Biggest Challenges Faced By A CEO And Co Founder At Boring Stuff
Varun, CEO/Co-Founder at Boring Stuff, identifies the biggest challenge in their role as "unpredictability," describing days ranging from quiet to moments of crisis, such as suddenly needing to address unexpected tax bills or government inquiries; this requires a "firefighter" skillset that they had to learn. The unpredictable nature of the role and industry would likely be a struggle for anyone in the position, demanding the ability to adapt and "roll with" unexpected crises.
Unpredictability, Problem-Solving, Crisis Management, Resilience, Executive/Leadership
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Varun Bhuchar
CEO/Co-Founder
Boring Stuff
Dartmouth
UCLA Anderson: MBA
Film, Media Arts, Visual Arts, Political Science, American Studies
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Consulting
Honors Student, Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. Unpredictability and the need to be a 'firefighter' are significant challenges in the role.
2. The job requires a specific skillset to handle unexpected issues, such as dealing with government agencies or unpaid bills.
3. Adapting to unpredictability, even to the point of crisis, is a skill that needs to be learned and developed over time.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your role?
I think it's the unpredictability. I honestly just don't know what the day is going to bring.
Sometimes I'll have days where it's quiet, but those are very few and far between. Sometimes I'll wake up and think I know what the day's going to be, and then we'll get an email from some government agent or somebody who hasn't gotten paid in a while, or essentially some tax bill that's due.
I basically have to drop everything and figure out what's going on. That is a very specific skillset you have to learn, to be a firefighter, especially in this role and in the industry that I work in.
It's definitely something I had to learn. It wasn't something I was good at in the beginning. But I think that's the thing that if anybody else was dropped in this role, they would struggle the most with. It's basically unpredictability to the point of crisis at times, but you just have to kind of roll with that.