Final week, I known as my inventory dealer, old-school fashion, and instructed the great gross sales affiliate that I’d prefer to spend money on 10 shares of Apple inventory, please, however provided that Apple purchased 20 hours of my consulting time — which, I added, would solely serve to make Apple a greater, stronger firm and improve their total worth.

It’s win-win, I stated.

This didn’t really occur. As a result of it’s laughable.

So why does it occur to startups on a regular basis?

I obtained an e mail final week from an investor. It was a type of emails I needed to learn twice. On the second learn, I noticed it was mainly a pitch to promote me companies with a carrot of potential funding dangled to assist sweeten the deal.

Now, earlier than I’m going too far and insult a few of my investor buddies, let me make it clear that anybody investing in your organization might and may be capable to carry extra worth that goes past simply their cash.

That value-add might come within the type of connections and expertise, positively recommendation, and in some instances the investor would possibly certainly have a program they like their portfolio to comply with. Personal fairness companies do that on a regular basis. They know methods to earn a living. They’ve a plan.

Then there’s NewChip.

This fee-based on-line accelerator was a darling of the startup ecosystem proper up till they filed for chapter earlier this yr. That case begs the query: What “value-add” have been these startup founders paying for?

I carry up NewChip as a result of I’ve gotten emails from them too, and people emails learn rather a lot like this one.

My favourite sign that lets me know I don’t need to learn the message I’m about to learn are the phrases “I got here throughout”.

I don’t know why they’re nonetheless utilizing it. It’s just like the individuals who nonetheless name everybody “fam.”

However for anybody who doesn’t know, it means they “got here throughout” your organization title within the contact listing they…