I bootstrapped a $10 million company and need serious help

189 点作者 benjaminlotan将近 12 年前

Two years ago I started Social Print Studio as a little design company. We have been able to make a name for ourselves in the world of photo printing. We have many repeat customers, some large corporate clients, and growing six-figure monthly revenues. Things are going well and we have a strategy to compete directly with major players the field and really take the company to the next level. Problem is that we turn down massive opportunities everyday and executing our strategy has been a huge problem due to our lack of technical and managerial skills.We are just a group of friends who got in over our heads. We have no network and are having trouble scaling. We are looking for a CTO or solid lead web engineer, someone with solid marketing experience, and maybe even a new CEO. We want to grow this thing huge, are ready to make bold moves, and we want to have the right experience on the team so we can do things right. Craigslist recruiting is not cutting it.This is our cry for help. If you want to come work with us to build and grow the company 10-100x in the next couple years... Whether you are an engineer, designer, marketeer, or know someone who is... please get in touch. Now is the time, we have some amazing opportunities and really want to push amazing work.please get in touch directly: Ben@socialprintstudio.com @benjaminlotan on twitterps. we are in San Francisco.

34 条评论

paulsutter将近 12 年前

Be careful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. You're probably doing a better job than you realize.Try working with an executive coach - I work with Bryan Franklin. It's easier for you to develop leadership and management skills than it is for an outsider to really grok your business and share your vision.Regarding the marketing role, be sure to get the right kind of marketer: <a href="https://medium.com/on-startups/1308a8f17137" rel="nofollow">https://medium.com/on-startups/1308a8f17137</a>Most of all: go slow on executive hires. There are a lot of "good talkers" out there. An empty seat is better than the wrong person.

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rdouble将近 12 年前

Each of the three startups I worked for as one of the first 10 employees were ruined when the 'seasoned pros' were brought in. Don't hire any C level or VP people. There is a class of losers in the Bay Area who bounce around between VP of Engineering/Ops/Product jobs at post-funded startups and sink the ship while using their inflated salaries to redo their deck in Los Gatos. Hire additional engineers / marketers / finance / designers as needed and promote from within (as needed).

beachstartup将近 12 年前

i'm running a $2 million and growing company, and i can say that if you're doing $10 million dollars in 2 years (TWO YEARS) and think you have a "lack of technical and managerial skills" you are being intellectually dishonest with yourself, and possibly being disingenuous to your audience here.from what we've seen and what we've heard, basically starting at $1 million/year in revenues, you will hit a serious new set of problems (some call these inflection points) at every doubling thereafter (i.e., 2M, 4M, 8M, 16M)obviously there are exceptions (some businesses are simply born to be able to handle massive amounts of revenue in a flat manner) but basically, every time a business doubles, the problems change. this doesn't mean you're incompetent, or that you lack skills.

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joshpadnick将近 12 年前

Hi Ben,First, I can completely appreciate your mentality. When the software company I founded was at about $650,000 in annual revenue, I was convinced that it was time to bring in a seasoned leader who knew how to take the business to the next level because I, as a first-time entrepreneur, had certainly not done it before.In retrospect, that mentality was a mistake. The truth is that you understand the business better than anyone else and there is no magical skill or talent that someone else can bring to the table that will so fundamentally improve things.Do not make the mistake of thinking that if you transfer responsibility to "better" executive that they can do a better job. That person will bring their own strengths/weaknesses to the table. They will need to rely on a team to make up for their handicaps just as you are looking to do.In this situation, I recommend the following:- First, clearly identify exactly what issues are vexing you. If it seems like "everything" or "things are just overwhelming" then make a list of just the most important issues.- Then pick 1 or 2 or 3 that you can actually focus on solving. You can't do more than that at once, but imagine how much impact fixing your top 3 issues will make on the business! In fact, you should try to quantify how much money you are losing or missing out on by not resolving these issues to give yourself a sense of what you should budget to solve them- Then block out or delegate everything else, and focus 100% of your creative energies on how you can resolve these issues. Use any and all resources available to you, including friends, consultants, or even Hacker News ;-) If you don't even know where to begin on an issue, then find an expert for THAT ISSUE (which is different than finding a new CEO).- Then keep at it, keep refining your ideas, listen to your intuition, and push through until you make progress.I made the mistake of thinking other businesspeople were "better" than me or more talented than I am. The truth is you just need to know what your strengths/weaknesses are. Then lean on the team around you or new people to help you fill in the weaknesses.Hope this helps,Josh

jacquesm将近 12 年前

Beware of the sharks, a call out like this will bring them on like blood in the water. Best of luck, the golden rule for me has always been that anybody that approaches you is not to be trusted by default.

