The Hiring Tips You Need as an Early Stage Founder
Dec 2, 2016
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Beth and Jenna share insights on making diversity a priority for seed-stage companies, asking the right reference questions, and hiring a Head of People. They discuss the challenges of transitioning in-house functions, debunking hiring myths, building a strong leadership team, employee retention strategies, and navigating hiring challenges in early-stage companies.
Early stage founders should prioritize diversity in hiring from the start to build a resilient team.
Founders of seed-stage companies should focus on hiring individuals who excel in ambiguous environments rather than rushing to fill positions.
Deep dives
Strategic Talent Advisory Role at Homebrew
Beth Shear's role at Homebrew as the partner and head of Talon involves strategic advising on talent-related matters to portfolio companies. She focuses on teaching founders how to make crucial hiring decisions, such as determining when to bring functions in-house, like finance or HR. Her hands-on approach involves guiding founders through the hiring process, including defining hiring plans and evaluating the need for new roles.
Challenges in Hiring During Siege Stage
A common myth Beth addresses is the belief that Siege Stage companies should hire quickly. However, she emphasizes the importance of hiring individuals who excel in ambiguous environments rather than rushing to fill positions. Founders often struggle with relinquishing roles as their companies grow, making decisions about bringing functions in-house a significant challenge. Beth highlights the need for depth of knowledge over breadth, especially in small Siege Stage companies.
Diversity and Inclusion in Early Hiring
Beth emphasizes intentional diversity and inclusion efforts in early hiring decisions to foster a richer talent pool. She advocates for sourcing candidates from a variety of backgrounds beyond personal networks to avoid homogeneity in the workforce. By tapping into underrepresented groups through innovative sourcing strategies, companies can build more diverse and resilient teams from the outset.
Beth and Jenna discuss how seed-stage companies can make diversity a priority from day one, the right questions to ask references, and how to hire a great Head of People.
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