Part 1 First time leading a startup
You are a founder and will be a leader in a new startup. This part of the book includes four anecdotes that will help you navigate these early waters of the brand-new startup you are creating or joining to change the world. The anecdotes in this part are as follows:
- Scratching the startup itch: How I became an incorrigible entrepreneur
- What makes you think you are CEO material?
- A venture-backed turnaround: A dangerous place to be
- The founding team: Who’s in and who’s not?
I start with a story of how I became an entrepreneur after having started my career as a computer science professor. Then we take up an important topic: who should be the starting CEO of this new tech startup? The answer may surprise you. I learned an important (and personally expensive) lesson about that the hard way.
It is fairly common for a person’s first time leading a company to happen at a company they already work for that needs a new leader. But if it is a venture-backed company, there could be rough water ahead.
This part closes with an anecdote about founders. It’s a topic that has proven over and over to be fraught with emotion and egos.