In a recent blog post by Ryan Monk and Gianna Santaniello of Primary Venture Partners, they highlight the best reasons for hiring (incl. where to find them, and when and how to hire) a Chief of Staff in early-stage startups. This piece resonated deeply with me, as I felt like it was written specifically about me, perfectly describing my own professional journey – 2x Chief of Staff, former VC, specializing in operations, strategy, marketing, community, and fundraising – a professional who excels in a wide range of tasks, adding immense value across various functions.

The article is a great and quick read, but I’ve condensed it here for you in a tldr version as I know you’re all busy people.

1. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟:

Chiefs of Staff are crucial in startups, acting as the founder’s right hand and managing everything from internal KPIs to investor relations.

2. 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐓𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐒:

a. Operational Generalists: The Swiss Army knives who tackle diverse tasks, from setting up HR policies to organizing team offsite.

b. Functional Specialists: Experts in a specific area like product development, finance, or marketing, who also manage broader operations.

c. Versatilists: Similar to generalists who are capable in many areas, but also possess deep knowledge in one or more specific domains. (I added this one. For more info on versatilists, check out my Linked post.

Regardless of their type, a CoS spends over 75% of their time working closely with the CEO, building a relationship founded on trust.

3. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐞:

Timing is everything. Hire too early, and the CoS may have little to do; hire too late, and the founder could be too overwhelmed to make the most of the role. Typically, the best time to hire is around the Seed or Series A stage when the founder’s workload starts to hinder key activities like fundraising and product development.

4. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐒:

– Delegatable tasks are piling up.

– Struggling to focus on core responsibilities.

– Increasing administrative complexity requires dedicated attention.

5. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐭:

Look within your network and relevant communities. Strong candidates often transition from consulting or investment banking into startups. Primary’s Chief of Staff Mastermind Network, along with VC and startup communities, are excellent resources.

6. 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞:

– 2-3 years in top-tier consulting, investment banking, or private equity.

– Startup experience for a year or more.

– Proactive, self-starter with intellectual curiosity and strong executive presence.

7. 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐬:

– Comfort with ambiguity and a “get things done” attitude.

– Ability to build from scratch and research solutions to new problems.

– Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

8. 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐒:

Once hired, grant them trust and autonomy. Clearly define their responsibilities to maximize their impact, such as:

– Creating decks and financial models.

– Managing hiring processes.

– Setting up company-wide productivity tools.

– Handling contracts and agreements.

A successful CoS will ensure operations run smoothly, allowing the founder to focus on high-impact activities. Typically, they transition into a specialized role within 12 to 24 months, further contributing to the company’s growth.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧:

The right Chief of Staff is transformative, enabling founders to focus on what they do best. They are capable of handling diverse challenges and driving results across various functions and acting as a force multiplier for their principal. So if you’re looking for someone like this in your startup, let’s connect!

#Versatilist #ChiefOfStaff #StartupSuccess #Fundraising #Growth #Leadership #VC #PE #HealthcareTech #AI #LLM #ProfessionalDevelopment #LinkedIn

This post by Gregory Shove and Taylor Malmsheimer highlights the 10 ways to get your CEO to listen during a presentation to them. Their blog is located at https://lnkd.in/d27h2mm5 and is well worth subscribing to.

It’s a great read but if you’re strapped for time, here’s the tl;dr:

CEOs are impatient, strapped for time, and focused on finding leverage for the business.

So if you want to present well to a CEO, follow these 10 tips:

𝟏) 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠

Get to the point quickly and in plain words.

𝟐) 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

It’s not a TED talk. Use them to get feedback, not as a rapt audience.

𝟑) 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝟐 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 – 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 – 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭

If you skip right to the point without context, they’ll be lost. So you need to anchor them.

𝟒) 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝟐 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦/𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫

Why are you here today? What decision is being made? What are you asking for?

𝟓) 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞

And make sure they agree that the problem is worth solving.

𝟔) 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝

Ask if the CEO read it beforehand, and don’t be offended if they didn’t.

𝟕) 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐭

CEOs respect people who give the truth and can cut sharply to how something is doing.

𝟖) 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

How does what you present matter to the business (is it driving up renewal, referrals, user growth, etc.)?

