Startup CEO, + Website A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Business

by Blumberg, Matt

• ISBN13: 9781118548363
• ISBN10: 1118548361
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2013-09-03
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

A definitive book for any CEO—first time or otherwise—of a high-growth company

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. Back in 1999, he started a company called Return Path, which later became the driving force behind the creation of his blog, OnlyOnce—because "you're only a first time CEO once."

Now, more than a decade later, he's written Startup CEO. 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 over the dozen years he's been a CEO.

• Offers valuable insights into how the CEO sets the overall vision and strategy of the company and communicates it to all stakeholders
• Discusses how to build a company's human capital by recruiting, hiring, and retaining the very best talent
• Examines how a CEO must align available resources with the company's strategy in order to ensure success
• Addresses what it takes to master the "How" of being a CEO—from leading an executive team to managing in any type of market

Engaging and informative, this book is essential reading for any, and every, CEO.

Author Biography

Matt Blumberg founded Return Path in 1999 because he believed the world needed email to work better. He is passionate about enhancing the online relationship between email subscribers and marketers so that both sides of the equation benefit. It is with great pride that he has watched this initial creation grow to a company of more than 400 employees with a market-leading brand, innovative products, and the email industry's most renowned experts. Before Return Path, Blumberg ran marketing, product management, and the Internet group for Moviefone, Inc. (later acquired by AOL). Prior to that, he served as an associate with private equity firm General Atlantic Partners and was a consultant with Mercer Management Consulting. He holds a BA from Princeton University.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD XIII

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS XV

ABOUT THE AUTHOR XIX

INTRODUCTION XXI

PART ONE: STORYTELLING 1

CHAPTER ONE
Dream the Possible Dream 3

CHAPTER TWO
Defi ning and Testing the Story 11

CHAPTER THREE
Telling the Story to Your Investors 19

CHAPTER FOUR
Telling the Story to Your Team 27

CHAPTER FIVE
Revising the Story 37

CHAPTER SIX
Bringing the Story to Life 47

PART TWO: BUILDING THE COMPANY’S HUMAN CAPITAL 57

CHAPTER SEVEN
Fielding a Great Team 59

CHAPTER EIGHT
The CEO as Functional Supervisor 71

CHAPTER NINE
Crafting Your Company’s Culture 77

CHAPTER TEN
The Hiring Challenge 87

CHAPTER ELEVEN
Every Day in Every Way, We Get a Little Better 99

CHAPTER TWELEVE
Compensation 111

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Promoting 119

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Rewarding: “It’s the Little Things” That Matter 125

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Managing Remote Offi ces and Employees 131

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Firing: When It’s Not Working 135

PART THREE: EXECUTION 143

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Creating a Company Operating System 145

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Creating Your Operating Plan and Setting Goals 149

CHAPTER NINETEEN
Making Sure There’s Enough Money in the Bank 159

CHAPTER TWENTY
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Financing 165

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
When and How to Raise Money 175

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Forecasting and Budgeting 181

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Collecting Data 189

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Managing in Tough Times 195

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Meeting Routines 201

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Driving Alignment 211

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Have You Learned Your Lesson? 217

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Going Global 223

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The Role of M&A 229

CHAPTER THIRTY
Competition 239

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Failure 243

PART FOUR: BUILDING AND LEADING A BOARD OF DIRECTORS 251

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
The Value of a Good Board 253

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Building Your Board 257

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Board Meeting Materials 267

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Running Eff ective Board Meetings 271

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Non–Board Meeting Time 279

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Decision Making and the Board 281

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Working with the Board on Your Compensation and Review 287

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Serving on Other Boards 293

PART FIVE: MANAGING YOURSELF SO YOU CAN MANAGE OTHERS 301

CHAPTER FORTY
Creating a Personal Operating System 303

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Working with an Executive Assistant 311

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Working with a Coach 317

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
The Importance of Peer Groups 323

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Staying Fresh 327

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Your Family 337

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Traveling 345

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Taking Stock 349

A NOTE ON EXITS 355

CONCLUSION 359

WHAT DID I MISS? 360

BIBLIOGRAPHY 361

ABOUT THE COMPANION WEB SITE 365

INDEX 367

EXCERPT FROM STARTUP BOARDS 373