So, I’ve got this incredible, market-making, revolutionary idea. I need a CEO to run with it.
I have ideas all the time, but this is one of the special ones. One that makes you drop everything else to make it a reality. But, the thing is, my day job as CEO of BzzAgent keeps me pretty busy, and it’s not droppable.
So, if you’ve been a CEO – or haven’t been, but should be – I wanna talk to you. Here’s the criteria:
- I don’t care what school you went to or how old you are. I’m ok with MBA, PHD or high school degree.
- Experience in the real world is good, but not necessary. Experience with a successful startup is valuable. Experience with failure is a huge plus.
- You must have the drive and energy to make this a reality. 9-5 doesn’t cut it, and the clock won’t stop.
- Your charisma needs to magnetize people around you, and attract them like moths to a flame.
- I want to see pinwheels in your eyes when you get excited about an idea. If clients, friends, consumers don’t see that, it will never work.
- This is a startup, which we’re going to build without “trying to fund it” first. That means little cash, but lotsa upside.
- You’ll have to deal with me. That can be fun, inspiring and annoying all at once.
I will say no to a lot of people. If you’re one of them, don’t take it personally. I can’t tell you who will be perfect, but I’ll know it when I see it.
You ready? Go!
Exciting! I’ll stay tuned!
Intriguing, Dave. If you haven’t already passed this along to the Skidmore alumni network, we’ll be glad to do so. Good luck with the new venture!
Intrigued to hear more. How do we touch base?
Dave,
As a success and failure in startups and big companies, your opportunity profile intrigues me.
Let’s talk.
mike
give me a ring at 617-451-2280!
Dave, can I come into town and sit with you to talk more about this? DesmondPieri AT Gmail DOT com Desmond Pieri
Hey! I am VERY familiar with BzzAgent…(look me up in the system!). And….this looks like a lot of fun. Work (granted) … but work can be fun! Let me know how it’s Bzzing!
Wow. That wasn’t much detail and I’m itching for more.
It’s interesting… very interesting. And if it doesn’t require relocating to BzzAgent HQ then I would love hearing more!
I fit right in to those qualifications! I can’t wait for the details. Hope to talk to you soon….
Flickertail, the llama and Paint the horse are a pair of Barnyard Sleuths. They currently, have a successful detective business that they started from scratch in an effort to relieve an itch for helping their fellow beasts while still making a profit and filling their stomachs by raking in the hay. Some of their qualifications include: searching and finding the needle in the haystack and attending the school of hard knocks.
Their lives haven’t all been a bed of roses, though. They’ve come up smelling more like skunk cabbage than daisies a few times. One of their less than successful ventures was the time they hired worker bees to repair the roof of the barn. The bees covered the roof with hexagon tiles and glued the tiles with honey. Of course, that attracted ants, who proceeded to eat the roof.
Unfortunately, they don’t have any real life experience, since they are fictional characters but they are willing and able bodied.
What do you think?
Interesting criteria. I can see your points on education, age, and excitement about the project, but life experience — even if not directly related in the field can sometimes make or break it.
If it is marketing the condiment pen you need me for, then my pin wheels are turning, Dave. My 20+ years in software development and food service make me the perfect individual to deliver tartar sauce, catsup, and sweet relish in a single stroke with alacrity, flare and scalabilty.
This is too mysterious not to pursue and I will forsake anonymity to do so. Reach me at greenwald.jon@gmail.com and see my profile here http://www.linkedin.com/in/jongreenwald.
While at Skidmore I wrote a piece titled “THE SEVENTH AVENUE ITCH,” seems I “itch” way before my time…which has its good and bad points …if you are truly visionary in scratching new biz surface,I am intrigued. And rather than write some creative discertation, I will let you check out the profile in all the typical digital reserves……..and no, I am no longer tweeting on a daily basis for good reason…….which I believe is even relevant to this conversation. Oh yeah, and Bzzz agent, experienced it, cool…
Lisbeth
For a moment I thought I might be your guy. Then I thought about my own perceptions of the position of CEO and I ran into a problem. You see, to some degree we’ve already started this conversation. On March 5th of 2007 in the Bento Box I posted the following:
“Just yesterday Mr. LaPann addressed this very issue. As I read it, he advised that the entrepreneur take this opportunity to hand off some of the duties that drag him or her down. Someone once defined the position of CEO, in a publication that is apparently Google-proof, as “the best damned salesman in the place”. The question you should be asking is whether or not you would willingly shackle your best salesman to an endless series of administrative tasks.
The time for the wearing of many hats has passed. You sir, need to think about the nuts and bolts operations person you admire most and you need to offer that person a job as president of Bzzagent.”
Self-knowledge is a wonderful thing, and I realize that I am a “nuts and bolts operations person”, a grinder, if you will, shoring up and preserving advantages gained before focusing my full attention on the next objective.
So it comes down to this: If you want someone who fits the mold of CEO as I define it, hire Mike from the earlier comment in this thread. He sounds like a visionary salesman. Heck, I saved his blog to my list of business blog favorites. If you want someone who runs a company like you run a company you have my email address.
Hmm.
Interesting.
Interested.
Question is -
Are you?
I’m findable.
I have a vase full of extra backscratchers just in case you break yours. I’m prepared for anything.
Wow! You really covered this topic well. Are there other resources that I should check out?
Great post. Thanks for the useful information.
See, my problem is I have lots of ideas too!! but I never know how to get them off the ground. So if you get 2 candidates that fit your criteria send the one you don’t pick to me. (almost always the “one that got away” turns out to be the better deal!