Leadership and Management
What Are The Biggest Enemies Of Success?
“WHERE DID I GO WRONG?” Micrel’s CEO, “Bob”, asked the question to the assembled team of minions, but he was really asking the question to himself. I was one of those minions. In fact, Bob was asking the question in response to a presentation I gave about how to fix the division I was running.…
Read MoreWhen Should You Be Fired If You’re The CEO?
My wife was working at a start-up about ten years ago, and the company was doing really, really well. Revenue and customers were growing exponentially. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. The CEO was a brilliant and charismatic leader. The management team was strong. It looked like everyone…
Read MoreWhat’s The Best Use Of Your Excess Cash?
“If you give a startup $1 million, they’ll find a way to spend it,” my friend and VC, Dave said to me early on in my company’s life. Then he delivered the punch line. “If you give a startup $10 million, they’ll find a way to spend that too!” [Do you want to grow your…
Read MoreIs It Really Worth It To Be A Startup CEO?
“Are you having fun?” Bob Dobkin, our only angel investor, asked me when I was giving him an update on our progress about two months after we closed our Series A funding. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe can I help. Click here.] Bob was the co-founder and CTO/VP Engineering of Linear Technology.…
Read MoreWhat Should Your Mindset Be As A Startup CEO?
To: Past Self From: Future Self Subject: If I knew then what I know now Hey, it’s your older and wiser self. Somehow or other, despite all your screw ups, you made it! You’re done. You’ve achieved your dream of starting, building, and leading a company from scratch. Do you want to grow your business?…
Read MoreHow Should You Manage Your Board Of Directors?
“Never surprise your board,” my friend and mentor, Dave, said to me. We were meeting for coffee at Peets in Palo Alto four weeks before my first board meeting as a startup CEO. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] I nodded my head because Dave’s advice sounded sage.…
Read MoreWhy You Should Offer Your Team Unlimited Time Off
One of the smartest things we ever did was offer our employees unlimited vacation. I know it sounds crazy for startups to tell their employees they can take as much time off as they want, but it’s really not crazy at all. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.…
Read MoreHow Do You Really Feel As A Startup CEO?
I’d love to sit here telling you that being a CEO was great, and it was great. Truly, truly great. However, I’d be lying if I told you there was only one feeling I had being CEO. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] There were times I felt…
Read MoreWhat Are The 11 Biggest Myths About Being A CEO?
Blossom, Avery, and I were at dinner at Nobu in Palo Alto. I looked over at the table next to us and who’s there but Marc Andreessen and his wife. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] No one was paying attention to them, and no one asked Marc for…
Read MoreCan You Ever Lie To Your Investors?
“Brett, I want to share with you what the CEO of ‘Company X’ (a well known public company) said at the investor conference I went to,” Jack Gifford, Maxim Integrated Products CEO, said to me. Then he barked at me, “Take some notes.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.]…
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