Q: Dear SaaStr: What Are Some Good Strategies To Hire People In The Early Days?
A few basic thoughts … that many still don’t get right:
- Don’t hire anyone that doesn’t understand their functional area better than you do. They should.
- Don’t hire anyone you don’t believe in. They won’t succeed, if for no other reason than you won’t backfill them the right way.
- If you’re not sure how to hire for a role, get an advisor that does. And have them interview your top candidates.
- You gotta do reference checks. But they don’t all have to be perfect. But an ex-boss or two should say they are great. Even if one disagrees.
- Avoid folks that have never worked at a startup not that much bigger than yours. Old and classic advice, but it turns out to be eternally true.
- Don’t fall in love with logos. For example, if you’re in eCommerce, you’ll know Shopify. But Shopify is doing $4 Billion a year in revenue. Don’t hire from there. No chance they know how to do a startup.
- Don’t hire any sales reps you wouldn’t personally buy your own product from. And be honest here. No one else will, either, if you wouldn’t. At least, not until you have a true VP of Sales to train them.
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Jason Lemkin, Khareem Sudlow
