"Founding a business is heroic. It takes vision and fortitude. Founders ignite businesses, but do not always have the skills to scale the business they created. This is where The Second CEO comes in. With complimentary skills and attributes, the Second CEO drives the business to fulfill its potential. This book gives any CEO following a founder the insights and playbook for success. Matt Sharrers brings acute understanding and years of relevant experience to this important topic." Simon Freakley CEO, Alix Partners "Following a founder is one of the toughest challenges a new CEO can face, and there's little guidance for how to do it.
Matt Sharrers is the first to offer a clear path and proven approach for how to succeed. His advice is simple, practical, and powerful. Every second CEO will benefit from reading this book and applying its hard-earned lessons." Randy Street Vice Chairman, GH Smart "As investors in dozens of founder-operated businesses, we have witnessed first-hand the fraught nature of transitioning to the Second CEO. Even when everyone is operating with good intentions, there is a sense of flying into the unknown and of navigating by intuition. Based on authentic, courageous reflection on his own experiences, Matt has written the definitive guide to getting this transition right. At Resolve, this book will serve as the platinum standard in our role as board members and investors to help a Second CEO accelerate through the scaling process." Jit Sinha Founder and Managing Partner, Resolve Growth "Matt is uniquely qualified to share his experiences following a founder and transitioning his business into a professionally run organization.
Matt's passion, energy, leadership style, and 'scorecard' approach to an organization all come out in this important book that is a fantastic read. The different case studies and experiences he shares shows that following a founder is never straight forward, but the lessons he and others learned can help setup a Second CEO for a successful transition. As a private equity investor and board member on many founder-run companies over the past twenty years, I wish I had access to this book years ago!" Justin Lipton Partner and Co-Head, Harvest Partners.