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Startup CEO  By  cover art

Startup CEO

By: Matt Blumberg
Narrated by: William Michael Redman
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Publisher's summary

A definitive book for any CEO - first time or otherwise - of a high-growth company.

While big company CEOs are usually groomed for the job for years, startup CEOs aren't - and they're often young and relatively inexperienced in business in general.

Author Matt Blumberg, a technology and marketing entrepreneur, knows this all too well. Back in 1999, he started a company called Return Path, which later became the driving force behind the creation of his blog, OnlyOnce - because "you're only a first time CEO once."

Now, more than a decade later, he's written Startup CEO. As the fifth in the StartUp Revolution series, this reliable resource is based on Blumberg's experience as a startup CEO and covers a number of issues he's faced over the dozen years he's been a CEO.

Engaging and informative, this book is essential reading for any, and every, CEO.

©2013 Matt Blumberg (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Startup CEO

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good, but Too long and a bit corporate-ish

This book does offer decent value, covering most major issues and providing valuable insights.
It is, however, too long to my liking (a bit too much to take in). Some might say that the job (startup CEO) has so many aspects to warrant such a long book. Still, I feel something is lost by covering each thought that comes to mind.

Another issue is how un-lean this book is. A bit corporate-ish. Every executive in the book has an executive assistant and an executive coach. 360 reviews and off sites meetings are done every other week, and everyone in the company seems to be finding the time to constantly evaluate themselves, set goals and rigorous development plans and follow through of course. This might be due to the age of the author, or the fact that he started his company over 15 years ago. Some younger startup CEO should definitely pick up the gauntlet and write a 'lean startup' version to this book.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Five stars for the right audience

What made the experience of listening to Startup CEO the most enjoyable?

The information was spot on. Very valuable and thorough. For someone like me who is looking for angel money to become the CEO of a startup, it was just what I needed. The only caveat is that I'm highly educated and have a lot of experience in the nuts and bolts of business and accounting (Master's Degree in Accounting, Certified Management Accountant). So someone who has a dream and an idea but no business (and especially accounting) experience might do well to shore up other weaknesses first before hitting this one. I say that simply because I'm thinking of entrepreneur CEOs that I work with who lack the fundamental skills of running a business, in which case this book is like getting a bigger engine for your car while ignoring that the car doesn't have tires.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

There really needs to be a PDF for this book

There are several exercises the author asks you to complete with no accompanying PDF. The book does have some helpful insights that would help any business get started but it does tend to focus on tech experiences- which is within the author's expertise.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great Insight - Narrator almost unbearable

I must admit that I thought of just purchasing a hard copy of the book to avoid the narration. It was difficult to listen to, and at times felt like the narrator was trying too hard. However, I do feel this book provided great insight for all leaders of startups, but was directed more toward those in the world of technology.

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2 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Only for Internet, Very Limiting

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Only, Only, ONLY, for internet start-ups, nothing else

What could Matt Blumberg have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Im not an internet startup, so this is not applicable. He should have renamed the book, and made it clear, it's only for internet start-ups....

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

greatly disappointed,

Any additional comments?

This is a book for less then 1% of 1%, of 1%. it's a total waste of my money, and time.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Looking forward to applying everything in here.

there is a lot of meaty content in here. incredibly valuable and I will be reading again soon.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Tech oriented, and it should say so in the title

Almost gave up on this one because I couldn't relate to the examples to my personal, non-tech B2B business. But, wanting to finish what I started, I powered through, and actually heard some nuggets that I'd like to incorporate into my company.
If they are thinking of an updated or revised edition in the future, I would ask the authors to look outside of their industry for additional examples, or somehow let potential purchasers know that this book is geared to the tech industry.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good book. Well rounded.

Many start-up books seem to focus on specific aspects - such as lean processes, funding, planning. I thought the two best aspects of this book was (1) it covers a wide variety common CEO start-up issues, and (2) it gave a nod to multiple good books on each particular topic - so the learner could delve more deeply into and particular topic that was covered in the book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good Advice...If you're a tech founder

Some actionable chapters in here. It's a high level view of every stage of business, so many irrelevant for my situation, but has good stuff. All tech industry, hyper growth concepts and stories

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This will be a reference book when you get there

The author shared his really valuable experience building and maturing his organization. The book touches on all the topics that one may face in the course of being a startup CEO.

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1 person found this helpful