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.

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
Five Lessons About Entrepreneurship That I Learned in 2020
2020 was a hell of a year on many accounts. Entrepreneurship was no different.
Thank You 2020 For…Well…Everything
Six things I am grateful for as this wacky, wild year draws to a close...
Why I Wrote This D*mn Book
Day job at Next Coast Ventures. Board Meeting. Wife, Kids. Podcast. Book...
Recent Press
Metrics that Measure Up Podcast
Exploring An Entrepreneur's Inner Voice of Self Doubt During the podcast, Mike shares his "SHAPE" framework, to help fellow entrepreneurs understand...
The Alain Guillot Show
How To Survive As Entrepreneurs Mental health is a crisis in the entrepreneurship community. Alain Guillot and I discuss how to develop mental...
Top 10 Book List 2020 (to read in 2021)
I was featured on Mareo McCracken's list of top books released in 2020! See the full lists below: Here are the TOP 10 Books everyone should read in...
Testimonials
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.


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!
Contact Mike