Too many founders walk into board meetings with anxiety levels through the roof, bracing for a grilling. And too many investors treat it like a quarterly performance review. That’s not what a board meeting is supposed to be—especially at the early stage.
Let’s reset the narrative.
A board meeting should be a working session, not a courtroom. Founders should see it as an opportunity to get guidance from people who have seen more cycles, more challenges, and more patterns than they have. If you’ve brought on thoughtful investors and advisors, use them. That’s the whole point.
Here’s how we think about it:
The Deck is the Setup, Not the Show. Send the board deck 72 hours in advance. That gives your board time to digest the numbers, think through the product roadmap, sales pipeline, hiring plans—whatever is relevant to the current phase of the business. The goal is to get everyone on the same page before the meeting starts.
Use the first third of the meeting to quickly walk through the highlights of the deck—financial health, sales traction, product progress, customer wins, and open hires. Don’t get bogged down in details. This part is about clarity and context.
The Real Value is in the Last Two-Thirds. The magic happens in the back half of the meeting. That’s where the founder gets to say: Here’s what I’m struggling with. Here’s where I want feedback. Here’s where I need help.
This is your time to tap into the experience and networks of your board. The best board members don’t use this time to criticize—they use it to help solve problems.
Some of the best board meetings I’ve seen are where the founder walks out with:
A new sales comp plan idea
A warm intro to a key customer
A reframing of their go-to-market strategy
A different way to think about pricing
Or sometimes, just the confidence that they’re on the right track
Culture Comes from the Top - If you’re an investor reading this: you don’t win any points by beating up a founder. Your job is to challenge them with empathy and support them with intent. That’s how trust gets built—and trust is the foundation of any great board.
Founders: don’t dread your board meetings. Set the tone. Come in curious. Ask questions. Use your board.
This is your team, these are your partners. Treat and respect each of them like it.