Both Sides of the Table

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When Should Technical Founders Become CEO?

Both Sides of the Table

Much has been written about when it is time to hire a “professional CEO” to run a startup company and of course that has long been a norm in Silicon Valley when founders find that their inexperience may be a limiting factor in company growth ( know as the Peter Principle ). It now seems that Mark is more firmly in control.

Founder 309
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Startup Mantra: Hire Fast, Fire Fast

Both Sides of the Table

There is an old management adage that says, “Hire slowly, fire fast.” Hire Slowly? I also subscribe to the views that you should always be recruiting (ABR) and when great people pop up you hire them and then find a way to make the role fit. Only Hire A+ People. Hiring at a Startup. Attitude over Aptitude.

Hiring 335
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Whom Should You Hire at a Startup? (Attitude Over Aptitude)

Both Sides of the Table

This will be the team who hires the most talented people, channels them in the most productive configuration and gets the most output from their unique capabilities. Only hire A players. B players tend to have slightly more self-confidence issues so they tend to hire people slightly worse than themselves – thus C teams.

Hiring 399
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Startup Sales – Why Hiring Seasoned Reps May Not Work

Both Sides of the Table

Even if you don’t have “direct&# sales I would tell you that “everything is a sale&# including fund raising, hiring, getting press and doing business development. One of the biggest mistakes I see early-stage startups making is hiring “seasoned&# sales professionals or hiring people too senior, too early.

Hiring 346
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Want to Know How VC’s Calculate Valuation Differently from Founders?

Both Sides of the Table

Other founders, “as a privately held company we don’t disclose our valuation.&# Me, “dude, I’m not a journalist. Investors own 25%, the founders own 75%. You’ll need to hire and retain talen to grow your company. And for some strange reason entrepreneurs didn’t share this information.

Valuation 405
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What Happens When Startups Turn from Their Innovation Stage to Operational Excellence?

Both Sides of the Table

As a startup in this phase you often raise capital, get press, hire staff and everything feels possible. As the idea went from innovating on software & systems to launching a company to rolling it out in the field brought on Rahul Gandhi as his co-founder to physically launch the company. As an early-stage VC I love this phase.

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Why Entrepreneurs Should Be Respected More Than Loved

Both Sides of the Table

You hire great people. You motivate, cajole, reassign tasks, hire, fire and push the organization forward. The best leaders are great at hiring in large part because they are inspirational. I often worry about founders who have a deep-seated need to be loved because it can lead to bad decisions. You set direction.

CTO Hire 385