article thumbnail

When Should a Small Business Hire an Executive Team?

Up and Running

It isn’t unusual to act as CEO while also tackling marketing tasks and coordinating operations. As you find your footing and begin to scale, you might feel ready to hire a formal executive team. With that said, here’s a closer look at when — and how — to hire an executive team. When is the right time to hire an executive team?

CTO Hire 163
article thumbnail

What is a CTO?

Austin Startup

As a CTO, I can definitely say without a doubt that few people understand what a CTO does. When I tell someone I’m a CTO, I’m often met with a blank stare. Even when someone is aware of what a CTO does, they often have limited context due to the wide variety of CTO roles.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Lessons Learned: What does a startup CTO actually do?

Startup Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Tuesday, September 30, 2008 What does a startup CTO actually do? Often times, it seems like people are thinking its synonymous with "that guy who gets paid to sit in the corner and think technical deep thoughts" or "that guy who gets to swoop in a rearrange my project at the last minute on a whim."

CTO 168
article thumbnail

We’re Programming Around Your Needs: Highlights of Lean Startup Week 2017

Startup Lessons Learned

We’ve hosted talks, workshops, and interactive sessions on the challenges and successes of modern management techniques from a wide variety of business leaders around the world. Side Note: Eric and Marilyn will be doing a webcast as a preview to their workshop on Oct 11. Lean Startup Week (Oct. Sign up for free here.

Lean 108
article thumbnail

Lessons Learned: The three drivers of growth for your business.

Startup Lessons Learned

In this model, you take some fraction of the lifetime value of each customer and plow that back into paid acquisition through SEM, banner ads, PR, affiliates, etc. All three probably make attempts at world-of-mouth marketing - its just that for Viral, its life-or-death. Its simply too hard to focus on more than one.

article thumbnail

eve is coming to Austin

Austin Startup

Event cancellation insurance is one of the worst performing insurance products in the market with loss ratios above 250%. My CTO and I were asked at a cafe to complete a form with our names and contact details, using a pen that had been shared by many diners before and would be shared with many diners after.

Austin 62
article thumbnail

Case Study: kaChing, Anatomy of a Pivot

Startup Lessons Learned

In the early fall of 2009, as kaChing prepared for its marketplace launch, the management team showed the app—which included real time market data, SEC-grade accounting, analytics, compliance and customer management tools—to a number of investment pros to get feedback and endorsements. That all-hands lasted five minutes.