I’m roughly 60 days into my startup CEO journey. Absolutely no regrets. It’s as challenging as I had hoped, constantly evolving, and personally fulfilling. Even in that short amount of time, I’ve learnt a few important lessons: Don’t build in your own echo chamber. Early doors, I wanted to pitch to several VCs (old and new) on what we were developing. Spoiler – our value proposition needed a lot of work. We’ve gone through multiple iterations since then. We can now better demonstrate the problem we’re solving and how we differentiate. Connecting with the right people at the right organizations is not easy. In my former life, I didn’t fully appreciate the power of a corporate brand in opening doors. As a startup, you need to rely on your personal network. A huge debt of gratitude to all the folks that have been willing to take my call, answer my emails, and make introductions on my behalf. I owe you. You never really stop fundraising. Not a new one but more a reality check. So many founders told me that raising money is a full-time job. Two months in, and I can agree. Not only is securing capital not straightforward, but finding the right new investor is equally tricky. They must share your passion, complement your existing investors, and deliver tangible value beyond just money. Building a team in a fractional age. I’ve been genuinely amazed by the quality of talent that is now available to startups and who are amenable to a partial vs. full-time role. In a short space of time, we’ve brought on an amazing group of fractional experts. Not only is it cost effective, but it has allowed us to tap into deep domain knowledge gained at leading consumer technology and financial players. And I’ve only just got going…
Marcy Cohen
4mo
Wow what an exciting journey you’re on. If anyone can do this it’s you. I completely agree about the brand opening doors. You don’t realize it until you don’t have it. Best of luck.
Ginny Chappell
4mo
Can’t wait to hear what you’re up to!
Vicki Baraiolo
4mo
Congratulations Stephane, I trust and believe you can, and will be, successful in this as you have been in previous roles.
Sounds like an exciting rollercoaster ride! 🎢 Your insights are invaluable for all startup CEOs out there. 👍
David Kralik
4mo
Please share your reading list
Sara Wilson
4mo
Love this! Congrats on the first 60 days and delighted to be collaborating on the fractional front! 💪
Rahul Suhag
4mo
Spot on could not agree more.
Karen Frith
4mo
‘Building a team in a fractional age’ - perfect!
Derick Carss
4mo
Congrats on first 60 days of an exciting journey. Looking forward to following!
Thanks everyone for the replies, glad to see that some of my early learnings resonate with others. Will share more as the journey continues. 🚀