Take Your Time Before You Take the Money
Inc.|September 2023
I knew raising venture funding would be punishing; I didn't expect it to also be profound.
Gail Becker
Take Your Time Before You Take the Money

I PROCLAIMED MYSELF an entrepreneur eight months after the passing of my father, Martin Becker. Dad was a Holocaust survivor who came to America at age 12 with no money, family, education or ability to speak English. He started a small salvage business in San Francisco, because, having been drafted to serve in the Korean War, that's where he disembarked upon his return. He sold dented cans and jars with the labels torn off at steep discounts, and then became an importer/exporter, wholesaling canned foods to hotels and restaurants. I'd accompany him on sales visits. We would always follow the meetings by eating dinner in whichever restaurant he had made the sale to. He later told me those were the happiest days of his life.

My father's courage to bet it all stuck with me, and in May 2016, in the wake of his death, I left my corporate life to bet everything I had, too. Little did I know that I'd be setting off on a journey of self-discovery, not unlike the one all of us face when we make the leap into entrepreneurship. For me, I learned deeper truths about money and how my relationship with it changed when everything was on the line.

Esta historia es de la edición September 2023 de Inc..

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición September 2023 de Inc..

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE INC.Ver todo
2025 FEMALE FOUNDERS 500
Inc.

2025 FEMALE FOUNDERS 500

THE PANDEMIC DROVE WOMEN OUT OF THE WORKFORCE THEN SPURRED AN ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPLOSION.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Spring 2025
HOW TO SELL YOUR BUSINESS IN 2025
Inc.

HOW TO SELL YOUR BUSINESS IN 2025

If you've been waiting to sell your business, this could be the year to get the deal done. Analysts expect mergers and acquisitions to pick up, especially given the Trump administration's promise of deregulation. So if you're considering selling now, here's what you need to know.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Spring 2025
Marina Khidekel You can tap creative funding sources for your startup, but as these founders learned, it's hard work.
Inc.

Marina Khidekel You can tap creative funding sources for your startup, but as these founders learned, it's hard work.

Raising capital can feel like a rite of passage for startup founders—a signal that your company is on the map.

time-read
5 minutos  |
Spring 2025
UP IN THE AIR
Inc.

UP IN THE AIR

HOW JSX FOUNDER ALEX WILCOX BROUGHT THE PRIVATE JET EXPERIENCE TO THE MASSES WHILE NAVIGATING STRAIGHT INTO A CLOUD OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS. AND WHY HIS RADICAL NEW WAY TO FLY COULD BE IN FOR A BUMPY RIDE.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Spring 2025
She's Done With Al. Now Lucy Guo Is Making a Big Bet on People
Inc.

She's Done With Al. Now Lucy Guo Is Making a Big Bet on People

Inside the Scale AI co-founder's plans to help influencers get paid, like, never-have-to-get-a-real-job kind of money.

time-read
3 minutos  |
Spring 2025
Tory Burch Is Better Than Ever.but Don't Call It a Comeback
Inc.

Tory Burch Is Better Than Ever.but Don't Call It a Comeback

The fashion veteran's business is hitting its stride— and she says, at 58, she finally feels like a real designer.

time-read
4 minutos  |
Spring 2025
ZONE OF CONCERN
Inc.

ZONE OF CONCERN

Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are as pervasive as they are insidious, afflicting businesses ranging from hotels to breweries to coffee roasters. In taking on this huge problem, entrepreneur Dean Wiltse has found his calling—and an opportunity.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Spring 2025
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
Inc.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

HE DESIGNED THE INTERNET AS WE KNOW IT TODAY. SO WHY ISN'T HE IN THE PANTHEON OF SILICON VALLEY FOUNDERS?

time-read
4 minutos  |
Spring 2025
SET AND ACHIEVE BIG GOALS
Inc.

SET AND ACHIEVE BIG GOALS

In her latest book, Big Goals: The Science of Setting Them, Achieving Them, and Creating Your Best Life, Caroline Adams Miller shares a methodology for psychology-backed goal setting.

time-read
3 minutos  |
Spring 2025
10 WAYS TO GET BETTER AT SALES
Inc.

10 WAYS TO GET BETTER AT SALES

Today's customers are overloaded and overwhelmed by too much information, so making any decision is a challenge.

time-read
1 min  |
Spring 2025