startup journey Archives

13 Jul 24

Can Founders Buy Out Co-Founders in a Startup? A Step-by-Step Guide

Of course. Agree on a price (the hardest part) Write a check and both sign a transfer agreement to put in the company’s board of Director minutes Change the company cap table and ownership name Of course, this is not always easy, as usually the departing founder wants way more than the shares are worth […]

17 May 24

Planning for Higher Sustainable Competitive Advantage (SCA)

Planning for Higher Sustainable Competitive Advantage (SCA) I find that pitch decks to investors fail to articulate how they will maintain a market lead and build barriers to entry around their business over time, as more competitors emerge. We teach 17 ways to increase SCA at The CEO Boot Camp and in our scaling consulting […]

20 Apr 24

When A Startup Founder Hires A Professional CEO Does He Need To Have An Industry Background?

When A Startup Founder Hires A Professional CEO Does He Need To Have An Industry Background? A good question, and one most professionals get wrong. Even professional recruiters. Although this can depend on many factors, generally speaking the CEO does not need to come from the industry. The existing employees and team should bring the […]

12 Apr 24

How Big A Market Should A Startup Company Target?

The best way to destroy your credibility with investors is to say we are going to attack, and own a multi-billion dollar market. Although this may intuitively seem to attract investors, in actuality it is a fatal mistake raising capital. Your credibility using $100B or $1 trillion markets is shot to hell. Here is why. […]

09 Aug 23

Nurturing a Startup: The Power of Multifaceted Employees

Nurturing a Startup: The Power of Multifaceted Employees “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson In the dynamic world of startups, every team member is a jack-of-all-trades. Unlike larger corporations that thrive on specialization, startups demand versatile individuals who can wear multiple […]

Navigating the Startup Journey From Idea to Success

09 Aug 23

How Do You Grow a Company To $100 Million?

How Do You Grow a Company To $100 Million? “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs […]