Grow · 6 min read

Hiring your first ten people

Early hires shape your company culture. Here is how to hire well when you cannot afford mistakes.

Hire for the next 12 months, not the next 12 days

Write down what must be true a year from now and which skills will get you there. Hire people who can grow with the role.

Use interns and freelancers wisely

Interns bring energy and fresh skills; freelancers and agencies cover specialist work without long-term cost. Keep core, repeated work in-house.

Test real work

Replace trick questions with a small paid task similar to the actual job. You will learn more in two hours than in five interviews.

Be clear about pay and equity

Early employees often take some equity. Explain vesting and what the shares could be worth in plain language, without hype.

Onboard on day one

Give every new hire a written first-week plan, the tools they need and one person to ask. Good onboarding is the cheapest retention tool you have.