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callmeed将近 12 年前

Hey Ben,I'm going to write you a longer email tonight. My wife and I run Cheergram (<a href="http://cheergram.com" rel="nofollow">http://cheergram.com</a>) and we've always admired what you've done at SPS. We had pretty good success with Instagram cards last holiday season and now we're looking into other kinds of cards, invitations, artwork and prints. We're also doing some wedding-focused stuff (think hashtag + prints/books).Maybe there's a way we can share ideas, work together, or even join forces. I do all our development and it sounds like we have a similar tech stack. I also have some connections in the print industry.No matter what, keep it up and I agree with most of the commenters here.

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bradfordarner将近 12 年前

Wow! The quantity of bad advice in these comments is shocking, if not down right disturbing.If Intel, GE, or Mircosoft hired a consultant to advise them on the right move, the vast majority of people on HN would scream bloody-murder and speak about it as a perfect example of big-business and its stupidity. What hypocrisy!Ben, the reality is that you clearly have moved past Steve Blank's description of a start-up; you have found a working business model. Now, the challenge is to find out if that business model is something that can last for 5 years or 50. No one on this board has run a successful company for 50 years. Thus, everyone, definitely including myself, is well out of their league.However, since entering the old school world of finance, I have realized that there are many men and women who are twice our age who would be able to give you great advice. You need adult supervision and that is OK. You don't know how to hire an executive (i.e. adult supervision). Thus, you should first find someone who can help you find adult supervision. A great place to start is in the 'boring' industries: finance and manufacturing. Find a wise advisor who can help you find an executive to lead.You are no longer a start-up. Running a post-start-up company like a start-up will kill it as quickly as running a start-up like a Fortune 500.

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whiddershins将近 12 年前

If you are doing 6 figure monthly revenues, one thing worth considering might be to read some mr money mustache and really contemplate what you want for your life ... You aren't required to grow 10 or 100x ... You also have the option of pocketing profits, living frugally, and retiring young. That's one of the big advantages of bootstrapping.

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yumraj将近 12 年前

Agree with everything that is being said here regarding the executive seats, don't give those out and keep control.In addition to some executive coaches, who will help you grow personally, it seems you need some good advisors who can help you with the problems that you're facing. Some of these could have experience with technical issues you're facing, while others could have managerial and supply chain experience. It wasn't clear from your website if you have any advisory board or not.NOTE: there is a very big difference between board of directors and advisory board, what you need at the moment is advisory board, don't give out board of director seats unnecessarily unless you raise a VC round of funding or go IPO :).By getting a good set of advisors you will be able to fill the immediate gap in your skills/experience that you're facing and may even decide if any of those (or their referrals) need to be hired, if at all, for executive positions.Now how you find advisors is non-trivial so I will advise you to look for people with experience in your industry and domain, and contact them. Even if their companies seem to be mildly competing at times, you'll be surprised how many people will meet with you over coffee and might have recommendations. If you decide to have a person come on as an advisor, don't give them any compensation till they start providing value. If someone comes on very strongly and will only help if compensated, then perhaps that is not the right person.Good Luck!!!

blantonl将近 12 年前

Ben, first, you are NOT in over your head, you are simply questioning whether or not to grow your company to some preceived "next level" by looking for funding to take on major players in your field.Why not continue to innovate your successful bootstrapped business?The most important thing for you to consider is whether or not you actually want to compete with the major players in the field. It sounds like you are doing well managing your boutique operation, and frankly, based on what you've provided it sounds like you are killing it. Boutique operations often destroy their larger competitors, and are far more nimble to have the next best thing that becomes popular and doesn't require "funding" to generate revenue.Yes, you could hire a new CEO to help track down funding and manage all the acquisition inquiries that you've received. But, if you have a successful bootstrapped business that is generating profits, why would you want to deviate from your current course?

redsymbol将近 12 年前

Ben, just want to say - congratulations! This is a FANTASTIC problem to have :-) Great job to you and your team getting this far... I think you realize how special and rare it is. Great job!

