My Life as an Entrepreneur And struggles as CEO Jacob Ner-David 2bVentures

My List TTR Technologies ( [1994] Ambient Technologies ( [1995] Delta Three ( [1996] Congruency ( [1999] Taskmail ( [2000] AccessME ( [2000] NomadIQ ( [2000] Back Bay Scientific ( [2000] ??????????? [2001]

The “IDEA” Doesn’t have to be the best – JUST GOOD ENOUGH BUT THEN IT IS THE BEST!

The Team Be very careful with the “founder” title – it will come back to haunt you!

The MONEY Go as long as you can without it!! But remember that everything is money: your time is money!!

The Politics This is where great ideas get buried – avoid politics at all costs. Remember that not much separates all of us. She easily could be your “boss” next time...

Top Tips Never look back, but learn from the past Need to create a black box effect Be absolutely prepared to change plan, but be absolutely dedicated to the plan of the moment The usual: 10% of a good thing is worth much more than 99% of ZERO Don’t hold grudges Nothing is secure And of course, TIMING IS EVERYTHING

A Start-Up CEO Full time – but I mean full time Dirty Delegating No room for mistakes Never Personalize the Company Growth without drowning

Full Time CEO sets the tone for working rhythm – but don’t play out of tune There is no real down time Fine line between working hard and burning out Family must support you – and you must support them You have to judge what needs to be finished NOW, and what can wait for tomorrow But PLEASE, do something other than just the company

Dirty Delegating Management 101 does not apply here Everybody gets their hands dirty – make your own coffee But CEO can’t do everything Delegation without total removal is delicate balance Constantly need to make sure that everyone has a full time job Learn people’s strengths – don’t assume anything

No room for Mistakes But it won’t be perfect – Get used to it Treat every dollar as your last Every meeting could be the most important Every day check yourself to make sure you are leading in the right direction

Never Personalize It Do not become the company Retain a separate identity But be strongly associated Company failure is not failure as CEO Always remember that you can’t do it alone – team really is just as important

Growth Without Drowning CEO needs to keep growth in check – remember the Golem and water story Big is not always better Start-up staff should always feel slightly overworked Some people do not scale, and some organizational models break apart Company should feel the same but different

GOOD LUCK!!! Jacob Ner-David