𝟗) 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭 (𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦)

Insert questions along the way to spur good conversation, such as “Is this a problem worth working on?” or “Are these the right metrics for us to prioritize?”

𝟏𝟎) 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐛𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

If they do, two pieces of advice: say “we’ll cover that in a moment” if you are going to cover it in a few slides and don’t overreact or get defensive.

Think of presenting well to the CEO as an opportunity to show that you understand the metrics that matter and to position yourself as a thought partner to the CEO.

For the full post: https://lnkd.in/dDRHp5Re

Also posted on LinkedIn

As blockchain technology grows in popularity and usage, e-commerce businesses are realizing just how revolutionary the technology is, and how it can solve many of the problems the industry is currently facing.

1. Growth

Decentralized transactions allow merchants to expand their reach across borders and simultaneously grow their businesses to levels that were previously constrained by central authorities. Blockchain technology also allows third-world countries to trade online more easily, as consumers and merchants no longer need a payment intermediary thanks to peer-to-peer technology enabled by the blockchain. This will result in massive growth for existing online stores (and new ones coming in), thanks to their increased reach. 

2. Security 

The pure decentralized nature of the blockchain is also such that it is impossible to alter the data, thus removing the possibility of any fraudulent transactions. Additionally, due to self-executed smart contracts, business partnerships will strengthen and efficiency will increase. Thus, it will create a “trustless” environment where users will not need not know or trust each other to enter into an agreement since any manipulation of the data will be rejected by other members in the network. 

3. Counterfeit Products

E-commerce companies are facing a huge problem of counterfeit and substandard products due to difficulty in regulation and selection of vendors, which leads to increased returns and customer dissatisfaction. Blockchain technology solves this problem by enabling the verification of all information and claims associated with a product, allowing consumers to quickly and easily be able to check the purity, quality, or origin of a product, and thereby building more trust and loyalty.


4. Supply Chain Management

For certain products, ethical sourcing and/or sustainability is the key to its ethos and potentially success in the marketplace. But until now, that was always one of the most difficult things to get insight on. However, blockchain technology allows both customers and organizations the insight and ability to track complex variables related to both sustainability and ethical sourcing. This helps procurement organizations in all industries lower their costs and improve performance while driving greater value for their companies.


5. Payment

Paying vendors is not always as easy or straightforward as it may seem. But now with the blockchain, the entire payment process has been simplified and been made more efficient as the payment intermediary or central authorizing body has been eliminated. As a result, transactions can take place in real-time and also lowers operational costs. 

6. Exchange Rates

With cryptocurrency, we now truly have universal currencies – which allows consumers and businesses to transact all over the globe without needing to worry about exchange rates. 

7. Digital Identity 

Passwords and authentication requests have proven to be limited in their effectiveness in protecting data, and stealing a user’s credit card information has become easier for thieves. Blockchain technology helps to prevent this from happening with a digital identity that is safer and easier for users to manage with digital identities that are based on a uniquely random set of numbers assigned to each user on the blockchain network. 

8. Customer Experience

In addition to all the issues listed above, there are also problems in the customer experience. For instance, customer loyalty programs are seeing low redemption rates and are badly in need of a more modern upgrade; there are too few incentives for customers to join them; and data breaches happen with regularity compromising customers’ data. However, using blockchain technology, users can receive loyalty tokens that are interoperable across many programs, and they never expire or lose value unlike traditional reward points. 

9. Proof of Ownership

Additionally, blockchain technology allows businesses and consumers to prove ownership and save product invoices and warranties. Often times consumers get frustrated when they can’t find their paper receipt to substantiate ownership and therefore, the warranty coverage for their product. (I mean let’s be honest – how many people really save all their product warranties?) But with blockchain technology and NFTs specifically, buyers and sellers will be able to conveniently save receipts and warranty data and authenticate evidence of ownership.


Conclusion

In summary, blockchain technology can and will continue to be used to improve e-commerce and solve the problems that currently face it – including providing added security, fixing the issue of counterfeit products, proof of ownership and digital identity, supply chain management, and improving the customer experience.

What is your opinion? Feel free to contribute in the comments below.


Keywords: #blockchain #blockchaintechnology #emergingtech #emergingtechpredictions #e-commerce #ecommerce #ecommercetechnology #techdisruption #supplychain

Please feel free to share/repost/retweet