Leadership and Management
How Can You Prevent Your Team From Misleading You?
“I don’t want you to attend the weekly sales meeting any more,” our new sales VP, “Tom”, said to me. I didn’t argue with him, but I was concerned. I’ll get back to why I was concerned later. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. It seems there is…
Read MoreWhat’s A Warboard And Why Do You Need it?
“We’re going to have a warboard, and you’re going to manage it.” Jack Gifford, Maxim Integrated Products CEO, said to me.” What’s a warboard?” I asked. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Gifford was pacing back and forth as he continued. “You’re going to manage every detail. Every,…
Read MoreWhat’s The Right Way To Run Your Startup?
I love the idea that something has changed in the world of startups. That somehow, today, you actually have to worry about arcane ideas like profitability, gross margins, and financial management. Oh, the horror! Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Even more to the point, I just don’t…
Read MoreShould You Be Friends With Your Co-Founders?
When I was a kid, I used to really like westerns. Maybe it was because my Dad really liked westerns, so I liked westerns too. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] There was a rather obscure western that I really liked called, “The Culpepper Cattle Company.” It’s the…
Read MoreWhat’s The Most Important Thing You Can Do Running Your Startup?
I was visiting with my Mom a few years ago. My Mom said to me, “I found this picture from years ago. Do you remember it?” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. I looked at the picture and smiled. I did remember it from when I was a…
Read MoreWhat Does The Role Of A COO Look Like At A Startup?
Nonexistent. Take it from someone who had a COO co-founder, you don’t need a COO when you’re starting a company. I added a COO as a co-founder to my company. He was talented, had tons of experience and knowledge, and he helped me secure funding. Do you want to become a better startup CEO? Great!…
Read MoreWhat Shouldn’t You Waste Your Time On?
There are so many things I wasted my time on when I started my company. Some of them were silly, and some of them were downright stupid. Let me start with the most controversial thing I shouldn’t of wasted my time on, and that was hiring a Vice President of Sales. Not only did I…
Read MoreHow Do You Deal With Feeling Like A Fraud?
I felt like the biggest fraud in the world. My co-founders, “Jim” and John”, had just quit three months after we started the company. John said, in his parting comment to me, “I know better how to build a analog IC company than you do.” In other words, John was saying, “We don’t need you.”…
Read MoreAre You More Powerful Than The Board Of Directors?
Do you know about the theory of rational thought? The theory of rational thought has at its core the basic assumption that people will act in a logical manner. Now, if that was true, then a great startup CEO would have much more power than a board of directors because a great startup CEO is…
Read MoreWhat Books Do You Recommend For CEOs?
Since I’m biased, and you asked, you could start by reading my book, “Learn How to Take a Punch: Building Your Startup Isn’t a Marathon, It’s a Prizefight.” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. While every startup’s journey is unique, I noticed similar patterns in the startups I’ve been…
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