Your #1 Job As CEO

blog.eladgil.com

48 points·eladgil··10 comments

> People seem to forget that running out of money is the #1 reasons startups fail.

Don't think this is true. #1 reason startups fail is the founders giving up.

People seem to forget that running out of money is the #1 reasons startups fail.

-I keep hearing this and it makes zero sense. That is like saying the #1 reason why people die is because they stop breathing.

I believe that the #1 job as a CEO is to own the goals (the reasons for existence) of the company, doing whatever it takes to achieve the goals.

If that requires raising money or hiring/firing, those get prioritized high. Some startups don't require funding (just read a great post about GitHub), and others can be better staffed by a team of experienced mercenaries than a bunch of novice citizens.

And sometimes, the CEO has to be the cheerleader that prevents the founders from giving up...

Good points. Sometimes hiring isn't the highest order bit, and metrics for the company are definitely key.

Nicely put, I think Distraction is the #1 issue because of which CEO's fail in their day to day activities. Try to focus on one thing at a time and accomplish it, rather than juggling multiple items and not completing any.

great post!

Another great post on the same topic:

http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2010/08/what-a-ceo-does.html

my 2 cents would be to add

How and why did Twitter choose to acquire your company?

Maybe I will write a separate post on this in the future?

I'm quite sure you would have an enthusiastic and receptive audience, please email me if you decide to post it. zackster@gmail.com

> Maybe I will write a separate post on this in the future?

that'd be neat ;)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com