🚀 How Not to Screw Up Your Startup – Hard-Earned Advice from VC Andrew Ackerman

In this episode of Stash Cast, Andrew Ackerman is back with raw, practical startup advice drawn from 70+ investments, 100+ coached founders, and two startup exits. He shares the real reason most founders fail—and what he’s doing about it with his new book A Novel Approach to Startups.

📘 This is not your average business book. Inspired by The Goal, Andrew’s novel delivers startup lessons through story, making it easier to remember and apply when it counts.🔍 Insights:

* Most startup education fails because it’s boring, disconnected, or delivered out of order

* Cold emails to VCs almost never work—they signal laziness, not hustle

* Startups are enterprise sales: the same planning, targeting, and positioning applies

* Great storytelling outperforms slides and spreadsheets when teaching real-world business skills

* Your co-founder matters as much as your idea—get that decision wrong and everything else crumbles

✅ Key Takeaways:

* Focus on warm intros and building investor relationships early—not just when you need funding

* Cold calling works (if you do the research); cold emailing does not

* Don’t pitch—ask great questions. The best meetings are conversations, not monologues

* The right investor is a long-term partner, not just a check

* Every founder should be spending 20–80% of their time fundraising—depending on stage

* Learn to teach your processes: if you can teach it, you understand it

🔔 Subscribe to Stash Cast for more honest conversations with founders, VCs, and operators building the future.

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In this episode of The Stash Cast, Jake and Stash dive deep into the rollercoaster journey of entrepreneurship, mental health, and staying authentic in the creator economy. From navigating the chaos of brand building to the discipline required to stay consistent, this episode is a must-watch for creatives, business owners, and anyone chasing passion over paycheck.

🎙️ Key Topics Covered:

The importance of consistency in building a brand

Balancing creative work with business demands

Navigating burnout and self-awareness as a creator

What it really takes to make your passion sustainable

Why honesty and transparency matter in podcasting and business

💡 Key Takeaways:

Start messy, then refine – you don’t need to be perfect to begin.

Burnout is real – knowing your limits and resetting is key to longevity.

Storytelling and transparency are more valuable than polished perfection.

Discipline beats motivation – especially when your name is your brand.

The journey is the reward – every failure is a step toward clarity.

Unlocking U.S. Real Estate for Global Investors | Stash Cast ft. Amresh Singh of HomeAbroad

🎙 In this episode of Stash Cast, Stash Geleszinski sits down with Amresh Singh, founder and CEO of HomeAbroad, to unpack how he's opening up the U.S. real estate market to foreign investors—and soon, to domestic ones too.

Amresh shares how HomeAbroad acts as a one-stop shop for international investors, providing everything from AI-powered property searches and financing (even without U.S. credit history!) to LLC formation and property management connections. Learn how his journey from India to the U.S. sparked the idea for this revolutionary platform—and how he's using technology, financing, and education to democratize real estate investing.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

Why U.S. Real Estate Is Unique: Fixed 30-year mortgages, leverage, and appreciation in USD make the U.S. market a global investor magnet.

Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Most global and local investors don’t realize they can qualify for loans using rental income—not personal income.

-HomeAbroad’s Solution: End-to-end platform offering property sourcing, funding, and post-sale support tailored for global investors.

-Local Expansion – Ziffy.ai: A Zillow-style AI tool for U.S. investors to find cash-flowing deals based on data, not guesswork.

Market Trends: Investors are targeting Texas, Florida, and the Midwest for long-term rentals, with Hawaii and Orlando hot for short-term income.

Building from the Ground Up: Amresh bootstrapped HomeAbroad, evolving the company through real-time market feedback—not a pivot, but a smart evolution.

🌍 Whether you're an international buyer looking for a safe, cash-flowing U.S. investment—or a local investor overwhelmed by where to start—this episode breaks down how HomeAbroad is changing the game.