Hiring is the process of bringing people into roles the organization needs. In a startup, move slowly: a bad hire costs time, money, productivity, morale, and team confidence, while interviews cannot perfectly simulate real work. section 21.0
A practical hiring process includes:
- Use trusted networks to find talented candidates, especially when building the first product team. section 21.5
- Write down each role and what the person must accomplish; treat this description as the hiring blueprint. section 21.5
- Create a consistent interview process built around an interview team rather than relying on one person’s judgment. section 21.5
- Match people to work they are suited and motivated to do; urgency is not a reason to hire someone for the wrong role. section 25.2
- Offer stock options when appropriate so early employees can see a meaningful long-term stake in the company. section 21.5
The cost of hiring sales before product-market fit
Ennea hired salespeople before proving product-market fit. When a new CEO discovered that the product did not work as advertised, he laid off sales and marketing, worked with customers on product feedback, and rebuilt the product with engineering. The lesson is blunt: do not ask salespeople to compensate for an unready product. section 25.2
Hiring is an art, not a science, but a strong process makes it less of a black art. Hire slowly, and when a hire is clearly wrong, fire quickly rather than allowing the damage to spread. section 21.0 section 21.5
