With a great deal of executive experience, Sascha Frank, chief executive officer and founder of espiridon (www.espiridon.com), a provider of executive search and coaching in the communications and technology sector, presented “From the Living Room to a Small and Medium Sized Business” at WebhostingDay 2009.
Frank describes the metamorphosis of many companies beginning in bachelor apartments and dorm rooms, “In the beginning, we were having fun… new employees came on board and all of a sudden the living room was a real company.”
Oftentimes, the entrepreneurs that start these successful companies don’t always see eye-to-eye with new employees. They ask themselves, according to Frank, “How can my company still by as cool or as successful as it can be?”
While entrepreneurs in this position have been able to create a company from the ground floor – an experience surreal enough – they then need to shift gear and be more realistic and hire new employees, who have different skills, attitudes and work ethics.
At this stage of growth, basically to drive growth, one must maintain a clear vision, be self-critical, and be honest.
Frank shared an anecdote about a technology company that went from zero marketing employees to 10 in the course of only a year. The marketing team quickly became unmanageable, so they needed to find someone to provide direction. They found someone 50 years older than the founders of the company.
“It’s not just about energy and enthusiasm, it’s also about experience and organization.
Frank also suggests that executive coaching can help ease the transition from the boss of the living room to the boss at the office without “forgetting the fun.” Coaching, he said, helps promote self-reflection, articulate ideas, desires and aspirations, and clarify one’s purpose and goals. “It’s not a sign of weakness, but a sign of power.
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