Self-sufficient is the New Sexy

Stuart Ellman

I was at a board meeting the other day and a portfolio company CEO surprised me. I was concerned that it was taking a little longer to sign up a key partner and therefore we would run short on cash. The CEO told me that he will never run out of cash. Not only has he run the company incredibly frugally, but he is only going to spend money when he is able to get that cash from revenues. In the short term, he will take on some consulting assignments that are relevant to his core business. Wow. This is music to my ears. This is a CEO that lived through the 2001 crash and knows what it is like to raise money during times like these. To VCs, this is incredibly appealing… even sexy.

Another CEO was telling a different story and not hearing what he wanted back from his investors. He has done a terrific job growing his company, the leader in a new and sexy space. He doubled his revenues last year and will double them again this year. His problem is that his company burns (and will continue to burn) a lot of money. He went out to market and assumed the environment would be easy given how great he is performing. But, as a very knowledgeable source said, many VCs are just out to hurt their friends right now. People only want to put new money in a deal at washout and vulture-like prices. I keep getting calls from other VCs to join them in deals at $0 pre-money valuations. Wow, I haven’t heard calls like that since 2001. So, this unhappy CEO is getting back indications of interest, but only at punitively low prices. As a result, he is looking to his existing investors to do the round. The problem is, existing investors do not have enough money to fully fund the company. Don’t forget, VCs also have time limits, percentage limits, and dollar limits on existing investments. That is not a happy boardroom. It is about as appealing as sitting in a middle seat on an airplane next to a smelly guy.

Right now, growth is not sexy if it’s accompanied by a high burn rate. To navigate through this climate, every CEO needs to perform a simple analysis: First, how much money is in the bank (not including debt)? How much runway does this give you at your current operational posture? And what are you going to do about it?

• First choice, get to cash flow positive on that money.
• Second choice, get the cash to last for two years..
• Third choice, see how much money you can gather from existing investors to get to cash flow positive.
• Last choice, go to outside investors to get the additional money. Yes, there may be exceptions to the rule, but it is not a pretty market for companies with a high burn right now, period.

If there is one thing etched into my memory from the last funding drought, it is that CEO’s always wished they had cut more deeply earlier. A company with 70 employees will think it is cutting to the bone if it goes down to 50 employees. “I just cant go any lower without killing the business.” That is true until they then cut to 35, and then to 25 employees. At 25 employees, the CEO always wishes he had done the hard cut earlier and saved the money and uncertainty. Yes, it is not fair to have to cut a company that has performed well. But, when markets change, you have to do it. Great CEOs have failed because they have not reacted appropriately to changes in the funding environment.

So, hear it from me, or hear it from the markets soon enough. Become self sufficient on the cash you have. Even at the expense of growth. Frugal is sexy again.