I rose in a sales role to be a non-Founder CEO of a material science startup. We were successful - but after 9 years I was burned out and came to a friendly resignation with my board. The name recognition component is real. I got great offers within the industries we sold to - but outside of that there was a lot of explanation about the business, etc.

Brand perception is a real issue - and it doesn't get covered up by your title or role.