Dear founder : letters of advice for anyone who leads, manages, or wants to start a business

Dear founder Letters of advice for anyone who leads, manages, or wants to start a business

Maynard Webb, 1955-

Book - 2018

"Wise, practical, and profitable letters to entrepreneurs, leaders, managers, and business owners in every field--from a leading executive, investor, and business founder" --

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Subjects
New business enterprises.
Leadership.
Entrepreneurship.
Published
New York : St. Martin's Press 2018.
Language
English
Main Author
Maynard Webb, 1955- (author)
Other Authors
Carlye Adler (author)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
Includes index.
Physical Description
xv, 331 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN
9781250195647
  • Foreword
  • Introduction
  • Part I. Getting Started
  • 1. The Early Days
  • When you want to start a company
  • When you are selecting a co-founder
  • When a co-founder isn't pulling their weight
  • When you need to recruit
  • When you need to hire a rock star
  • When you need to set your culture
  • When you need to hire diverse candidates
  • When you need to create a workplace of inclusion
  • When you onboard an executive
  • 2. Financing Your Company
  • When nobody wants to give you money
  • When everyone wants to invest
  • When you are setting terms for your seed round
  • When you need to set a valuation
  • When you've just raised your first round of funding
  • When you need to think about compensation
  • When you need to set a budget
  • When you need to spend your money wisely
  • When you need to figure out compensation for your sales team
  • When you need to understand waterfalls, layer cakes, and cap tables (or how to protect the true value of your equity)
  • When you wonder if philanthropy has a place in your startup
  • Part II. Getting To Relevance
  • 3. Management Basics
  • When you need to delegate
  • When you need to know who owns what
  • When you're afraid you might be a "tweener"
  • When you need to set goals
  • When you need to give (and get) feedback
  • When you need to have an open door
  • When you need to be there for someone
  • When you need to lead with inspiration, not fear
  • When you need to be overt
  • When you need to find synchronicity
  • When you wonder if networking or marketing events are worth your time
  • When you need to build your alumni network
  • When you need to build a great board
  • 4. Management Challenges
  • When your first key hire leaves
  • When you have to fire an employee for the first time
  • When you need to gain credibility
  • When you need to understand the impact your judgment is having on your decisions
  • When no one is excited to be here
  • When you need to deal with poor performers
  • When you need to own bad news
  • When you need to set the tone for appropriate behavior
  • 5. Personal Challenges of Leadership
  • When you are overwhelmed
  • When you have to face that your startup is failing
  • When you need inspiration
  • When you're dealt body blows
  • When you need to put the company's needs ahead of your own
  • When you're confusing hubris with boldness
  • When you're accused of working too much
  • When you self-impose limits
  • When the world tries to manage you
  • When your board is driving you crazy
  • When you need to pick your battles
  • When you want to blame someone
  • When you are asked to keep something in confidence
  • When you need to burn the clock
  • 6. External Roadblocks
  • When a competitor enters your space
  • When you need to be maniacally focused on your business
  • When you receive public criticism
  • When you need to manage the lawsuit filed against your company
  • When your idea just isn't working
  • Part III. Getting To Scale
  • 7. Operational Excellence
  • When you need to improve execution
  • When you need to focus on what's important
  • When you are faced with a bet-the-company decision
  • When you need to go from good to great
  • When you need to know that anything is possible
  • When you need to scale
  • When you want to run an effective board meeting
  • When you should put your board to work
  • When you want to avoid nasty surprises
  • 8. Organizational Challenges
  • When you have a crisis
  • When you've just missed your quarter
  • When you need to solve cross-functional friction
  • When you need to assert the character of your company
  • When there's a conflict of interest on your board
  • When your board says they are replacing you as CEO
  • Part IV. Leaving A Legacy
  • 9. Building a Company to Last
  • When you have a big payday
  • When you need to plan succession
  • When you are thinking about building a company to last
  • A Final Note
  • Acknowledgments
  • Index
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Webb (Rebooting Work), a former Yahoo and eBay executive, proffers wisdom accrued through founding the Webb Investment Network, in this timely business manual aimed at today's many aspiring entrepreneurs. He offers a valuable perspective on overcoming many obstacles commonly faced by founders as their companies move through the various stages he identifies as "start-up," "relevance," "scale," and "legacy." Webb presents his advice in the form of a series of letters, originally written for the use of people whose businesses were included in his company's investment portfolio. The letters address such questions as what to do either when no one or everyone wants to invest, how to put together an effective board, and what to do when a competitor enters one's market space. Many letters center on the key but tricky topic of managing a workforce, tackling subjects such as dispensing and receiving feedback, having an open door, and how to "lead with inspiration, not fear." Webb's well-aimed advice will undoubtedly prove a valuable asset for many a future founder during the building and growth of a new organization. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

Seasoned Silicon Valley executive and angel investor Webb (Rebooting Work) uses a series of letters to provide advice to young entrepreneurs. The letters are organized by the early stages of a start-up and focus on hiring employees, building a board, financing, management challenges, and leaving a legacy. Webb covers some of the most difficult moments in a founder's work, including creating the corporate culture, employee retention, and how to work with a hostile board. The author's attempt to marry the traditional business book with the "Letter to a Young." format can feel forced when the subject is more than practical advice on a specific step in establishing a company. When it works, however, Webb's candor and personal history offer solid illustrations on how to lead. The focus on a work-life balance that is all work and no life may also sour some readers on the advice, but it reflects his time in the biggest success companies, including eBay, LiveOps, and Yahoo. VERDICT This recommended book provides honest guidance about the work that goes into a new company, delivered in digestible chunks for the entrepreneur on the go.-John Rodzvilla, Emerson Coll., Boston © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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