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The Right CEO? - by Sanjay Anandaram

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Extract from the Indipreneur column (No. 4) by Sanjay Anandaram in the Financial Express:
Most entrepreneurs (especially wannabees) believe that they should naturally be the CEO of their venture because “hey, its my idea and my company!” Really? are you indeed the right CEO to steer your entrepreneurial dreams to success?

...You have to decide, and early on at that, who ought to be the CEO. Usually, good friends get together and do a startup. The chemistry is great, there is shared vision and commitment and there is no real decision making process or hierarchy. This works well initially but there needs to be someone who is more equal than the others. This is not as easy as it sounds as equity holdings in the company are a direct function of responsibility. So, another set of questions to ask yourself and of the (potential) team members: Are you willing to be replaced by more professional management if need be to help the business grow? Will you move aside if proven to be less than able? Are you open to hiring your own replacements? After all, your commitment must be to creating a successful business and you should be willing to do the right thing for the business. What is good for you need not be good for the company while what’s good for the company will always be good for you!

Click Here to read the full article.

Arun Natarajan is the Founder of Venture Intelligence India, which tracks venture capital activity in India and Indian-founded companies worldwide. View sample issues of Venture Intelligence India newsletters and reports.

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