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

328 Pages·2013·1.96 MB·English

by  Matt Blumberg

CONTENTS
Foreword
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction
Part One: Storytelling
Chapter One: Dream the Possible Dream
Entrepreneurship and Creativity
“A Faster Horse”
Vetting Ideas
Chapter Two: Defining and Testing the Story
Start Out by Admitting You’re Wrong
A Lean Business Plan Template
Chapter Three: Telling the Story to Your Investors
The Business Plan is Dead—Long Live the Business Plan
The Investor Presentation
Investor Presentations for Larger Startups
Chapter Four: Telling the Story to Your Team
Defining Your Mission, Vision, and Values
The Top-Down Approach
The Bottom-Up Approach
The Hybrid Approach
Design a Lofty Mission Statement
Chapter Five: Revising the Story
Workshopping
Knowing When It’s Time to Make a Change
Corporate Pivots: Telling The Story Differently
Business Pivots: Telling a Different Story
Chapter Six: Bringing the Story to Life
Building Your Company Purposefully
The Critical Elements of Company Building
Articulating Purpose: The Moral of the Story
You Can Be a Force for Helping Others—Even if Indirectly
Part Two: Building The Company’s Human Capital
Chapter Seven: Fielding a Great Team
From Protozoa to Pancreas
The Best and the Brightest
What About HR?
What About Sales and Marketing?
Scaling Your Team Over Time
Chapter Eight: The CEO as Functional Supervisor
Rules for General Managers
Chapter Nine: Crafting Your Company’s Culture
Introducing Fig WASP 879
Six Legs and A Pair of Wings
Let People be People
Build an Environment of Trust
Chapter Ten: The Hiring Challenge
Unique Challenges for Startups
Recruiting Outstanding Talent
The Interview: Filtering Potential Candidates
Onboarding: The First 90 Days
Chapter Eleven: Every Day in Every Way, We Get a Little Better
The Feedback Matrix
Soliciting Feedback on Your Own Performance
Crafting and Meeting Development Plans
Chapter Twelve: Compensation
General Guidelines for Determining Compensation
The Three Elements of Startup Compensation
Chapter Thirteen: Promoting
Recruiting from Within
Applying The “Peter Principle” to Management
Scaling Horizontally
Promoting Responsibilities Rather than Swapping Titles
Chapter Fourteen: Rewarding: “It’s the Little Things” That Matter
It Never Goes Without Saying
Building A Culture of Appreciation
Chapter Fifteen: Managing Remote Offices and Employees
Brick-and-Mortar Values in a Virtual World
Best Practices for Managing Remote Employees
Chapter Sixteen: Firing: When It’s Not Working
No One Should Ever be Surprised to be Fired
Termination and the Limits of Transparency
Layoffs
Part Three: Execution
Chapter Seventeen: Creating a Company Operating System
Creating Company Rhythms
A Marathon, or a Sprint?
Chapter Eighteen: Creating Your Operating Plan and Setting Goals
Turning Strategic Plans into Operating Plans
Financial Planning
Bringing Your Team into Alignment with Your Plans
Guidelines for Setting Goals
Chapter Nineteen: Making Sure There’s Enough Money in the Bank
Scaling Your Financial Instincts
Boiling the Frog
To Grow or To Profit? That is the Question
Chapter Twenty: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Financing
Equity Investors
Debt
Bootstrapping
Chapter Twenty-One: When and How to Raise Money
When to Start Looking for Money
The Top 11 Takeaways for Financing Negotiations
Chapter Twenty-Two: Forecasting and Budgeting
Rigorous Financial Modeling
Of Course You’re Wrong—But Wrong How?
Budgeting in a Context of Uncertainty
Forecast, Early and Often
Chapter Twenty-Three: Collecting Data
External Data
Internal Data
Chapter Twenty-Four: Managing in Tough Times
Managing in An Economic Downturn
Articulate the Problem
Chapter Twenty-Five: Meeting Routines
Lencioni’s Meeting Framework
Skip-Level Meetings
Running a Productive Offsite
Chapter Twenty-Six: Driving Alignment
Five Keys to Startup Alignment
Aligning Individual Incentives with Global Goals
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Have You Learned Your Lesson?
The Value (and Limitations) of Benchmarking
The Art of the Postmortem
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Going Global
Should Your Business Go Global?
How to Establish a Global Presence
Overcoming the Challenges of Going Global
Best Practices for Managing International Offices and Employees
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Role of M&A
Using Acquisitions as a Tool in Your Strategic Arsenal
The Mechanics of Financing and Closing Acquisitions
The Flip Side of M&A: Divestiture
Odds and Ends
Integration (and Separation)
Chapter Thirty: Competition
Playing Hardball
Playing Offense Versus Playing Defense
Good and Bad Competitors
Chapter Thirty-One: Failure
Failure and the Startup Model
Failure is Not an Orphan
Part Four: Building and Leading a Board of Directors
Chapter Thirty-Two: The Value of a Good Board
Why Have a Board?
Chapter Thirty-Three: Building Your Board
What Makes a Great Board Member?
Recruiting a Board Member
Compensating Your Board
Boards as Teams
Structuring Your Board
Running a Board Feedback Process
Building an Advisory Board
Chapter Thirty-Four: Board Meeting Materials
The Board Book
The Value of Preparing for Board Meetings
Chapter Thirty-Five: Running Effective Board Meetings
Scheduling Board Meetings
Building a Forward-Looking Agenda
In-Meeting Materials
Protocol
Executive and Closed Sessions
Chapter Thirty-Six: Non–Board Meeting Time
AD HOC Meetings
Pre-Meetings
Social Outings
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Decision Making and the Board
The Buck Stops—Where?
Making Difficult Decisions in Concert
Managing Conflict with Your Board
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Working with the Board on Your Compensation and
Review
The CEO’s Performance Review
Your Compensation
Expenses
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Serving on Other Boards
The Basics of Serving on Other Boards
Substance or Style?
Part Five: Managing Yourself So You can Manage Others
Chapter Forty: Creating a Personal Operating System
Managing Your Agenda
Managing Your Calendar
Managing Your Time
Feedback Loops
Chapter Forty-One: Working with an Executive Assistant
Finding an Executive Assistant
What an Executive Assistant Does
Chapter Forty-Two: Working with a Coach
The Value of Executive Coaches
Areas Where an Executive Coach can Help
Chapter Forty-Three: The Importance of Peer Groups
The Gang of Six
Problem Solving in Tandem
Chapter Forty-Four: Staying Fresh
Managing The Highs and Lows
Staying Mentally Fresh
Staying Healthy
Me Time
Chapter Forty-Five: Your Family
Making Room for Home Life
Involving Family in Work
Bringing Work Principles Home
Chapter Forty-Six: Traveling
Sealing The Deal with a Handshake
Making The Most of Travel Time
Staying Disciplined on the Road
Chapter Forty-Seven: Taking Stock
Celebrating “Yes”; Addressing “No”
Are You Having Fun?
Are You Learning and Growing as a Professional?
Is it Financially Rewarding?
Are You Making an Impact?
A Note on Exits
Conclusion
What Did I Miss?
Bibliography
About the Companion Web Site
Index
Excerpt from Startup Boards
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Cover design: C. Wallace Cover illustration: Business group © iStockphoto.com/
Pavel Losevsky; Office Interior by C. Wallace Copyright © 2013 by Matt
Blumberg. All rights reserved.
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