Mitch Free wrote an excellent article about the struggle between an innovative founder who instinctively hear the market and the board of directors who are thought to be better at running companies. Several examples used in the article include the ups and downs of such comanies as Apple, Starbucks, and Dell. Mitch is an Atlanta entrepreneur and founder of MFG.com. He is also an active member of the Atlanta startup community.
I really like this article, however, I’m sure a compelling argument can be made in both directions. If you serve on a board, I’m sure you’ll have some comments. We know its often hard for founders to cross the chasm with a product or idea and develop it into a mainstream business offering. This is a totally different skillset and its very unique to find an innovative person that can start a company and then continue to drive growth as the product matures. For every Steve Jobs story, there are thousands more that you don’t hear about.
Reader Feedback:
Do you agree with Mitch that you should only stick with companies where the founder is still involved?
Can you relate any stories from your own experience?
