Jeff BussgangGeneral Partner, Flybridge and Senior Lecturer, HBS. Former entrepreneur. AI nerd.

10 - Who to hire (by Reza Satchu)

Name: 10 - Who to hire (by Reza Satchu)
Uploaded: 2020-12-01T01:20:29+00:00
Duration: 1 min 14 s
Channel: Jeff Bussgang
Description: Reza Satchu gives practical hiring advice for founders who have just raised funding: hire people with complementary skills (not clones), favor…

1 Dec 2020 · 1 min

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1:14

Reza Satchu gives practical hiring advice for founders who have just raised funding: hire people with complementary skills (not clones), favor generalists early because the business model is still evolving, prioritize hiring people who can build the product first (delay sales/marketing hires), and ensure strong cultural fit—people passionate about the problem, with integrity and capacity to work long hours and handle change.

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I want to talk to you about hiring from the perspective of a founder that has just raised some money. So there are a few general things that I'd like you to think about as you think about your first set of hires. First, you're looking for people who have complementary skills. You are not looking for people whose skills mimic yours, but rather people who have complementary skills. So if you're a business person, perhaps someone with a more technological background. The second point I'll make is that given that you're still evolving, typically after your first round, your business model and thinking about these specific skills you need, it's much better to hire generalists initially rather than folks that just have a very specific set of skills. I think the third point is to focus on the product first and think about people who can help you build that product as effectively as possible. Right. You can hire the sales and marketing folks later. And then finally, and perhaps most importantly, the people you want to hire have to be. Have to have a strong cultural fit and, and feel passionately about the problem that you are solving. Okay? Typically these are people that you can imagine working long hours with high integrity people that can deal with change, but ultimately people that fit the culture that's going to define your company and really hopefully lead to success.