Proper CEO experience is necessary, even in a young startup. A candidate than can prove they know how to manage a business in this situation can be a valuable addition to a company trying to find its way.
What that means may be different for startups than companies of other sizes, as a piece in Forbes by Victor Hwang recently alluded to. In this article, Hwang says that social media startups have been taking much of the spotlight in the venture capital world, and unfairly marginalizing other new companies just because they aren't currently part of what is perceived to be the cutting edge.
In particular, Hwang focuses on companies that deal in "tangible goods," which he thinks may stand to make something of a comeback.
"When the entire startup world is jumping on the social media bandwagon, it takes courage, persistence, and stamina to build an uncool startup that forges its own path," he writes.
This is why a CEO with the right experience is needed at this level. If your business doesn't acknowledge its need for specified industry knowledge, it might end up lagging.
There are many different kinds of experience that could be relevant. In an article from 2011 for OnStartups.com, Dharmesh Shah wrote about the different kinds of experience that are important to a CEO.
In Shah's view, the CEO not only has experiences but shapes them, including the product, brand, purchasing and support processes. This means making sure everyone who interacts with the company gets satisfactory results.
An executive search firm can help a startup find the right CEO to help navigate all of the different aspects of a successful company.
Finding people is easy, but finding the RIGHT people is not. YES Partners helps companies FIND the right people – for all company functions, across many industries and globally.
