Additional information
by Matt Blumberg (Author), Peter M. Birkeland (With), Scott Dorsey (Foreword by)
One of the greatest challenges for startup teams is scaling because usually there's not a blueprint to follow, people are learning their function as they go, and everyone is wearing multiple hats. There can be lots of trial and error, lots of missteps, and lots of valuable time and money squandered as companies scale. Matt Blumberg and his team understand the scaling challenges--they've been there, and it took them nearly 20 years to scale and achieve a successful exit. Along the way they learned what worked and what didn't work, and they share their lessons learned in Startup CXO.
Unlike other business books, Startup CXO is designed to help each functional leader understand how their function scales, what to anticipate as they scale, and what things to avoid. Beyond providing function-specific advice, tools, and tactics, Startup CXO is a resource for each team member to learn about the other functions, understand other functional challenges, and get greater clarity on how to collaborate effectively with the other functional leads.
CEOs, Board members, and investors have a book they can consult to pinpoint areas of weakness and learn how to turn those into strengths. Startup CXO has in-depth chapters covering the nine most common functions in startups: finance, people, marketing, sales, customers, business development, product, operations, and privacy. Each functional section has a "CEO to CEO Advice" summary from Blumberg on what great looks like for that CXO, signs your CXO isn't scaling, and how to engage with your CXO.
Startup CXO also has a section on the future of executive work, fractional and interim roles. Written by leading practitioners in the newly emergent fractional executive world, each function is covered with useful tips on how to be a successful fractional executive as well as what to look for and how to manage fractional executives.
Startup CXO is an amazing resource for CEOs but also for functional leaders and professionals at any stage of their career."
--Scott Dorsey, Managing Partner, High Alpha
Front Jacket
One of the greatest challenges faced by startups is scaling up their teams, themselves, and their boards as their businesses scale, because there isn't a clear blueprint to follow. Many startup leaders are in leadership roles for the first time, and most startup CEOs don't know what they don't know about how to manage and coach each functional executive on the team. There can be lots of trial and error, lots of missteps, and lots of valuable time and money squandered as companies scale.
Matt Blumberg and his team understand the scaling challenges faced by startup executives--they've been there and done that multiple times over multiple decades. Along the way they learned what worked and what didn't work, and they share their lessons learned in Startup CXO.
Startup CXO will help CEOs and each primary functional leader in a company (heads of sales, marketing, HR, technology, product, finance, business development, and privacy) understand:
- How their function scales
- What to anticipate as they scale
- What obstacles prevent scaling
- How to collaborate effectively with other functions
With the help of Startup CXO, functional leaders, CEOs, Board members, and investors can pinpoint areas of weakness and turn those into strengths. Each functional section is written by a long-time practitioner of that function and also has a "CEO to CEO Advice" summary from Blumberg on what great looks like for that CXO, signs your CXO isn't scaling, and how to engage with your CXO.
As an added bonus, Startup CXO explores fractional roles--the future of executive work. Written by leading practitioners, each function is covered with useful tips on how to be a successful fractional executive and from a startup's perspective, what to look for in hiring and managing fractional executives.
Back Jacket
Praise for STARTUP CXO
"The leadership team of a startup/growth company is the heart and soul of the business. While there are many books on how to lead a startup, I have not seen any about how to build the leadership team, how to scale it, and maybe most importantly, how to be the functional leader of part of the startup, whether that is Chief People Officer, Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Product Officer, or Chief Financial Officer. In Startup CXO, Matt Blumberg and his leadership team tackle those questions and provide a roadmap on how to do exactly these things. If you are starting a company for the first time, or scaling a company for the first time, or if you have done it before but want to do it better this time, I strongly encourage you to pick up this book, read it, and then give it to each of your functional leaders and ask them to read it too. You and your leadership team will be so happy you did that."
--Fred Wilson, Managing Director, Union Square Ventures
"The biggest challenge CEOs face? Learning how to effectively orchestrate the activities of a leadership team. Startup CXO is the ultimate playbook for leadership teams looking to scale their business--and themselves as leaders."
--Linda Kozlowski, CEO, Blue Apron
"Every first-time CEO comes to the job knowing one or two functions really well. What they can get from Startup CXO is a candid view of what 'great' looks like across every function and how the functions should all fit together into a high functioning executive team. Matt and his team bring insights to the craft of leading and scaling a robust executive team in a format that makes it easy to find advice on any challenge you face at any given moment in the journey."
--Jeff Lawson, CEO, Twilio
"Like any first-time job, a first-time CEO is learning as they go. Luckily, there are lots of resources and access to people who can help accelerate first-time CEOs through the many learning curves. Fundamentally, being a CEO is a job of leadership and the best CEOs also have strong CXOs. Startup CXO is the perfect companion book for both CEOs and functional leaders to validate and open up new learning opportunities and shared experiences across all functional roles on a leadership team. Every CEO and functional leader looking to get a holistic view of their company and looking to scale should read Startup CXO."
--Jenny Lawton, former CXO, Techstars, littleBits, and MakerBot
"Startup CXO is a must-read for any CEO--first-time or otherwise--of a high-growth company. Startups move at an extremely fast pace and this book will help your entire team understand how to scale their function and work effectively with others. Read this book before your competitors do."
--Brad Feld, Managing Director, Foundry Group
Author Biography
MATT BLUMBERG is founder and CEO of Bolster, an on-demand executive talent marketplace to help startup CEOs scale their leadership team, themselves, and their board. He was the founder and CEO of Return Path and is the author of Startup CEO, and the blog, StartupCEO.com. He lives in New York with his wife and three children.
PETER M. BIRKELAND is a sociologist, author, and writer who helps people turn ideas into books. www.peterbirkeland.com
