Writing on faith, founders & capital.
Weekly essays from Steven Dossou on breaking free from fear, building thriving ventures and deploying capital with purpose.
How to Write a Keynote Speech: The 18-Minute Structure I Use
Most talks fail on the page, not on the stage. The spine, time budget, opening lines and rehearsal routine I use to write a talk that lands one idea.
How to Run Due Diligence on an Early-Stage Startup: My First-Cheque Checklist
The due diligence process I run before a first cheque: the four questions that end most deals, the numbers to rebuild, and the exit maths to do first.
The B2B cold email sequence that gets replies: a five-touch framework
Most cold email sequences fail on deliverability and sequence logic, not copy. The five-touch framework I use, plus the five numbers that show what to fix.
How to Start a Speech: A Repeatable Method for the First 90 Seconds
A repeatable method for the first 90 seconds of a talk: four openings that work, five to delete, and a fill-in-the-blank script you can rehearse tonight.
B2B discovery call questions: the twelve that decide whether a deal is real
The twelve discovery call questions I use in B2B sales, in the order that works, plus the two call ratios that predict whether a deal is real.
The B2B cold email follow-up sequence: how many touches, and what to send in each
Most replies arrive after the first email. Here is the seven-touch follow-up sequence I run for B2B outbound, and the job each message has to do.
Cold email deliverability in 2026: how to get B2B outbound into the inbox
Most outbound fails in the filter, not the pitch. The 2026 sender rules, the technical floor, and the four numbers that tell you if you are in the inbox.
How to follow up after a sales call so B2B deals stop stalling
Deals rarely die in the meeting, they die in the silence afterwards. The 24-hour recap, the cadence, and the numbers that show if follow-up is your problem.
How to write a cold email that gets replies in 2026
Cold email fails twice: the provider blocks it, then the copy asks too much. The deliverability checks, the four lines and the maths that move reply rate.
How to rebuild momentum after a setback: the five-step reset
Momentum is not a feeling, it is a sequence. Here is the five-step reset I use with founders and executives after a failed raise, a lost account or a business that did not make it.
B2B outbound: the qualification bar that decides whether your pipeline is real
Most outbound programmes do not fail on volume, they fail on what they let through. The exact five-part qualification bar I use before a conversation earns a calendar slot.
Investor readiness is a data room problem, not a pitch problem
Founders rehearse the pitch and neglect the folder. The twelve documents that should exist before your first investor meeting, and what each one is really testing.
How to validate a business idea across three continents without burning a year
Validation is not asking people if they like your idea. A four-week protocol for testing demand in Europe, Africa and the US, and the market-entry mistakes that cost the most.
The business of public speaking: how speakers actually get paid
Two TEDx stages taught me the craft. The business is a separate skill. How speaking fees really work, what a keynote costs to deliver, and the path from free stages to paid work.
7 Mistakes You're Making with Business Transformation (And How to Fix Them)
Transformation is not a moment. It is a decision, a habit, a lifestyle, and a powerful identity.
5 Steps How to Land a TEDx Talk and Spread Your Vision (Easy Guide for Aspiring Speakers)
A TEDx stage can give a meaningful idea a wider audience. The work begins long before the microphone is turned on.
Introducing AETHER: The "Tinder of Fundraising" Is Here to Transform Your Growth
<strong>AETHER</strong> by IRIS Vision Capital: The Matchmaking Platform for Capital
The Three Demons That Keep Faith-Driven Founders Broke
Fear, self-doubt and low self-esteem cost more deals than any recession. Here is how to name them, face them and build anyway.
Why 95% of Early-Stage Founders Fail to Secure Funding
It is almost never the market. It is almost always the founder. Here are the five patterns I see in African and European decks that never close.
The Sales Mindset That Turns Fear Into Revenue
Selling is not manipulation. It is stewardship. Here is the sales mindset shift that unlocks Christian founders who have been leaving money on the table.