Daryl Daley’s Post

What's one way startups lose their market share? Wasting time looking for the 'perfect' candidate. Because meanwhile in that time, your competition launched with a 'good enough' team. It’s the hard truth about early-stage hiring... Remember: Every month spent searching, costs you market share Good people can become great with proper support Most roles evolve within 3 months Skills can be taught Drive cannot. What matters the most early on is a candidates: ✓ Growth mindset  ✓ Cultural alignment  ✓ Learning speed  ✓ Problem-solving abilities  ✓ Genuine excitement The reality of startup success is that they're built by good people who became great together. A simpler hiring framework may look something like this: 1. List your must-haves 2. Cut that list in half 3. Focus on potential over perfection 4. Make decisions faster Stop waiting for unicorn candidates and just start building your team. Agreed?

You've got the vision, the hustle, and a killer idea. Now, it's time to build the dream team. But for early-stage founders, hiring can feel daunting. Here are some tips to find the talent who'll take your startup to the next level: - Understanding the 'why': Before you start searching, get crystal clear on your company culture and values. Who will thrive in your environment? - Diverse skillset: You don't need clones! Look for diverse skill sets that fill the gaps and propel your team forward. - Passion beats everything: Hire people who believe in your mission as much as you do. This intrinsic motivation fuels innovation and gets them through tough times. - Going beyond technical skills: Technical skills are important, but don't underestimate soft skills like communication, problem-solving, and adaptability. These are crucial for navigating the startup rollercoaster. - Leverage your network: Utilize your network, attend industry events, and explore unconventional platforms to find hidden gems. - Interview: Design your interview process to assess not just qualifications, but also cultural fit. Make it a two-way street where candidates can assess if your startup is the right fit for them too. - Act now: Don't drag out the hiring process. When you find a great fit, act quickly to secure them! Building a high-performing team is the key to early-stage startup success. Who else has some great hiring tips to share? #startuplife #hiring #teambuilding #entrepreneurship

We've got an article out today on how scale-ups can hire more effectively for sustainable growth. We break down how to: ✅ Build a lean, high-impact team ✅ Attract top talent with your mission ✅ Balance automation with human connection

Building the right team at the right time is one of the toughest challenges for startups and scale-ups. It's not just about hiring quickly—it's about hiring smart. In our latest blog post, we share actionable tips on how to optimise your hiring strategy, attract top talent, and build a team that drives growth. Whether you're navigating your first hires or scaling up, these insights are for you. 💡 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e3iiXAFu

🚀 Early-stage startups, listen up: Your candidate experience is more than just a formality, it's your secret weapon for attracting top talent. 🎯 Think of it as a first date (but with way higher stakes): every interaction, from the initial job posting to the final decision and even onboarding, shapes how candidates perceive your company. A positive experience sparks excitement and loyalty, while a negative one... well, let's just say it can leave a lasting bad taste. So, what does your candidate experience say about you? 🤔 Are you rolling out the red carpet or leaving potential superstars hanging? 🤷♀️ This is a topic we could geek out on for days (and trust us, we do), but the bottom line is this: every touchpoint is an opportunity to showcase your company culture, values, and commitment to building an amazing team. 💪 We'll continue to share candidate experience insights here on LinkedIn, but if you're ready to take your candidate experience to the next level today with the help of a few experts, shoot us a message @ [email protected] - and let's get after it. 🤝 #candidateexperience #hiringtips #web3startups

Successful startups are built on many mistakes and iterations. The key is to embrace failure but also learn from the mistakes of others. I spent two years helping early-stage startups of Credo Ventures portfolio with all things talent, talking to founders and recruiters, and observing some patterns or typical mistakes in hiring so I will share a series of LinkedIn posts summarising my findings. I am not the first to discover these truths yet reminding about what is important can bring some inspiration to startup builders out there. #1 Hiring is hard 😖 You've got the idea and embarked on a startup journey, got a few friends or colleagues excited and they joined you. No job ads, LinkedIn searches, processes, interviews. This might give you a false impression that further hiring will be a breeze. But at some point, recruitment isn't just about tapping into your network anymore. It's a whole different beast - complex, lengthy and unpredictable. Don't underestimate the time commitment! Spending 10 or 20 hours a week on hiring? Yeah, it's part of the course. Your first hires? They're not just filling roles, they are laying the groundwork for your company's culture and success. I have seen many times founders postponing hiring or using freelancer services once they realized they had no capacity for the recruitment process. You might get lucky with quick and smooth hires but fundamentals of a good hiring process from the very beginning will serve you well into the future. Snagging top talent isn't a walk in the park, especially for startups flying under the radar. Joining a startup with an unknown brand and reputation is a big risk for a candidate, especially in the current economic uncertainty so your time to hire and number of rejected offers might be higher than larger companies. Depending on the role it might take you anywhere from 2 weeks to several months to close. You can save time by leveraging automation, and external help, especially for building a pipeline but defining a role, interviewing, and closing a candidate will have to be done by you. If you encountered your first hiring roadblock and need someone to talk to - please reach out. Nothing is easy on a startup journey but hiring is also super critical. Big thanks to Samuel Leduc for nudging me to write this 🤍!

