Greg Gottesman's Blog

Stop Spending Time with People Looking for Reasons to Say No

“Um, excuse me, I … I think you forgot my bread.” “Bread, two dollars extra.” “Two dollars? But everyone in front of me got free bread.” “You want bread?” “Yes, please.” “Three dollars!” “What?” “No soup for you!” — George and the Soup Nazi, in “The Soup Nazi,” Seinfeld

I spend far too much time trying to convince people to say “yes,” especially people who are looking for reasons to say “no.” I think of myself as a pretty good salesperson, but I don’t think I have ever convinced someone to change his or her mind

… Continue reading →

Posted on November 14, 2014 by greggottesman · 2 Comments

Best Product Nominee: The Dirty Diaper

I love great products.

Not just tech products, either. Game of Thrones is a great product, which is why I feel the need to blab on and on about it until I nauseate those who haven’t gotten hooked yet.

With summer approaching, I feel the need to share with you another truly great product: the Dirty Diaper. The Dirty Diaper is the result of roasting a marshmallow with chocolate shoved into it. Done correctly, you are treated to a toasted marshmallow with hot melted chocolate inside. Think new-and-improved cousin to the s’more, sans graham cracker.

I can’t take credit for this revolutionary dessert.

… Continue reading →

Posted on June 4, 2014 by greggottesman · 1 Comment

To Protect Legitimate Interests, Seattle Should Cap All Forms of Innovation Immediately

In a 9-0 decision Monday, the Seattle City Council voted to cap the number of UberX, Sidecar and Lyft drivers on our streets — to protect the legitimate interests of taxi companies and the revenue they create for our city.

So, I thought we should come up with 10 other important limits that we as a city can and should place on new technology-based business models. Here they are:

To protect the legitimate interests of the U.S. Postal Service and keep the price of stamps reasonable for our citizens, the City should … Continue reading →

Posted on March 18, 2014 by greggottesman · 38 Comments

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? Part Two

Sequels are rarely better than the original. But there are exceptions. Being a sucker for happy endings, I liked Rocky II more than the Oscar-winning original. Speaking of great sequels, I was back at West Mercer Elementary this morning for Career Day, meeting with third, fourth and fifth graders and listening to their startup ideas.

My session was entitled “Your Billion-Dollar Idea.” Like last year, I explained what a venture capitalist does, laid out the criteria we use to make investments (team, product, market, business model and timing) and gave each student the opportunity to pitch

… Continue reading →

Posted on January 23, 2014 by greggottesman · Leave a comment