Culture
How Do You Get Talent From Facebook Or Google To Join Your Company?
We got most of our top talent from two companies (Maxim and Linear Technology) in our industry that were the equivalent of Apple, Google, and Facebook. We knew we weren’t going to pay higher salaries than Maxim and Linear. Indeed, most of the people that joined us from Maxim and Linear took pay cuts. We…
Read MoreHow Do You Deal With Employee Burnout?
I love running. Specifically, I love distance running. It’s so peaceful when you go on a long run in the early morning. And that’s really true now that the weather’s gotten colder. It’s just you and your thoughts. Or maybe it’s just you, your thoughts, and the occasional deer you see. I usually pace my…
Read MoreWhat’s Your Institutional Memory And Why It’s Important?
“We used to be even better than this,” the Vice President of one of the world’s largest distributors said to me as we were taking a tour of the distributor’s facility. The Vice President was responding to how impressed I was with the consistency of the answers and actions I was hearing and seeing from…
Read MoreWhat Is The One Personality Trait Stops You From Working With Someone?
“I don’t understand why your cash position is going down,” I said to the CEO “James”. We were going through our bi-weekly review of his company. The revenue was growing, and the company should have been cash flow positive. In fact, cash from operations was growing, so it didn’t make any sense why James’ net…
Read MoreWhat Should You Do While Your Team Builds Your First Product?
The first CEO job I ever interviewed for, the recruiter said to me, “As CEO you recruit, recruit, recruit, and you sell, sell, sell.” I didn’t get the job. Then, I started my own company and became CEO. And what did I do? Recruit, recruit, recruit, and sell, sell, sell. Recruiting and selling were always…
Read MoreShould You Take A Vacation As A Startup CEO?
We closed our funding in early April, and we had a previously scheduled vacation to Hawaii in June. So, what did I do? I took the vacation of course. And I had a really nice time. My wife and daughter had a nice time too. I took a vacation every year I was CEO. I…
Read MoreWhat Are The Best Books For CEOs To Read?
I know you’re busy as founding CEO of your company, but make time to read. The reading will likely pay off for you big time. I like using Audible as a way to improve my productivity. I can listen to a book while driving. Or I can listen to a book while going for a…
Read MoreHow Do You Stop Employees From Going To Competitors?
I was recently asked the question, “What should I do to keep an employee that has quit from leaving.” I was happy to answer the question because I have a perfect batting average as CEO of keeping employees from quitting. That’s right. 0.00%. Employees, in my experience, have usually made up their mind when they…
Read MoreCan You Succeed When You Don’t Get Along With Your Cofounders?
There were these four founders that got together to start their business. Peter, John, Roger and Keith were their names. The products they produced were some of the best in their industry. The customers they had loved their products. And they were well respected by their competitors. By their own admission, they got along horribly.…
Read MoreHow Do You Manage Your Costs Early On?
“Are you personally signing every check?” Bill asked me at dinner. I had worked for Bill years ago. Bill was seriously old school in his approach. “Yes, I am,” I replied. “That’s good,” he said. “That’s an important tool for you to keep control of the spending.” Bill was right. Signing every check was important.…
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