The global startup economy has seen a boom in the last few decades. Several Indian startups like Paytm, Zomato, Nykaa, Cred, Delhivery have received funding from a large pool of investors. But, do you ever wonder who are the main people that take a company to such heights? Well, you can call those people CEOs. What do they do? Aren’t you curious to know what exactly a startup CEO does daily? This blog helps you answer these questions. We discuss what a typical day in the life of a startup CEO looks like. If you have an entrepreneur mindset and dream of building your startup one day, this blog can be helpful.
What a Day as a Startup CEO Looks Like:
1. Planning
The day of a startup CEO usually starts with planning things for the day. As soon as they wake up in the morning, they list down all the important things that they need to finish that day. Startup CEOs are often running short of time because they have so much to do and so many people to meet. Planning is essential for time management and it helps them stay organized.
“An hour of planning can save you 10 hours of doing”- Dale Carnegie
2. Checking in With the Team
It is important for a startup CEO to always keep themselves updated about the progress of the company. They are always on their toes. Most of them are able to do this because they have an amazing team that has their back. One of the most essential qualities that the best CEOs focus on is leadership. They emphasize a lot on managing teams and communicating with them effectively. So, after planning their day, most startup CEOs check in with their team, get updates, motivate their team, brainstorm ideas with their team, and delegate tasks.
3. Interacting With Users
Many startup CEOs set aside a few hours in their day to personally communicate with their clients or the users to get first-hand feedback on their product. That is the true spirit of entrepreneurship, listening to grievances of people, solving their queries and receiving valuable inputs.
Recommended Read: Entrepreneurship – The Path Worth Paving
4. Focusing on Improving the Product
Once startup CEOs communicate with the team and users, they spend time on analysing the suggestions and focus on how they can implement those to enhance the quality of their product.
5. Communicating With Investors
A startup CEO is answerable to the people who have invested money in the startup. So, they also spend a few hours a day updating the investors and the other stakeholders about the progress and resolving their queries. It also helps in improving investor relations.
6. Personal Branding
Along with focusing on the company’s image, startup CEOs may also spend time on personal branding on professional social media platforms like LinkedIn.
7. Spending Time With Family
Lastly, after completing their tasks for the day, many startup CEOs love to spend quality time with their family and do their hobbies to rejuvenate their minds and bodies.
Things That a Startup CEO Does to Avoid Procrastination
Startup CEOs cannot afford procrastination and delaying their work as they have an entire company at stake. Here are a few tips that come in handy for startup CEOs to avoid procrastination throughout the day.
1. Cutting Distractions
CEOs hardly leave room for distractions in their daily routine which is why they believe in planning their entire day beforehand. It helps them finish tasks timely.
2. Waking Up Early
If you read interviews of startup CEOs about how their day goes, you will find one common answer in most of them. It is that they get up early in the morning at around 5:30 or 6 in the day. This allows them to finish their workout, meditate or do other important things in the morning. It keeps them energized throughout the day.
3. Focus on Priorities
Dividing their tasks throughout the day as per priorities helps them know what is to be done urgently. They avoid focusing on other less important things which is beneficial in managing procrastination.
Healthy Habits of Startup CEOs: A Study by Harvard Business Review
Startups usually have a lean team. This is why startup CEOs are often overburdened with responsibilities as they have to single-handedly facilitate tasks like managing cash flows, managing the product, communication with the team, hiring people, ensuring smooth functioning across different teams, and a lot more things. It is possible for them to burn out because of late working hours and the extra pressure. Therefore, the Harvard Business Review suggests the following five healthy habits that most startup CEOs follow
1. Face-to-Face Communication
CEOs receive and get tagged in hundreds of emails each day. It is practically impossible for them to reply to those emails and not to forget how time-consuming it is. Therefore, startup CEOs prefer face-to-face communication with people to save time and avoid miscommunication.
2. Clear Agenda
Time is of immense value for startup CEOs which is why the majority of them have a habit of deciding on a clear agenda for one-on-one or team meetings.
3. Brief Meetings
Startup CEOs with excellent leadership skills do not believe in micromanaging their team members. Therefore, they keep brief meetings that allow them to stay updated with the overall progress. They believe in avoiding lengthy meetings to save time and improve work efficiency.
4. Delegation
Another healthy habit to avoid overburdening is to delegate work. It is impossible for startup CEOs to look after and manage every single thing by themselves. Tasks that can be done efficiently without their supervision or interference are delegated.
5. Work-Life Balance
This is one of the most crucial habits that even the best degrees to complete for budding entrepreneurs wouldn’t be able to teach. Startup CEOs learn to create a work-life balance from experience. In the early days of the startup, the CEOs even need to put in continuous 10-12 hours a day. However, as the startup grows, the CEOs manage to find a work-life balance by not mixing their personal time with business hours. A lot of them also believe that you do not have to be constantly grinding and hustling in life.
Recommended Read: Best Degrees to Complete for Budding Entrepreneurs
Conclusion
A lot of startup CEOs like to plan things that require communication and brain exercise for the first half of their day. One thing that you will find a lot common in startup CEOs is that the majority of them have a daily routine which is crucial for discipline and helps keep distractions at bay. If you too want to build a startup, you require a degree in business management. However, if you are confused whether this career is right for you, Mindler can be of help.
We offer career counseling online to college and school students and help them decide the right career path for themselves after a thorough analysis of their skills and interests.
Still confused about a career in a startup? Then consider Mindler’s Virtual Internship Program to learn how to run and manage a start-up like a pro!