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microcolonel将近 12 年前

I'm having a hard time understanding what exactly it is that you do, from your confusing web site introduction.Concerning your scaling pains, lots of people probably already do some form of what you're trying to do; you may do better to assimilate/enfranchise them rather than competing.

chiph将近 12 年前

Book suggestion: "Four Steps to the Epiphany"Basic takeaway is not to add structure until it's painfully obvious that you need it. If you hire a VP or CxO from a large firm, he's going to staff you up like a large firm, and you can't afford that yet.

joshu将近 12 年前

You know more about your business than anyone else. Nobody is in a good position to do things better than you, given the things you have learned. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gotten as far as you have.Perhaps you need some mentors, or just folks you are comfortable talking to -- perhaps other founders?As an angel investor I have found that the one of the things I am called on the most to do is just let people talk stuff out. I don't feel like it is very useful but people really like it.

faramarz将近 12 年前

Are you saying you guys are making $10m a year printing Instagram pictures? That is incredible. This company must not have existed a few years ago..pat yourself on the back and get yourself some local angels on board. they get to wet their beacon and you reap the rewards of a business coach.

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superamit将近 12 年前

This is a brave post, Ben!Gotta agree with most of the comments here -- I think it's incredibly hard to find someone who's "been there before" who can walk in and actually do it for you in a CEO role. I've spent some time looking + asking others in similar situations.That said, and though I strongly prefer moving people up from the inside, I think there IS opportunity for finding people who can bring specific areas of expertise, like fundraising+connections, building a sales team, leading a tech team.And I think there's a lot to be gained in finding a strong mentor or group of entrepreneurs in similar situations to act as a sounding board. I can't help with the former, but perhaps the latter. Let's hang again, soon.

livestyle将近 12 年前

I'm not sure if this will help or not but I would head over to <a href="http://clarity.fm" rel="nofollow">http://clarity.fm</a> and find someone to chat with.Your bound to get some great advice and gain some valuable insight.

zavulon将近 12 年前

I recommend looking into joining Entrepreneur's Organization. It's an organization of business owners who own businesses with revenue > $1 mil/year (there's also an "accelerator" with owners whose revenue is > $250K/year). They will provide invaluable coaching, insight and network that will help you take your company to next level.There's a chapter in SF: <a href="http://eoaccess.eonetwork.org/SanFrancisco/Pages/default.aspx" rel="nofollow">http://eoaccess.eonetwork.org/SanFrancisco/Pages/default.asp...</a>

chadkruse将近 12 年前

Great advice in this thread. If I can leave anything, it's to be very careful not to fall into the I-need-a-COO hole. If you start thinking you need a COO (I really f'n hate that title btw), take Brad Feld's advice and make sure you can define the role as Head of _______. If you can't define that something, you definitely just need a CEO coach and a few smart soundboards to hang around with.Good luck!PS - The sharks will all want to be CEO and talk about comp before they've tried out your service...they're easy to flush out.

jedharris将近 12 年前

Surprised some commenters have trouble figuring out what you do... You folks have fun doing it! But hiring will always be hard because finding people who fit and who also sustain your high level is hard...No useful advice... except, stay extremely clear on who you are, don't compromise even a little on that. "An empty seat is better" is a corollary.

jennyjenjen将近 12 年前

I just wanted to say that I remember seeing you at probably more than one event. I think you guys are doing a fantastic job and I think your cry for help is necessary - but only because you know what you need and you're likely not doing as badly as you might think.I know you guys can do it. I've seen what you do and I'm impressed. Keep truckin'!

stevewillows将近 12 年前

It almost sounds like you're looking for a parental figure more than anything. If you're at the stage you're at, I would suggest building up existing talent and establishing authority and a process for that authority. Better to do that now while things are young before you hire in some flashy top talent guy with perfect teeth.

johnny22将近 12 年前

you should mention your current technology stack for the web dev.

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aa0将近 12 年前

Are you guys open to remote work?

aioprisan将近 12 年前

are you guys open to remote work?

FajitaNachos将近 12 年前

Your hiring page is awesome.I can't comment on how you should proceed going forward, but to echo the other comments, you've obviously been doing something right. Hopefully this post will put you in touch with the right people.

sbuccini将近 12 年前

I was thinking about you guys just the other day as I walked past your old place on Atherton. Been meaning to catch up; you want to grab lunch sometime soon?

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clientbiller将近 12 年前

I've built two printing companies (sold the first one). Feel free to contact me if you have any questions on scale or anything else. cm@printsmart.co

trevelyan将近 12 年前

Can't help you guys out, but congratulations!

dossy将近 12 年前

Wish you guys were in New Jersey ... ;)

dano414将近 12 年前

I have no idea what you do by looking at your website on an ipad.

colinm将近 12 年前

Not every company is a billion dollar company. Is yours?

richardjordan将近 12 年前

The community here is overly negative on VCs (often with some justification) but this is exactly the kind of reason they exist - fast growth, real revenues, money can help get you to the next step.

wilfra将近 12 年前

If I were in your position, I would apply to YC.

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