Both Sides of the Table

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Startup Mantra: Hire Fast, Fire Fast

Both Sides of the Table

There is an old management adage that says, “Hire slowly, fire fast.” Hire Slowly? I also subscribe to the views that you should always be recruiting (ABR) and when great people pop up you hire them and then find a way to make the role fit. Only Hire A+ People. Hiring at a Startup. Attitude over Aptitude.

Hiring 335
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Whom Should You Hire at a Startup? (Attitude Over Aptitude)

Both Sides of the Table

This will be the team who hires the most talented people, channels them in the most productive configuration and gets the most output from their unique capabilities. Only hire A players. B players tend to have slightly more self-confidence issues so they tend to hire people slightly worse than themselves – thus C teams.

Hiring 399
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Startup Sales – Why Hiring Seasoned Reps May Not Work

Both Sides of the Table

Even if you don’t have “direct&# sales I would tell you that “everything is a sale&# including fund raising, hiring, getting press and doing business development. One of the biggest mistakes I see early-stage startups making is hiring “seasoned&# sales professionals or hiring people too senior, too early.

Hiring 346
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Why Entrepreneurs Should Be Respected More Than Loved

Both Sides of the Table

You hire great people. You motivate, cajole, reassign tasks, hire, fire and push the organization forward. The best leaders are great at hiring in large part because they are inspirational. Do you hire more sales people? You set direction. You help them prioritize their objectives and review the results. More developers?

CTO Hire 385
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What Happens When Startups Turn from Their Innovation Stage to Operational Excellence?

Both Sides of the Table

As a startup in this phase you often raise capital, get press, hire staff and everything feels possible. I always push companies to hire “an operationally focused CFO” during this phase because in order to systematize you need somebody who brings economic rigor to decision making. As an early-stage VC I love this phase.

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Never Hire Job Hoppers. Never. They Make Terrible Employees

Both Sides of the Table

I never hire job hoppers. You have tough choices to make about whom you hire on your team. Now is the time that you need “all hands on deck.&# That awesome gal you hired in engineering has job options and she knows it. If you want to hire them as contractors fine. And it’s important because it’s true.

Hiring 392
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The Audacious Plan to Make Electricity as Easy as WiFi

Both Sides of the Table

I seldom hire patent attorneys during due diligence but this was too important. We hired OSHA regulatory lawyers. We hired IP specialists to review prior art. Did anybody hold patents that would prevent us from using this technology? We grilled their IP attorneys.