
My Job As A Pre-Launch Startup CEO Was To Buy Sandwiches - bjonathan
http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/30/pre-launch-startup-ceo/
======
igorgue
Co-founder (technical) of a 3 person pre-launch startup here.

Before I didn't believe in non-technical co-founders, but they're really
useful. They're not just "idea guys" they're non-technical co-founders, and I
like to call them hustlers, a person who does everything they can to make it
happen.

I like them (my two co-founders) to do most of the market research, legal
stuff, blog, buzz, and do some usability testing. One of my co-founders' dad
owns an office, so it's better to work from there, the other one knows some
design so he's hugely helpful in the technical side too. I sometimes even code
with them and they give me ideas, since I like to teach they're learning some
programming too!

Someday they're going to learn programming so I can avoid the shit I get all
day at day job: "Hey, so it's just migrating the file - he means database with
data from an external API - right? It's only a 2 minute job..." (a guy who has
never coded professionally in his entire life).

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swombat
There's a million things a pre-launch startup CEO can do before launch... I've
listed some of them on my blog: <http://swombat.com/2011/5/30/what-before-
launch>

(note: the blog post is not on the index yet - it will auto-post in about 50
minutes)

~~~
andrewcross
blog post on hacker news here: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2599755>

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Luyt
Heh, I used to do everything at our startup, from painting the walls to
cleaning the toilet (and vacuuming our office and making sure the elevator
wasn't in a ghastly state).

Now that we run for 3 years, I don't have to do these jobs anymore. But from
time to time the need arises, due to unforeseen circumstances or something
like that, and I don't find arranging lunch (or supplying the toilets with
toilet paper) a menial job. It all adds up to the end result, which is what we
all strive for: a good experience for our clients and visitors.

But usually I work on our in-house CRM app, and a few dozens of Python glue
scripts to make the database flow happen.

~~~
Luyt
I'd like to add to that our CEO presents himself as 'the janitor'. This is to
avoid people trying to cling to him and asking all kinds of things he can't
fulfill anyway. He dresses very casually, so you couldn't tell him apart of a
true janitor. And anyway, he wouldn't be afraid to do real janitor jobs (just
like I ain't afraid of doing 'em). In the end, our CEO tries to make himself
as invisible and unnecessary as possible. I think this is a good strategy,
since it leaves him with more time to spend with his family and young kids ;-)

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samtp
$20K in legal fees to get incorporated?!

~~~
smanek
He was saying the law firm was willing to defer _up to_ $20K in fees until he
raised a round.

That might include drafting/reviewing things like articles of incorporation,
corporate bylaws, vesting agreements, NDAs, IP assignment, contractor and
employee paperwork, etc. It's depressingly easy to run up $20K in legal fees
at $500/hr.

~~~
samtp
Yeah, I hope thats what he meant or else we definitely short-changed our law
firm!

~~~
rdl
The actual corp setup should cost $1-3k assuming you use fairly standard docs
to start. There are some overpriced firms which want $5k.

This is independent of deferral, although generally the more overpriced firms
are more willing to defer.

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replicatorblog
Spencer Fry from CarbonMade.com has provided a good list in the past:

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=779378>

<http://spencerfry.com/whats-a-non-programmer-to-do>

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MediaSquirrel
Seth hit the nail on the head with this one. I didn't buy sandwiches, I cooked
chicken from the mexican meat market.

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ryanlchan
My outlook on this comes from a quote attributed to Steve Jobs: "When you're
the janitor, the reasons matter. But somewhere between the janitor and the
CEO, the reasons stop mattering."

Your job as the CEO is to make sure work gets done, regardless of what
happens. Doesn't matter if you're a $1B company or a 3 person startup. Get.
It. Done.

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cheez
I would have thought that the job for a pre-launch startup CEO was to find
customers.

~~~
rhizome
Yep, me too. "Eyeball Collector."

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iphoneedbot
I really liked the sentiments portrayed by the CEO in this article. ~Came off
a little humble, genuine and candid. (this CEO probably does well in the
Waiter Rule/Test)

 _""..I began to wonder, “Should I even be here?” Frankly, it didn’t feel very
good to sit there and watch Elaine and Sandy working away while I did
comparatively little. I could just as well have been playing Frisbee..."_

A lot of people feel this way. Especially, in the begining where the cadence
and rhythm is inconsistent and unpredicatble. (for techie cofounders, business
cofounders, and support staff) __very hard to coach someone and tell them that
we need you.

Its very telling when this moment comes in the minds of the cofounders and/or
staff; the way they deal with this is a good indicator how they'll deal with
tougher and bigger things in the future. This moment of "Should I even be
here?" is definitely one of the tough milestones that each individual must
personally overcome. BTW, something they dont teach in an MBA program.

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fredBuddemeyer
sorry but what makes this person any more fit to lead after launch - as if the
product itself becomes less important?

~~~
invalidOrTaken
That _greatly_ depends on your conception of the word "lead."
[http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/DevelopmentAbstractio...](http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/DevelopmentAbstraction.html)

~~~
fredBuddemeyer
joel isn't describing managers here but enablers. programmers are dolly parton
in his analogy (which is damn weird) and "managers" are basically roadies and
the like. again i'm simply asking how there is any point in time when (to
return to dollywood) someone performing the mic check is optimal for leading
the band.

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DrewHintz
"My Job As A Pre-Lunch Startup CEO Was To Buy Sandwiches"

FTFY

