Les Trachtman is an entrepreneur, educator and business mentor focused on the fragile leadership transition between founders and successors. He is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. His book, Don't F**K It Up, How Founders and Their Successors Can Avoid the Cliches that Inhibit Growth is an Amazon bestseller. When he is not helping a startup, consulting with a founder or successor, or sailing, he works full-time as the CEO of Purview, an Annapolis-based healthcare software company focused on an innovative platform for the delivery of remote medical second opinions.
Education
- JD, Emory University
- MBA, Emory University
- BS EE Union College
Research
Selected Publications
- Don't F**K It Up: How Founders and Their Successors Can Avoid the Cliches That Inhibit Growth, River Grove Books, July 6, 2017.
Teaching
Current
- Corporate Strategy
Honors and distinctions
- Member Tau Beta Pi
- Member Eta Kappa Nu
- Member Beta Gamma Sigma
- Stevie Award for Sales Leadership
In the media
- "Five Key Lessons From a Giant Unicorn's Premature Demise," Yahoo! Finance, September 3, 2017
- Ruined By Success, August 24, 2019, The Startup, October 25, 2018
- "I Founded a Company That is Growing Fast; Why Would My Board Replace Me?," Founder Transitions
- "How Do You Know When It's Time to Go," Push To Start, May 6, 2019
- "A Broken Recruiting Process," Recruiter, November 10, 2017,
- "Why The Best Entrepreneurs are Cynical Optimists," The Startup, July 8, 2019
- "Does Your Vote Count?," The Startup, August 6, 2019