We Don't Talk About the End State
Ben Carcio
When founders start their companies, they’re usually not thinking about how the journey will end. In the military, generals always talk about the “end-state” of a mission, but as founding CEOs, that’s not really on our radar in the early days.
We see stories like Mark Zuckerberg staying the CEO of Facebook post-IPO as it becomes a multi-billion dollar giant, but that’s the exception. Most founders face a very different (and more complicated) end-state.
For instance, I recently shut down my company, Trevr, which was one kind of CEO end-state. With another startup, Promoboxx, I stepped aside and brought in a new CEO after we scaled, but our growth slowed. Then there’s the acquisition end-state, where a founding CEO might transition to a mid-level role within the acquiring organization, only to quickly leave when they realize the company is no longer theirs. No matter how it happens, “letting go” challenges everything we thought being a CEO was about.
Many of us get attached to our companies—it becomes part of our identity. That makes stepping away feel like stepping away from a piece of ourselves. But for your company to succeed long-term, it’s crucial to set it up so it can thrive without you. We often talk about CEOs needing to “fire themselves” from certain roles, but I think the biggest challenge is figuring out how to fire yourself from the whole organization. Even if, like Zuck, this never happens, you'll put yourself in a more resilient position and create a proper distance between you and your creation.
If you don’t start thinking about this early on, and your company grows, someone else—whether it’s investors or a board—might make that call for you. I’m thinking more about the end-state for founding CEOs and want to help. If you’re in a spot where you’re navigating that transition, or you’re just starting to realize your company isn’t really yours anymore as you raise capital, let’s chat. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
