How to Build Your Startup Team
WeFestival Entrepreneurs on How, When, and Who to Hire
When Ashley Merrill launched Lunya in 2012 she served as the sleepwear brand’s CEO, CPO, Design Director, and more. Similar to most entrepreneurs, her business is her baby; Playing a role in each stage of its evolution was thrilling. However, as the line caught on, she faced the critical realization that even if you can do it all, you shouldn’t.
If you are trying to build an industry changing company you need a team that is going to help you win. Build the team for the company you want.
With Ashley’s advice in mind, we dedicated today’s post to hiring strategies that will help you streamline your process and scale your team.
Kellee Khalil
Founder and CEO of Loverly
When Loverly’s marketing team was consistently working 50–60 hours a week, Kellee (@Kellee) knew it was time to re-evaluate the company’s structure. She uses these three questions to decide when it’s time to make a new hire:
- What are our goals?
- What is blocking us from achieving them?
- What are our resource constraints?
Ashley Merill
Founder and CEO of Lunya
Despite being capable of running multiple parts of your business — like designing your product or sending marketing emails — “the reality is that spreading yourself thin to do everything is never going to be as good as having talented people who own those categories.” Ashley affirms how hiring team members with specialized skill sets drastically influences the way your customers view and interact with your brand.
Each time we hire a new team member we’re capable of creating a depth of experience that I could never achieve on my own.
You have to give your brand a life beyond yourself.
Grace Garey
Co-founder of Watsi
The most important hiring lesson Watsi’s learned is to create a filter to identify like-minded individuals who will be additive to the company’s culture. Grace (@gracegarey) explains how they evaluated their team’s best characteristics to create a candidate matrix that enables them to hire resourceful problem solvers.
The values and traits of the people you hire are more important than their list of skills, experiences, and qualifications.
A pragmatic attitude is vital for team members who join young startups as they’ll often operate as a department of one. Grace addresses why “at startups, you need to be a person who scales.”
Each individual has to scale with the company; Stretching into an area where they may not have any individual experience.
Ask potential hires: ‘Say you’re asked to do something you’ve never done before? How would you handle that?’
You need resourceful team members who will seek new answers instead of being paralyzed by what they don’t know.
Brooke Moreland and Sara Chipps
Founders of Jewelbots
Rather than thinking ‘We need this role filled,’ constantly seek awesome, adaptable individuals who are passionate about your mission. Brooke (@audrabrookie) and Sara (@sarajchipps) explain why they hire for character over skills at Jewelbots.
Adaptability is the most important trait to hire for.
Megan O’Connor
Founding Partner and Chief Growth Officer at Human Ventures
Human Ventures was founded on the belief that a team of ‘epic humans’ can change the world. Megan (@MeganMOconnor) details how the startup studio identifies them.
We ask: ‘What is the type of human we are looking for in the world? Who is the type of person that we want to work with?’
Skills can be taught. Who you are as a person is by far the most important aspect of hiring.
Amanda Kahlow
Founder and CEO of 6sense
Amanda (@AmandaKahlow) cites 6sense CTO Viral Bajaria that candidates fall into two camps when hiring. 80% feel entitled to any job they desire and a $1 Million paycheck on day one. While the other 20% are genuine builders who are passionate about your mission. Amanda discusses how to identify the 1% of the 20% who are right for your company.
Keep your hiring bar as high as possible and never lower it. One toxic person can destroy the roots of your organization.
Kimberly Dawson
Founder of K.Dawson Company
While your personal camaraderie with a team member is important, Kimberly (@SassyStrategist) encourages founders to consider how a new hire will get along with the specific team he or she is joining. She addresses the importance of bringing other departments into the interview process and how to ask meaningful questions to unveil an individual’s story.
Ask someone a question because you genuinely want to know the answer, not just to check it off your list.
Adrian Granzella Larssen
Editor-in-Chief at The Muse
The Muse’s first hire, Adrian (@adriangranzella) details how the team’s hiring process has evolved to include multiple rounds — interviews, assignments, and social events — to ensure that they’re bringing on the strongest individuals for the team.
Regardless of the role someone is interviewing for every one goes through an assignment — whether it’s editing an article or creating an itinerary for our CEO — which I find to be the most telling part of the process. It’s a way for us to see how people work, rather than assuming.
Despite hiring being a very long and stressful process, Adrian advises leaders to only bring on a new team member when the entire organization has high conviction that he or she is the right fit for the company; Meaning that everyone thinks ‘Yes! We absolutely need this person on our team right now.’
If it’s not a ‘Hell Yes!’ it should be a no.
The majority of The Muse’s first hires were interns and part-time employees, Adrian shares the story of Erin Greenawald, who started as an intern and now runs Branded Content at The Muse.
While tactical onboarding is critical for new team members to transition into your organization, feeling included in the culture is equally important. Adrian outlines how The Muse uses buddies, department meetings, and history lessons with the founders to welcome new team members.
Shadiah Sigala
Co-founder and Head of Member Experience at HoneyBook
As they grow past 70 team members, Shadiah (@ShadiahS) discusses how HoneyBook has decentralized hiring to empower each member of the company to build his or her team.
Our internal recruiters aren’t here to recruit for every position in the company. They’re here to teach us how to be the best recruiters. Every single person at HoneyBook is responsible for bringing individuals onto their team.
Hiring is a beast. Every phase is a little bit different and always a big challenge.
