Free playbook

Looking for my CEO Operating System? It has grown into this playbook. The parts that still hold up are inside, next to the full process I used to replace myself.

How I hired my CEO

I did every job at circle.cloud first, then hired the people, and the CEO, who run it day to day. This is the process, step by step, with the checklists and templates.

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Axel Molist with the circle.cloud exec team on the seafront in Lloret de Mar — The exec team in Lloret de Mar.

The playbook

What's inside

A ten-question self-test: how much of your business still runs on you
The checklist I run before handing any job over, built on the 200 calls a day I made myself
Where I found my exec team: a friend's referral, the best salesperson at a company that went bust, and a senior operator from much bigger telecoms companies
How I interview for an executive seat: three to five meetings, hours each, and the questions I ask sideways
The equity mistake I made with my CEO, and the rules I use now
A CEO role template built on the real document I gave him, with real deal targets
The three-week test: what has to be true before you can leave

Who it's for

Founders whose business sells, has customers and a team, and still runs through them.

If every big decision still lands on your desk, this is for you.

The bathroom of the converted-flat office, with a bathtub, where Graham first came to meet Axel — 2019The office bathroom, bathtub included, in the converted flat where Graham first came to meet me.

The circle.cloud communications sign on the wall of the current office — Todaycircle.cloud's office now, run day to day by Graham as CEO.

In 2019 I pitched the best salesperson I could find from an office with a bathtub in it. In January 2026 he became my CEO.