Building your startup's team
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The presentation I made for my talk at AlleyNYC on building teams in early stage technology startups. Be sure to read the comments on each of the slides as they add additional information to what is presented on the slide.
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Building your startup's team
- 1. Building Your Team Marc Weil Founder, CTO @ @marcweil
- 2. A little about me Graduated from RIT with B.S. in Software Engineering Coding since I was 9 First company at age 14 Previous employee at Apple, Oracle, & RJMetrics
- 3. A little about me Co-founded CloudMine in Philadelphia Currently CTO
- 4. CloudMine’s Team Grew from 3 founders to 10 total over 8 months 1 non-tech founder 2 tech founders 3 engineers 1 UX/UI designer (yes he can really do both) 1 marketing 2 sales
- 5. Agenda When to Grow The First Hire Finding Them and Keeping Them Culture New vs. Existing Talent Interns
- 6. When should we grow? Default answer: DON’T
- 7. When should we grow? Unless it hurts. Badly.
- 8. When should we grow? People are your most expensive resource.
- 9. When should we grow? You should always be pegged at 100%. (don’t be lazy)
- 10. When should we grow? In the beginning... Your job is to do everything.
- 11. When should we grow? Hiring someone means firing yourself from their job. (with the exception of sales)
- 12. When should we grow? Hire to fill the gaps in your personal skill-set
- 13. When should we grow? Remember: don’t outsource CEO responsibilities (like fundraising)
- 14. When should we grow? Remember: don’t outsource CEO responsibilities (or hiring)
- 15. When should we grow? Hiring doesn’t make things easier.
- 16. The First Hire a.k.a. the most important hire
- 17. The First Hire Important questions to ask yourself:
- 18. The First Hire Important questions to ask yourself:
- 19. The First Hire Important questions to ask yourself: • Can this person shoulder extra responsibility?
- 20. The First Hire Important questions to ask yourself: • Can this person shoulder extra responsibility? • Can this person communicate with you?
- 21. The First Hire Important questions to ask yourself: • Can this person shoulder extra responsibility? • Can this person communicate with you? • Does s/he represent the culture you want to create?
- 22. The First Hire Important questions to ask yourself: • Can this person shoulder extra responsibility? • Can this person communicate with you? • Does s/he represent the culture you want to create? • Would you want this person evangelizing your company?
- 23. The First Hire Important questions to ask yourself: • Can this person shoulder extra responsibility? • Can this person communicate with you? • Does s/he represent the culture you want to create? • Would you want this person evangelizing your company? • Will other people want to work with him/her?
- 24. The First Hire Role is typically developer or designer.
- 25. The First Hire designer.
- 26. The First Hire This person acts as a cultural seed.
- 27. The First Hire The first hire takes the most risk of any employee.
- 28. The First Hire Compensate fairly. Equity options + salary.
- 29. The First Hire Compensate fairly. Equity options + salary. Do not s kimp on this !
- 30. The First Hire Decide on an equity degradation function up front.
- 31. The First Hire People decide to work with you based on the people they will be working with.
- 32. The First Hire The first hire is the first evangelist.
- 33. Finding and Keeping Them Building the team beyond the first hire.
- 34. Finding and Keeping Them Keeping good talent is difficult.
- 35. Finding and Keeping Them The key is keeping your employees challenged and giving them creative freedom.
- 36. Finding and Keeping Them 3 roles I will cover: • Designers • Developers • Salespeople
- 37. Finding and Keeping Them Designers want...
- 38. Finding and Keeping Them Designers want... • to be challenged
- 39. Finding and Keeping Them Designers want... • to be challenged • to work with people they respect
- 40. Finding and Keeping Them Designers want... • to be challenged • to work with people they respect • to be respected by their peers
- 41. Finding and Keeping Them Designers want... • to be challenged • to work with people they respect • to be respected by their peers • to work with people and on problems that inspire
- 42. Finding and Keeping Them Designers must...
- 43. Finding and Keeping Them Designers must... • have a variety of design skills
- 44. Finding and Keeping Them Designers must... • have a variety of design skills • focus on user experience
- 45. Finding and Keeping Them Designers must... • have a variety of design skills • focus on user experience • appreciate constructive criticism
- 46. Finding and Keeping Them Designers must... • have a variety of design skills • focus on user experience • appreciate constructive criticism • be flexible and amenable to change
- 47. Finding and Keeping Them Developers want...
- 48. Finding and Keeping Them Developers want... • to be challenged technically
- 49. Finding and Keeping Them Developers want... • to be challenged technically • to work with people they respect
- 50. Finding and Keeping Them Developers want... • to be challenged technically • to work with people they respect • to work with people they can learn from
- 51. Finding and Keeping Them Developers want... • to be challenged technically • to work with people they respect • to work with people they can learn from • to feel ownership
- 52. Finding and Keeping Them Developers must...
