Don't let yourself make excuses for not doing the things you want to do.

People appreciate when you make an effort to speak their language.

You really want a company full of missionaries, not mercenaries.

Don't hire for the sake of hiring. Hire because there is no other way to do what you want to do.

Generally, you want to raise capital either when you have to or when it's really easy. If the company desperately needs money, and they can't figure out any other way, then they need to raise money. Or if someone's offering you easy money on good terms, you should take it because you can use it for good things.

The only way to generate sustained exponential growth is to make whatever you're making sufficiently good.