Issue #7
Mark MacLeod
The Startup CEO Coach | I help startup CEOs grow all the way to a massive exit | Host of The Startup CEO Show podcast
Welcome to the seventh edition of The Inquisitive Leader newsletter. A publication intended for the CEOs of VC and PE-funded companies and the investors who back them.
In my role as CEO coach, I ask lots of questions. So, let me answer two questions for you:
Q: Why is this targeted at the leaders of institutionally funded companies?
A: Because once you take on capital you are committing to deliver a big outcome. The biggest exits are often founder-led. The focus of my practice is on helping CEOs grow faster than their companies in order to deliver big outcomes.
Q: Why is this called 'The Inquisitive Leader'?
A: I believe that powerful insights come from asking ourselves powerful questions. In each post below, I end by leaving you with questions to ask yourself.
Enjoy!
Video: 7 practices for becoming a high growth CEO and leader
I recently gave a talk to the community of CEOs and entrepreneurs at Traction Conference offering 7 personal and 7 business practices for growing as a leader.
Managing co-founder relationships
Your business partner is your work spouse. The failure rate of these relationships is high. This post offers up some suggestions for how to get the most from your co-founder relationships.
How to think about exit strategy
If you have raised capital for your business, then you have committed to delivering a (large) exit). Here are some ways to think about this all important decision of when to sell.
Why now?
Why now? This is perhaps the most strategic question for a startup investor. You can have an amazing team with an amazing product, but if they don’t get the timing right, it won’t be a win.
Nothing to hide: the benefits of being truly open
Startups are never a straight line. It can be tempting to not share the ups and downs with your staff and other stakeholders. However, I believe there is more to be gained by being fully open.