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“What are you doing?” Tina, our controller, asked me.
I was in the front lobby of our office, and I had a scissors in my hands. “I’m cutting the ends of the plants, so they look nice. I want everything to look perfect when the investors get here tomorrow.”
Cutting the plants so there were no dead leaves was the first part of my mini cleanup effort. I made sure all the fluorescent lights were working, and then I went into the bathroom to make sure it was in good shape.
Yes, you are responsible for cleaning the toilets as a startup CEO.
My view was really simple: Whatever it takes.
And in that moment, I was needed to make our facility look spotless. The investors were coming in for a final diligence meeting before making a decision to invest in our company.
First impressions matter (read: What the Dead Plant Outside Your Office Is Really Saying About Your Company ), and I didn’t want the reason someone didn’t invest to be that our facility was a dump. That’s where I was needed at that moment.
