I start companies and nonprofits - BVS.net, Kayak, Deets, Lola, Supercal, PartyClick, SpamStrike, GetHuman, Institute for Applied AI, Embrace Boston, Summits Education, Winter Walk for Homelessness, Bipolar Social Club.
I'm in the process of building a new team, with a very aggressive vision for the company and product. (More on that soon.) Your first five hires are absolutely critical. They set the tone and culture and the "bar" for your next 50 hires. And those first 50 hires set you up for the next 500. What do I look for in the first five hires? 1) Strong skills and track record 2) Incredibly fast, great succinct writer, responsive 3) Is a learner, open minded, loves talking with customers, etc 4) Infectious energy 5) Can-do positive attitude 6) Happiness -- laughs a lot, makes people laugh 7) Incredibly driven, bias for action 8) Grit 9) Ethics, kindness What am I missing?
Me. You're missing me. Now to more directly answer the question: 1) Customer obsessed - without tapping into customers and understanding their problems and opportunities therein, there is nothing. 2) Hustle - in the early days, you need to just figure things out and follow the path of least resistance (while still not being a jerk about it). 3) Open-minded - people that are dogmatic will end up pushing in their own direction, attributing their own success to their own actions and trying to copy that.
While this isn't an individual skill, I'd say "Chemistry". those first five need to jive, vibe, bob, weave, surf the waves, positively provoke and challenge each other, trust each other, be respectful while honestly engaging. Its like a band trying to make it to the big times, or the starting 5 of the basketball team. whole > sum of its parts
for the first five, the most important thing I look for is someone that is self-motivated and highly driven. that early work is chaotic and endless, and only a specific type of person will thrive in that environment. and second to that would be strong communication skills; if you can't communicate efficiently and simply (to me, to customers, to investors), then you won't thrive when the team is that small and agile.
I love #4 I’d add 9) awesome at writing and 10) awesome at simplifying complex things
Paul English, congratulations on your new venture! It looks like my comment will be the 114th so there's little chance I'll add value. I'm sorry if it's repetitive. My two cents is to make sure your first five hires define ethics (number 9 on your list) the way you do. Folks often think they are doing the "right thing" but are not always on the same page as to what the "right thing" is. Good luck!
Great list Paul English I’d add: humility & curiosity, bias for action, and empathy. Excited to see what you’re working on next!
Love it! I would add Curious
Demonstrates continuous intellectual curiosity
You forgot to share your vision and why you need to hire 50 #Spartans and I am one of'em so you can DM me... :)
To me the job spec for every search is almost the same. (in addition to your intangible skills) find someone who has done something at the scale you are currently at and scaled it to where you would hope to be in 2-3 years if you execute at plan, and done it from an transferable domain. I think experience at scale is one of the most reliable predictors for a successful hire. I also think ideally you will find someone with a track record of being hired by people who they've worked with in the past as well as being followed by people who they've worked with or managed. I hope that helps!