Startup CEO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Business

Whatever industry you may be involved in—whether it be architecture, medicine, or technology—scaling up your business can be one of the most difficult endeavors you may ever face. And in most cases, as the company grows, so will your role in it. Being a CEO is an incredibly complex job at any size company, but it can be especially challenging if you're part of a startup. In this case, you really don't have the luxury of making costly mistakes while learning on the job.

Back in 1999, author Matt Blumberg, a technology and marketing entrepreneur started a company called Return Path that later became the driving force behind the creation of his blog, OnlyOnce—because "you're only a first-time CEO once." Now, with Startup CEO—the third book in the Startup Revolution series—Blumberg shares his experiences that led up to that point and discusses the details of this extremely difficult and unique job. Whether you're currently the CEO of your own company, an aspiring entrepreneur, or thinking about your own career development, the insights found here will put you in a better position to succeed.

Divided into five comprehensive parts, this reliable resource skillfully puts the essential elements of this endeavor in perspective—from the startup stage, through the revenue stage, and into the growth stage. Along the way, you'll gain valuable knowledge on:

• Part I: defining your vision of the startup and effectively communicating it to all stakeholders
• Part II: running the people side of your company, from creating a culture and the full cycle of employment—recruiting, hiring, and retaining or firing—to the growing challenge of managing remote employees
• Part III: the key elements of execution, including the specifics of financing the company and budgeting, running great meetings, and setting goals
• Part IV: the main aspects of managing a board, from recruiting members to working with them on potentially thorny topics like their performance or your compensation
• Part V: managing yourself so you can manage others, including creating your own operating system; working with an executive assistant, executive coach, and a peer group; and balancing family and work life

Startup CEO puts an emphasis on practical application. To that end, this book provides readers with exclusive access to a companion website filled with supplementary materials, allowing you to continue to learn in a hands-on fashion long after closing the book.

Being a startup CEO is one of the hardest jobs you'll ever have. But if you're motivated, creative, and enjoy building things, it's also the best job in the world. Startup CEO will show you what it takes to make it in this position—and while it may not have all the answers, it can help you figure out the questions you should always be asking.

Praise for Startup CEO

"One of the key principles of the Lean Startup movement is that entrepreneurship is management. In Startup CEO, Matt Blumberg provides a comprehensive guide to every facet of entrepreneurial management. An essential and practical guide for entrepreneurs everywhere."
—Eric Ries, author, The Lean Startup

"There's no silver bullet for building a great company. Startup CEO deciphers the challenging, complex, uncertain, and oftentimes lonely role of a first-time CEO without oversimplifying it."
—Ben Horowitz, cofounder and General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz

"I've been on Matt's board for more than a decade, and I've watched him develop into one of the finest CEOs I've had the pleasure to work with. With Startup CEO, Matt allows other entrepreneurs to profit from his years of experience and emulate his remarkable example."
—Fred Wilson, cofounder, Union Square Ventures

"There is the one-in-a-million company that catches lightning in a bottle and grows like a weed without care and feeding. For the rest of us, there's Startup CEO, the how-to manual for getting there the old-fashioned way. This book will be your coach, mentor, and advisor in any situation you or your company are likely to encounter."
—David Rosenblatt, CEO, 1stdibs

"Startup CEO is the definitive book for any CEO—first time or otherwise—of a high-growth company. While dozens of books have been written about starting businesses, it's time for entrepreneurs to focus on scaling them. Matt shows them how."
—Brad Feld, Managing Director, Foundry Group