What do you do as CEO at Answers.com?

Answer 1

The CEO job at Answers.com is fun, exciting and challenging at the same time!

As CEO, I have four key responsibilities:

1. Ensure that we have the right strategic plan in place.
2. Ensure that we have the financial resources to grow.
3. Ensure that we have the team in place
4. Ensure that we are executing on our plan

Strategic Plan

At Answers, we do an annual strategic plan in Q4 which we present to our Board of Directors at the Q4 board meeting (in January or February of the following year). Each year, our strategic plan incorporates:

• The goals we want to accomplish
• The metrics associated with those goals
• The operating freedom to ensure we can get to our financial goals multiple ways

The strategic plan is developed by me with significant input of the entire executive team. Each year thousands of collective hours are put into our annual plan.

Financial Resources

Companies require capital to invest and grow. At Answers we have used a combination of equity and debt to capitalize the company. We use this capital both internally and for acquisitions.

Team

We have some of the smartest, most capable people in the entire internet sector. In a few short years, we have radically transformed Answers as a company. We've done this by building, nurturing and retaining a world class team. Our recruiting team does an excellent job of finding candidates who fit the Answers culture. Our HR team ensures they are onboarded and trained. Our leaders help integrate people into the company.

Executing on the Plan

Answers operates in a metrics driven environment. We look at how we are doing on key initiatives at a macro (annual) basis as well as a micro (daily) basis. Frequent course correction is one of the key tools at our disposal to ensure that we are on plan.

Summary

In summary, I spend my time at Answers focused on each of these four areas. Thank you to the entire team for setting me up for success!

-David Karandish

CEO Answers