Don't F**k It Up

—JIM PERAKIS, Principal Fourth Wall Ventures, former CEO, Hyperion Solutions (HYSL)

“The CEO role is a lonely position, as Peter Drucker would often say. Les’ book provides much needed perspective.”

—GEORGE KASSABGI, technology executive, board member, investor

“Les skips through all the BS and tells it the way it is. As a CEO that’s currently transitioning from founder to high growth CEO with new investors, this book was a great resource for me. Les’ insights were spot on and helpful in changing the company for the next stage of growth. I highly recommend Don’t F**k It Up to any CEO that wants to take their company to the next level.”

—BRIAN EPSTEIN, founder & CEO, Deep Blue Communications

“Les Trachtman combines insightful, practical advice with examples from actual business experiences that will resonate with many of us. This book is helpful to anyone involved in scaling a business for growth, or simply trying to grow as a manager (without f**king it up!).”

—DAVID TOOLE, technology CFO

“Les has been the ‘second CEO’ a half dozen times and can speak authoritatively about this transition from early-stage hill climbing to later-stage growth and acceleration. He understands not only the necessity for the change but the art of doing it right.”

—MATT MARX, associate professor, Boston University, formerly MIT Sloan School of Management

“The transition from founder-CEO to successor-CEO is a critical inflection point for a startup, and unfortunately is rarely smooth. Les Trachtman was deeply involved with half a dozen of those inflection points and has the scars and hard-learned lessons (and successes) to prove it. Before you head into such a transition, save yourself much pain by learning from Les’ insights and the best practices he has developed.”

—NOAM WASSERMAN, founding director, Founder Central Initiative; professor of clinical entrepreneurship, University of Southern California; best-selling author of The Founder’s Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup

“This book should be a prerequisite for all start-up founders. It’s also beneficial for founders who have been running companies for 20 or 30 years and are experiencing stagnant growth. If you’re honest with yourself and want your company to achieve the next level, you must read this book. Now!”

—RICHARD SPANTON, Jr., founder and chairman, AccuLynx.com

“There is no one more qualified than Les Trachtman to write on the subject of the handoff from the founder to the professional CEO. Les writes from experience, and it is not always pretty. Don’t F**k It Up is a practical compilation of vignettes written from the trenches that is essential reading for anyone faced with the prospect of taking over from a founder. Beware!”

—HAROLD FRIED; professor, Union College; David L. and Beverly B. Yunich Chair of Business Ethics

“We all want to believe that our company is special. The truth, however, is that we face many of the same challenges. This book is a fantastic summary of some of the critical issues that CEOs and founders have struggled through, and outstanding advice on how to best navigate them. I think it’s the most valuable read for any new CEO that I have found.”

—ROBERT LANGONE, CEO, Automated Dynamics

Advance distribution of digital ARC via NetGalley