There’s a fascinating debate brewing in some of my early stage startup circles right now... Here’s my take on it (and what I’ve learned from experience). The Debate: The first person you bring into your startup should NOT be a subject matter superstar. Instead, what really makes waves in the earliest-stage hiring isn't a focus on "superstar" candidates but rather those with a high level of; → Versatility and adaptability → A passion for the mission your venture aims to solve → Willingness to wear multiple hats and be flexible in tense moments → Cultural and personality fits over pure skill set Many early stage founders have begun to realize that hiring someone who perfectly aligns with the company’s vision and can adapt much more quickly to changing needs and is far more valuable than a "superstar" subject matter expert with a narrow focus. This shift in perspective is reshaping hiring strategies and creating teams that are cohesive and driven by the same goals. So, when building your early team, look beyond the glitter of impressive resumes and focus on finding those who can truly grow with your startup. For #founders who have done it before, what do you think makes the ideal first hire?

When we launched our startup four years ago, we were laser-focused on growth. As we started gaining traction, we noticed something crucial: our team was stretched thin, and we were constantly playing catch-up. We knew we needed a better strategy. One day, we had a pivotal meeting with a mentor who shared a story that changed our approach. He told us about a successful company that had anticipated its growth by hiring ahead of demand. This company didn’t wait for the workload to become overwhelming; instead, they built a robust team early on. This foresight allowed them to stay agile, innovate, and scale seamlessly. Inspired, we decided to adopt this proactive strategy. We started by forecasting our needs, looking at market trends, and setting ambitious yet achievable goals. We then focused on building a talent pipeline, engaging with potential candidates through networking events and online platforms. We didn’t wait for a position to open up to start these conversations. With a clear plan and a bit of financial adjustment, we began hiring ahead. The initial investment paid off. New team members had the luxury of time to integrate into our culture, understand our values, and get up to speed without the pressure of immediate high-stakes tasks. This smooth onboarding process made them more effective and engaged. As a result, when new projects came in or unexpected challenges arose, we were ready. Our team’s flexibility and preparedness became one of our biggest strengths. We were no longer just reacting to growth; we were driving it. Looking back, hiring ahead was one of the best decisions we made. It taught us the value of foresight and the power of being prepared. If you’re aiming for sustainable growth, consider hiring ahead. It might just be the key to your success. #HiringAhead #GrowthStrategy #ProactivePlanning

I spoke to 14 startup founders last week—and 90% told me the same thing: hiring is broken. Hiring at a startup is chaos. Here’s what founders shared with me: - They waste weeks chasing unqualified candidates. - They have no idea how to test for “startup mindset.” - They’re drowning in resumes, but none of them are “the one.” This is the reality of hiring in a resource-strapped, fast-moving environment. But here’s what I’ve seen actually work: - Focus on one must-have skill. Everything else can be learned on the job. - Skip the resume pile. Spend 10 minutes reviewing their side projects instead—it’ll tell you more about their passion and initiative than a CV ever could. - Think long-term. The best hires don’t just fill a role—they grow into it. At this stage, hiring isn’t about perfection—it’s about potential. It’s about finding people who will bet on your vision, roll up their sleeves, and build with you. If you’re struggling with hiring, you’re not alone. The chaos is part of the process—but the right approach can make it a little less painful.

We've had more and more competitors pop up over the years. And it's been fun being mentioned in their investor decks as the "big player" (despite only having launched 5.5 years ago) or seeing them post about us on socials with comparisons. But I always say actions speak louder than words. Find me another marketing-focused talent marketplace with the same caliber of 5,000+ customers from high growth startups to Fortune 500s that MarketerHire has. Spoiler alert: you won't. We don't really think about what other companies are doing. We focus on ourselves and building a great product and experience for customers and talent alike. That's a hard enough job as it is without distractions. And we welcome competition. More talent platforms means more normalization of this new-ish, better way to hire. Ultimately, all we care about is helping our customers grow and if they find that help elsewhere, so be it. We'll always be around if they need us. Here's to more competition in 2025! 🍻