While big-company CEOs are usually groomed for the job for years,
startup CEOs aren't—and they're often young and relatively inexperienced
in business in general. Author Matt Blumberg, a technology and marketing
entrepreneur, knows this all too well.
In 1999 he started a company called Return Path, a multi-million dollar
global technology company. Early in that endeavor he launched his blog, OnlyOnce—because
"you're only a first-time CEO once"—to document his experience and help
other startup executives grapple with the many challenges of starting
and building a business. Now, more than a decade later, he's written Startup
CEO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Business (WILEY;
Hardcover & e-book; $29.95; ISBN: 978-1-118-54836-3). As the
fifth book in the Startup
Revolution series, this reliable resource is based on Blumberg's
experience as a startup CEO and covers a number of issues he's faced
throughout the dozen years he's been a CEO.
“Whatever industry you may be involved in—whether it’s architecture,
medicine, or technology—scaling up your business can be one of the most
difficult endeavors you may ever face. And in most cases, as the company
grows, so will your role in it,” says Blumberg. “Being a CEO is an
incredibly complex job at any size company, but it can be especially
challenging if you're part of a startup. In this case, you really don't
have the luxury of making costly mistakes while learning on the job.”
Divided into five comprehensive parts, Startup CEO skillfully
puts the essential elements of this endeavor in perspective—from the
startup stage, through the revenue stage, and into the growth stage
including:
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Part I: Defining your vision of the business and effectively
communicating it to all stakeholders
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Part II: Running the people side of your company, from creating a
culture and the full cycle of employment—recruiting, hiring, and
retaining or firing—to the growing challenge of managing at various
stages of growth
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Part III: Key elements of execution, including the specifics of
financing the company and budgeting, running great meetings, and
setting goals
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Part IV: Managing a board, from recruiting members to working with
them on potentially thorny topics like their performance or your
compensation
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Part V: Holding yourself accountable so you can manage others,
including creating your own operating system; working with an
executive assistant, executive coach, and a peer group; and balancing
family and work life
Whether you are a current CEO, an aspiring entrepreneur, or someone
looking for a new career path, Startup CEO puts emphasis on
practical application. To that end, it provides readers with exclusive
access to a companion website filled with supplementary materials,
allowing you to continue to learn in a hands-on fashion long after
closing the book.
“There are two kinds of entrepreneurs: those who start businesses, and
those who build businesses. You can be one or the other, or a bit of
both. But to succeed through the long haul, you must have a builder in
you,” says Blumberg. “Being a startup CEO is one of the hardest jobs
you'll ever have. But if you're motivated, creative, and enjoy building
things, it's also the best job in the world. Startup CEO will
show you what it takes to make it in this position—and while it may not
have all the answers, it can help you figure out the questions you
should always be asking.”
