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- Citadel founder Ken Griffin: “Every CEO is a salesperson”
Citadel founder Ken Griffin: “Every CEO is a salesperson”
When Citadel founder Ken Griffin was getting started, his mentor offered Ken anything he wanted from his office. Ken took a $10 plaque off the wall that said, “If we’re all going to eat, someone’s got to sell.”
Ken explains why:
“That’s the story of being an entrepreneur… Every CEO is a salesperson. They have to sell a venture capital firm. They have to sell a customer. They have to sell an employee… You are always selling. And if you don’t like to sell, here’s my advice: get over it! I had no interest in selling when I was 20 years old.”
Ken recalls traveling to Switzerland to raise capital for Citadel in the early day and how demoralizing his two scheduled meetings were. The first person thought he was meeting with a different person who also had the last name Griffin and promptly walked out. The second person said to Ken, “It’s so sad that such a bright young man picked the wrong career.”
Ken reflects, “You just have to play through these moments.”
Today Citadel is considered one of the most successful hedge funds in history, having generated ~$74 billion in net gains since inception.