Entrepreneur. Investor.
Part-Time Author.

The entrepreneur’s journey is really, really hard work – but there is no other job like it in the world. My goal is to help other entrepreneurs be successful by sharing the non-obvious insights from my own journey.

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About Mike

Mike Smerklo is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Next Coast Ventures, investing in a new generation of entrepreneurs building disruptive companies in big markets. Prior to this, Mike bought and scaled a small business into a publicly-traded company, ServiceSource, worth nearly a billion dollars in value. More than anything, though, he’s an entrepreneur driven by the desire to turn ideas into reality.

Recent Blogs

Entrepreneurship and the False Positives of Early Sales Win

Sep 23

“We just won the Dell account! This deal is close to $500k in ARR and will...

Monkey Masters: Rusty Shelton

May 26

For my fourth Monkey Masters installment, I am thrilled to interview Rusty...

Monkey Masters: Jason Dorsey

May 12

For my third interview of Monkey Masters, I am thrilled to interview Jason...

Off the Record with Aram: Entrepreneurship is a mental game – Mike Smerklo, Next Coast Ventures

EPISODE DETAILS Mike Smerklo has worked alongside the legends - Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. He was one of the first employees of their...

The Real Venture: A Conversation with Mike Smerklo

The Real Venture Podcast September 15, 2021 The Real Venture kicks off Season 2 with a massive guest! Meet Mike Smerklo, Co-Founder and Managing...

Austin sees pay-off from pandemic-era tech reshuffling

Axios Kia Kokalitcheva July 17, 2021 Austin has been one of the top beneficiaries of the pandemic-era reshuffling of tech entrepreneurs, investors...

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Testimonials

“Mr. Monkey and Me is the truthful and oftentimes harrowing story of entrepreneurship that too often goes untold. Mike Smerklo goes through the many challenges in building ServiceSource into a successful public company, not the least of which is actually learning how to control the ever-present doubting voice inside himself.”

– Scott Kupor, Managing Partner, Andreessen Horowitz, and Author of Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It

“A perfect encapsulation of the negative inner dialogue we have with ourselves and how to manage it.”

– Lynn Jurich, CEO and Co-Founder, Sunrun

“Aspiring entrepreneurs, this book is a must read. It takes more than a brilliant idea and venture funding to make it as an entrepreneur, and in this book, Mike gives it to us straight. Mike shares his earned wisdom with humility, deep intelligence and the comedy that makes this book such a thought provoking and enjoyable read.”

– Jessica Herrin, CEO and Founder, Stella & Dot, and Author of Find Your Extraordinary: Dream Bigger, Live Happier, and Achieve Success on Your Own Terms

About Mr. Monkey and Me

What if the secret to being a successful entrepreneur had nothing to do with your business plan, resources, market size, or strategy? If your success or failure weren’t dependent on how much money you have, where you grew up or the level of education you received?

Here’s the truth: the difference between success and failure is right between your ears.

PURCHASE THE BOOK

Do you have the mental toughness to survive the marathon ahead?

The Entrepreneurial Survival Test

Becoming an entrepreneur is a lot like running a marathon: it takes time, sacrifice, and hard work. You need the right training and, even more importantly, you need an incredibly high level of mental strength. As an aspiring entrepreneur, do you have the mental toughness to survive the marathon ahead – or could you use more training? Take the quiz to find out!

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Entrepreneur. Investor. Part-Time Author.