The day-to-day execution and administration of a business often takes an excessive amount of time, so the primary reason to augment your team with an Operations Executive is to maximize your CEO’s and other co-founders’ contribution to the enterprise. I firmly believe that staying true to a vision is best achieved by having a founder… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Startup Best Practices
Myths Why Startups Don’t Need COOs and Operations Executives
As my regular readers know, I am a startup operations veteran with “battle scars” from 9 startups (co-founder in 2 and early employee in most). I have acquired a PhD in operations from the school of hard knocks after years of being around some very smart people and working on difficult problems. Today, I am… Continue Reading
Better Solution to Outdated One Time Employee Referral Bonuses
One time employee referral bonuses need to go the way of the dodo. They are an antiquated reward system that motivates the wrong things. Yes, some of the most well known companies use them, but these companies end up hurting both themselves and also the business community. Even the biggest morons can waste investor/company money,… Continue Reading
12 Lessons I’ve Learned From My Mistakes Managing Employees
Ever since I discovered a phenomenal app called Evernote (it works on all my devices!!!), I have been diligently documenting the lessons I learn each day. I also write drafts of blog articles whenever inspiration hits. If you don’t have Evernote, get it; it will change the way you work. That said, in the last… Continue Reading
Stop Wasting Resources on Improving Weaknesses!
So here is my question for the many organizations that have an unhealthy fascination with improving the weaknesses of their talent: How was Michael Jordan in baseball?.. Exactly! I started my career as a talent agent. Yes, a talent agent in the entertainment industry. I even went to the top school in the field, Columbia College… Continue Reading
Why Companies Built for Just the Good Times Don’t Last
Folks, hate to be Mr. Pragmatic Realist, but in the emerging company world full of often deliriously optimistic people, I can’t help but feel this way after a decade and a half in the “trenches”. When I look at the companies myself and my fellow execs have worked in, there is one very clear trend… Continue Reading
Poor Managers Kill Companies – 5 Ways to Improve Your Management Style and Skills
I’ve spent the last several months preparing for the birth of my first child and thinking very hard about the value of my every waking minute. If I am going to spend time away from my child, my work better be making one hell of an impact. So, I have been digging deep and thinking… Continue Reading
Being a CEO Is a Brutal and Lonely Job, But It Doesn’t Have To Be
Who gets their head “chopped” if a company can’t get traction, hit their sales numbers, find enough financing, or retain their high-performers? Who has to be the chief recruiter, fundraiser, strategist, and often makes the most expensive mistakes? Who has to listen to endless opinions and filter out all that noise? The answer is simple –… Continue Reading
The Most Powerful Tool for Improving Morale in a Rapid Pace Environment
Let’s face it, when our companies are searching for the perfect product/market fit or working to scale a repeatable business model, we have plenty of fires to extinguish and opportunities to chase. Closing that next deal, managing another huge money-making project, and releasing the features our customers have been knocking on our doors about can… Continue Reading
How To Hire Top Talent Without Paying Recruiters
As a Chief Business Hacker, one of the top things I love to do is recruit talent. The exhilaration I get from finding a team member who is going to help elevate everyone is like winning a race. Recruiting is hard; it is very hard. In my experience, recruiting the right team with culture and… Continue Reading