Hot Seat · The Startup CEO Guidebook by Shapiro, Dan -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Preface

Anointed in the Elevator Figuring It Out Maybe You Should Do That Goodies Safari® Books Online How to Contact Us

I. Founding 1. The Virtues of an Early Bankruptcy 2. The Cofounder Dilemma

Cofounders Are Top Talent Cofounders Save Cash Investors Love Cofounders The Split Is the Downside First Question: Are You an Army of One? Second Question: Do You Have Access to a Solid-Gold Cofounder? Third Question: Will You Trade Cash for Camaraderie? A Finicky Note on the Linguistics of Cofounders

3. Deciding on the Dream

What Is Your Company Going to Do? Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

4. Sharing Shares

Who’s a Founder? What’s a Founder Worth?

A Formula for Equity

Somebody’s got to get things started (5%) Ideas are precious, but dwarfed by execution (5%) The first step is the hardest (5%–25%) CEO gets more (5%) Full-time commitment is expensive (200%) Reputation is the most precious asset of all (50%–500%+) Treat cash like an investment (% varies) The final accounting

Why Not 50/50?

5. Vesting Is a Hack

Vesting Schedules

6. Spending Money

Build Dollars into the Company Culture Don’t Spend Your Own Money Remember: Cost/Benefit Analysis Is Irrelevant

7. Conclusion II. Funding 8. The Fun of Funding 9. Don’t Ask for Introductions

Reason 1: Not Every Investor Is the Right Investor for You Reason 2: It’s Lazy and Rude Reason 3: They’ll Give You a Crappy Introduction The Right Way I Know This Makes You Sad

10. The Standard Pitch Deck

Title Market Size Problem/Opportunity Solution Demo Model Traction Landscape Team Final Slide Appendix

11. The Nonstandard Pitch Deck 12. Business Plans 13. The Pyramid Pitch 14. Pitching Twitter; Pitching Hoverboards 15. Why Taxi Drivers Don’t Take Venture Capital

You Want to Build a Profitable Company Your Business Has Reasonable Margins You Are Going to Double Your Investors’ Money You’re Not Their Type You Have Better Things to Do with Nine Months, and You Will Probably Fail You Will Have a New Boss ...So Does This Mean I Shouldn’t Raise VC?

16. Angels and Demons

Myth: “Angel Investor” Is a Thing Myth: Angel Investors Want to Make Angel Investments Myth: Angel Investors Range from Useless to Helpful Myth: Angel Investors Consider Your Company to Be a Financial Investment Should You Take Angel Money, Then?

17. The Lead Investor

Leading Due Diligence Negotiating Terms Rounding Up the Round Taking the Board Seat Who to Choose Lead Alternatives

18. Winning at Crowdfunding

Platform Project Picking Curly’s Secret Story Reward Video Goal Tone Launch Media Updates Failure to Launch Support

19. Miscellaneous Financing Sources

Family and Friends Strategic Investors Accelerators VC Seed Funds

20. How Much You’re Worth 21. How Much You Need 22. Notes or Priced?

How to Decide?

23. Conclusion III. Leadership 24. The Six Things You Cannot Delegate

The CEO Builds the Team The CEO Is the Keeper of the Vision The CEO Is Strategist-in-Chief The CEO Manages the Investors The CEO Owns Critical Relationships The CEO Sets the Company Culture Delegation: The Common Thread

25. Repeat Your Strategy 26. Contrarian Segmentation 27. Hypocrisy Is a Symptom of Values 28. Impostor 29. A Drummer for Spinal Tap

Executive Ignorance Role Confusion The CEO Curse

30. Your Company Culture Is a Meaningless Platitude

Polarizing Decisions

Work/Life Balance Inclusive Versus Exclusive Friendly Versus Professional Collaborative Versus Quiet

Excesses Quirks Dysfunctions

31. Creating Culture

Tool 1: Example Tool 2: Hiring Tool 3: Rewards and Consequences

32. Conclusion IV. Management 33. How to Make Your Company Half as Effective

Empowerment Persuasion Delegation Compromise Exhaustion

34. The CEO Card

When Do You “Play the CEO Card”? Hire Inspire Fire What to Do with the Cards

35. Building a Sublime Organization

Job Postings

They’ll Want to Do Something Compelling They’ll Want to Know About the Company They’re Going to Work For They’ll Want to Know What Their Job Responsibilities Are They’ll Want to Know How Much They’re Going to Get Paid

Recruiting

Get a Kate Be Famous Be Present Be Out There Work the Network Referrals, Seven Ways

Intermediate Interviewing Follow Through Unambiguous Results A Second-Best Offer Frosting on the Cake

36. The Lies of Big-Company Life

Myth: Big Companies Teach Entrepreneurship Myth: You Must Be Cost Effective Myth: You Know How to Ship Software Myth: You Know How to Do Big Business Deals Ex-Big-Company Entrepreneurship

37. 14 Answers That Will Save You 100 Hours 38. The Board of Directors: Your Peers, Your Obligation, Your Bosses

Common Seats CEO Seat Investor Seats Observer Seats Independent Seats Compensation Formation The Board and You Managing Board Members

39. Conclusion V. Endgame 40. Of Course This Company’s for Sale 41. Why to Sell

Is It a Great Deal? Are You Done? Are You Up for Big-Company Life? Will the Money Change Your Life?

42. There Are Three Exits—Remember, the Nearest Exit May Be Behind You

Team Acquisitions Product Acquisitions Business Acquisitions ...And the Great Unwashed Middle Takeaways

43. Obligations Before Negotiations

Your First Obligation: Your Debtholders Your Second Obligation: Your Shareholders Your Third Obligation: Your Team Your Fourth Obligation: Yourself

44. Negotiations

Don’t Wreck the Company Figure Out What You Want Be Your Own Worst Enemy The Negotiation: Terms The Negotiation: People

45. Exiting with Grace 46. Sparkbuy’s Story

Google Discovers Sparkbuy Google Rediscovers Sparkbuy The Deal Team Negotiation Roles Negotiation Strategy Diligence Signing

Last-Minute Deal Changes Logistics Approvals Greed Closure

47. Conclusion Acknowledgments Index

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