The Top Entrepreneur Articles for Weekend Reading

Jessica Livingston, founding partner of Y Combinator, explains why it's important for startups to focus on sales instead of marketing. As she writes, "The most important thing an early-stage startup should know about marketing is rather counterintuitive: that you probably shouldn’t be doing anything you’d use the term “marketing” to describe."

In this week's Investor-edition of the Minute, 14th-ranked Forbes Midas List investor Mike Maples, Jr., Founding Partner of FLOODGATE, speaks with Founder Showcase on-camera host Helen Park about what traits he looks for in entrepreneurs to determine whether they are worthy of an investment.

Over on Entrepreneur, Sheena Tahilramani, provides three helpful keys for exponential growth. She warns against getting caught up in the day-to-day maintenance and instead suggests better ways to manage and develop your mission, growth plan, and workforce.

Vivian Giang of Fast Company, has compiled a list of eleven famous entrepreneurs who overcame failure. Read about the creators of Huffington Post, Muse, HowAboutWe, the comic Dilbert, Thrillist, Nextshark, and others who moved past their obstacles and hurdles.

The venture firm of Khosla Ventures has provided a very helpful PowerPoint deck for entrepreneurs who are planning to pitch to VCs. Going through slide by slide on a typical startup pitch deck, Khosla gives detailed explanations on what works and what doesn't.

Marty Zwilling of Startup Professionals, Inc. has put together a list of five decision that entrepreneurs make which can define their career and identity. He breaks down the decisions that include the launch, turning point, tipping point, recommitment point, and letting go point.