Business
Welcome to another episode of Antifragile. Today, we have Micah Baldwin as our guest. Micah has 20+ years of experience as a founder and investor. Currently he is the Executive Director of Create33 which we will be talking about in this episode. Moreover, we will have valuable discussions about founders, CEOs and investors. Most founders, especially young founders, are afraid to ask questions Micah shares that the common problem of young founders is the fear of asking questions. Most founders of startups are figuring out the business on their own. Another challenge is raising the money through venture capital. Founders must find the investor that could help them grow their business. Different strategies are given by Micah and some fundamentals on how to choose an investor for the business. He points out that it’s much less about the character but more about their experience and success stories as an investor. Also, there is an awesome discussion about the challenge for founders about stress and mental health. Micah shares the idea of having a culture that drives conversation and openness. It’s important to have someone to lean on like having a coach. A time for yourself like a day off is not bad all. It’s simply taking a break just to recalibrate, recharge and be back on track. A good CEO is curious, confident and is able to look at people holistically One common assumption for investors is that the founders must be the CEO of the business. Micah clarifies that this is not the case for everybody since being a CEO is a skill set. The chosen CEO must possess the specified skill set for the business. He explains that a good CEO is curious; somebody who is curious not just about what they are doing but how it fits to the greater scheme of the world. Also a CEO is confident but not arrogant. They must have that self awareness knowing what they don’t know and delegating it to the right people. Episode Quotes "Many founders are afraid to ask question" "As an investor... I need to understand that my contribution to the community is more than just money" "Just let the process work itself out" "You have to create a culture that drives conversation and openness" "Good CEO's know what they are not good at" "They tend to think of every relationship as to what can I have versus what I can give" "Everybody has something to admire. The key is being able to see it" Listen to Learn 00:39 Getting to know Micah Baldwin 03:25 Best way to learn about "Create33" 03:42 Challenges that founders face in building startups 09:19 How investors contribute in solving these challenges? 14:09 Strategies for founders in picking/partnering investors 17:47 Founders, stress management and mental health 22:53 Creating a culture that drives conversation and openness 26:23 Underrated things that CEOs should do but don't do enough 28:51 What makes a great CEO? 31:21 Knowing how somebody is good at at something that you're not good at? 33:50 Rapid Fire Questions 38:07 Links and Announcements