When to hire a CEO for your start-up business is a hugely complicated question, not only because it depends on the company and industry but also because there’s no single answer that fits every situation. Please note that I do not intend this article as a definitive list of when you should hire a CEO for your startup business, but as an introduction to some significant considerations to make before doing so. Please keep in mind that different circumstances might call for different approaches to finding your ideal candidate.
What are your goals?
The first step is to understand why you’re hiring a CEO at all. This will be reflected in your goals for the company, not just how it’s being run now. Do you want to grow the company’s revenue with minimal effort? Do you just need some help to get off the ground? Do you plan to expand into another industry entirely with your startup?
If you want to increase sales, then it probably makes sense to hire a CEO that can bring in new clients and boost sales. If your goal is to boost the number of users on your product, then hiring a CEO that can grow your user base with minimal effort may be best.
Your goals will also dictate how long you keep the CEO on board. If you want to expand into a new industry, it may make sense to hire a CEO that can run that new department. However, you may not need that CEO after they established your company in a few years if it’s going well. You can see the website for hiring a leading CEO.
What is a startup?
An entrepreneur, who has noticed a problem in the world and found the solution and created it into a successful business. Start-up is the very first stage of a business. When the founders are creating a product or service that they believe has demand in the society. It doesn’t require a highly skilled person to be an entrepreneur. Anyone who has a new idea with
tremendous enthusiasm to create a business out of it can create a start-up.
When to hire a CEO for your startup?
There is one thing you need to keep in mind. A founder and a CEO have a unique set of skills. A founder of an IT company may have a high level of coding knowledge, but it will be of no work to increase sales and manage a large team.
For a certain period, a founder of a startup can handle the position of chief executive of any startup. But after reaching a certain level of growth, the creator of the product or services may not remain the right person to manage a business in the long run. Some founders don’t have the right set of skills to take the business to a whole new level.
By examining the growth of a company, you should be able to know exactly when the founder needs to step down from the position and hire a trained professional who has the exact set of skills you need to grow your business.
You need to be extra careful about the perfect time to hire a CEO. While building a startup, the founder needs to focus on both the creative part and also the managerial part of the business. But as time passes and business grows, it becomes quite hectic for the founders to focus on both aspects and they start to lag in one of them. You need to be vigilant enough to recognize the right moment to hire a CEO. Unless you may have to witness the downfall of your startup.
Responsibilities of a CEO in a Start-up: A CEO plays the most vital role in business growth. The job of a CEO in a startup company is far more crucial than in an established company. A highly skilled CEO can help your startup grow into a world-class business.
Here I Am mentioning some of the most important roles a startup CEO must play:
- Envision: If I have to select only one role among all the roles mentioned below, then this will be the one. A CEO of a startup company must envision how the company will look like after 10 years or What will be the market of the product or service your company offers. He will also have to be smart enough to figure out the things that are not contributing to the growth of the company and what futuristic steps can be taken to stay ahead of the competition.
- Team management: A great leader first decides the goals of the company and then builds the team that can get the job done. It is the responsibility of the CEO to build a team based on the requirements. He must be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the employees and act accordingly.
- Brand Management: A CEO is the face of the company. Investors trust the CEO more than the founders. So it is the CEO’s responsibility to maintain your company’s brand value. If your CEO is extremely skilled and popular, it will draw more investors to invest in your startup and help your brand grow.
- Maintain Cash Flow: Remember one thing, if you run out of cash, your business will shut down. So the CEO you appointed must keep an eye on how much money is spent in each section. Whether every department is getting sufficient funds or not and is any section extra funds, a CEO should take care of everything. He can also build a team that only focuses on money flow.
Here I am addressing some qualities that you need to look for in a CEO before hiring.
- He should have a vision that will show the way the company can reach a higher stage of success. His vision should align with the ultimate goal of the company.
- He should have experience in managing larger groups and the ability to motivate them to reach the allotted goals.
- Generally, startups are unstructured. So a CEO you hire for your startup must have the ability to bring new operating procedures for the business.
While starting a business from scratch, you don’t require a CEO right after the idea crosses your mind. Build a team of a few people who can handle many tasks so that you can save money for the future. And after your startup reaches a certain level and starts generating extra cash and founders can’t handle all the workload alone, then you should start thinking about hiring a leading CEO based on the skills you require for your business.