Who do you hire first in your startup? This is something I see later stage founders say they got wrong a lot! Either you wait too long until the job description is clear, and it slows your growth; or you try to outsource something before you’ve worked out what works for you and end up frustrated with the outcomes and burning out your first employee. That’s why I talk a lot about hiring ”t shaped” people who are willing to get their hands dirty as early hires. It’s a piece of wisdom our Venture Studio CTO passed onto me nearly a decade ago. They should have some expertise or focus they love and have gone deeper in, but they’re not afraid to go outside their role and muck in too- especially when things are messy and uncertain in the early stages! Love how Kate Berski distils what she did right, and what she’d do next time here- incredible lesson for all founders! If you haven’t already, do listen to her episode, there’s soooo much in there for founders of all stages! #startups #entrepreneurship #hiring #growth #founder #startupstories
For startups the first hires are the most important ones! Those are the people who will shape most of the processes and ultimately take on senior roles as you scale.
Early startup hires? Hiring "t-shaped" people could be your answer to balance expertise and versatility. Hattie Willis (she/her)
Gaia Tonanzi wonder which brilliant hire and category guru I was taking about 🤷🏻♀️ 😉
On a mission to create more equitable opportunities in entrepreneurship
7moWatch the full episode here - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6JuyjNuaIgsY8Ls8hdDbQe?si=ASNMZDwtSR2mCr6vG7wOcA Youtube: https://youtu.be/Mv9Qo4rwY2E