“You only ever experience two emotions: euphoria and terror. And I find that lack of sleep enhances them both.”

If this quote doesn’t inspire you to launch your own startup, then I don’t know what will…

This book is an incredibly candid and honest portrayal of running startups, and in particular, taking on the incredibly challenging role as CEO.

There’s a whole section devoted to ‘the struggle’ one can expect to dace, that exposes the brutal reality of launching and managing a startup, and being the CEO of an organisation. Horowitz details the range of emotions experienced, most of which you’ll never read in generic ‘how to’ business books.

Practical advice is given on a range of topics, including:

• Hiring the right staff
• How to fire staff
• Is it ever ok to poach employees from a friends company?
• The difference between peacetime and wartime CEOs
• The right kind of ambition
• The importance of one-on-one meetings with staff

Key takeaways:

• Successful CEO often asks themselves “what am I not doing?”
• Without trust, communication breaks
• Take care of the people, the products and the profits, in that order
• Focus on where you are going, rather than on what you hope to avoid
• Feedback is a dialogue, not a monologue