Berkonomics – RSS

Official website of Dave Berkus

• The most dangerous phrase in any boardroom: “Well, what does everyone think?” 01/08/2026
   I’ve watched management teams “pool their ignorance” for decades. Eight smart people sitting around a table, each hoping someone else knows the answer they don’t have. The result? Decisions based on collective assumptions rather than actual data. Here’s what I learned after sitting through hundreds of board meetings: The person who speaks with the most […]
• I once watched a CEO struggle with fourteen direct reports. Fourteen. 01/02/2026
  His calendar was a nightmare of one-on-ones, status updates, and decision bottlenecks. Every manager in the company had to wait for him to weigh in. Progress moved at the speed of his availability. The problem wasn’t his work ethic. It was his span of control. Here’s what most leaders miss: your job isn’t to make […]
• Can you profit by serving early adapters?   12/26/2025
  I am a gadget freak, often purchasing new technologies in their first release.  And my closet is full of such gadgets, from early pen-based computers to early brick-sized cell phones to an electronic handwriting recognition pad received as a gift to test.  These early dives into new technologies serve a purpose for me. They keep […]
• Customer first, always! 12/18/2025
  Not original. Not clever. Not new. But after 50 years of building companies and investing in 200+ more, I’ve watched this simple principle separate the winners from the also-rans. The companies that actually put customers first don’t just say it. They restructure around it. When a customer calls with a problem, who answers? How fast? […]
• Most founders think delegation means “give someone else the work.” 12/11/2025
  That’s how you get burned. After watching CEOs struggle with this, I learned the real formula: Delegate the outcome, not the process. When I was running my companies, I’d tell someone: “I need customer retention up 15% by Q3. Figure out how.” Not “Send these emails, make these calls, update this spreadsheet.” The difference? Ownership […]
• Most entrepreneurs hit a wall at around year seven. 12/04/2025
  Not a revenue wall. an enthusiasm wall. The product that once consumed their every waking thought starts feeling like maintenance. The innovation that drove them becomes operational routine. they’re managing what exists instead of imagining what’s next. I’ve seen this pattern in over 50 years of early-stage investments. The difference between companies that break through […]
• Most CEOs talk about “human capital.” 11/27/2025
  I cringe every time I hear it. After 50 years of backing entrepreneurs, I’ve learned that companies who call their people “capital” treat them like expense line items. But here’s what the best leaders do differently: They call the customer service rep by name when walking the floor. They ask the junior developer her opinion […]
• The decisive leader cuts through the noise. 11/20/2025
  I can spot decisive leaders in the first five minutes. They have one trait that separates them from everyone else: They make decisions with 70% of the information. Not 100%. Not when it’s “safe.” When they know enough to act. I invested in a startup where the CEO faced a brutal choice: expand internationally or […]
• Are leaders to blame for startup flameouts? 11/13/2025
  After decades of backing entrepreneurs and building companies, I’ve watched countless startups flame out. Flameouts occur… Not from bad products. Not from lack of funding. But often from toxic culture that rotted from the inside. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Culture isn’t something you “build later.” It’s happening right now. In your first hire. Your first […]
• The best managers I’ve backed had one thing in common. 11/06/2025
  They were ruthless guardians of their team’s time and attention to their work. And they protected their own time from distractions as well. While other leaders filled calendars with “alignment meetings” and “touch base” sessions, these leaders built fortresses around their people’s deep work time. They discouraged employees from lining up to ask for a […]