Back in the greedy 1980s, around the time of Gordon Gekko from the movie Wall Street, I saw a TV profile of an obnoxious businessman who answered the phone every time with the phrase: “Tell me in 30 seconds why talking with you for 5 more minutes will make me more money!” He said he answered the call the same way every time, even if his mother called. The TV show portrayed him as a bad person and emblematic of everything that was wrong with the 80’s.

Looking back though, he made a good point. Perhaps he overdid it, or perhaps he was just too overt. But I think he offered a lesson that is valuable for startup founders. The lesson applies to raising money, enlisting partnerships, selling to customers, and attracting great employees.