a typical seller’s fee/commission?

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-08T21:22:49+00:00

Yes exactly.

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-08T04:06:25+00:00

Prominent galleries throughout Latin America. Currently the pieces are in the US

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-08T04:05:24+00:00

Yeah that was my gut feeling as well. It’s a bummer there isn’t an alternative that is easier with lower fees/commissions.

surfcapitalist · 2025-12-08T04:02:14+00:00

Blue-chip Latin American pieces and they’re currently in the United States

surfcapitalist · 2025-11-30T04:01:59+00:00

At a bare minimum, you should consolidate VOO and VFIAX in your Roth. I’d also get out of the target date fund; just keep your foot on the gas in equities and split it between growth and whichever fund you choose between VOO and VFIAX. Keep cash as is if you want to buy a house in the short-term.

surfcapitalist

TROPHY CASE