- 53. Finding and Keeping Them Developers must... • be product people
- 54. Finding and Keeping Them Developers must... • be product people • be able to communicate with other people
- 55. Finding and Keeping Them Developers must... • be product people • be able to communicate with other people • believe in what you are building
- 56. Finding and Keeping Them Developers must... • be product people • be able to communicate with other people • believe in what you are building • be flexible and amenable to change
- 57. Finding and Keeping Them Salespeople must...
- 58. Finding and Keeping Them Salespeople must... • approach sales as business development
- 59. Finding and Keeping Them Salespeople must... • approach sales as business development • be motivated not only by commission
- 60. Finding and Keeping Them Salespeople must... • approach sales as business development • be motivated not only by commission • work closely with founders to report learnings
- 61. Finding and Keeping Them Salespeople must... • approach sales as business development • be motivated not only by commission • work closely with founders to report learnings “ A startup is an organization formed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. ” — Steve Blank
- 63. Culture
- 65. Culture Team is everything. Team is everything. Team is everything. Team is everything. Team is everything. Team is everything. Team is everything. Team is everything.
- 66. Culture A company’s culture is an extension of the founders’ personalities.
- 67. Culture Multidisciplinary teams bring challenges.
- 68. Culture Encourage personal and professional growth.
- 70. Culture Vertical interactions — 1-on-1s. Horizontal interactions — 360 reviews.
- 71. Culture Discourage overworking. It leads only to burnout.
- 72. Culture Everything you do or say has a positive or negative effect on company culture.
- 73. New and Existing Talent A good team has a healthy mix of both.
- 74. New and Existing Talent New talent brings energy, new ideas and new perspectives.
- 75. New and Existing Talent Existing talent brings stability, best practices and a variety of experiences.
- 76. New and Existing Talent New talent is...
- 77. New and Existing Talent New talent is... • inexperienced
- 78. New and Existing Talent New talent is... • inexperienced • hungry... starving.
- 79. New and Existing Talent New talent is... • inexperienced • hungry... starving. • raw
- 80. New and Existing Talent New talent is... • inexperienced • hungry... starving. • raw • ripe for molding
- 81. New and Existing Talent New talent is... • inexperienced • hungry... starving. • raw • ripe for molding • relatively inexpensive
- 82. New and Existing Talent New talent is... • inexperienced • hungry... starving. • raw • ripe for molding • relatively inexpensive • risky
- 83. New and Existing Talent Existing talent is undefinable.
- 84. New and Existing Talent Just remember to hire more than just college students and recent graduates.
- 85. Interns Special unicorns all on their own.
- 86. Interns Think of them as filling a long-term funnel of full-time employees.
- 87. Interns Opportunity to mold young minds.
- 88. Interns Continuous feed of new ideas and perspectives.
- 89. Interns Hire for existing skill, but also for potential.
- 90. Interns Always give them a mentor.
- 91. Interns Integrate them into the team.
- 92. Interns Avoid the “intern project”.
- 93. Wrapping Up
- 94. Wrapping Up Don’t hire until you have to.
- 95. Wrapping Up Don’t hire until you have to. Team is everything.
- 96. Wrapping Up Don’t hire until you have to. Team is everything. Diversify and challenge.
- 97. Wrapping Up Don’t hire until you have to. Team is everything. Diversify and challenge. Foster a company culture made up of the best parts of your personality.
- 98. Wrapping Up Don’t hire until you have to. Team is everything. Diversify and challenge. Foster a company culture made up of the best parts of your personality. Everything you do and say matters.
Editor's Notes
- Presentation aimed at founders of young startups.\nBased on my own personal experiences. YMMV.\n
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- Explain CTO.\n
- Doesn’t count sales advisors. We have 3 of those.\n
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- Share anecdote on why a designer should be first hire.\nMention customer-first development (Steve Blank, 4 Steps to the Epiphany)\n
- IMO, a creative environment (espoused by designers) is more generally applicable and amenable than an engineering-oriented environment.\n
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- If you can’t afford the salary, give more equity. Do not skimp.\n2% for first.\n
- For the later employees. Ex. 2% -> 1% -> 0.75% -> 0.5%\n
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- There’s always another place they can go.\n
- Development, sales, and design are all fundamentally creative.\n
- Each is a presentation in its own right.\nKeep this high level.\n
- Devs can be territorial.\nConstant learning; if not, get rid of them.\n
- Devs can be territorial.\nConstant learning; if not, get rid of them.\n
- Devs can be territorial.\nConstant learning; if not, get rid of them.\n
- Devs can be territorial.\nConstant learning; if not, get rid of them.\n
- Not just UI design. Print design too.\nUser experience is more than just in the product. This is your brand.\n
- Not just UI design. Print design too.\nUser experience is more than just in the product. This is your brand.\n
- Not just UI design. Print design too.\nUser experience is more than just in the product. This is your brand.\n
- Not just UI design. Print design too.\nUser experience is more than just in the product. This is your brand.\n
- Devs can be territorial.\nConstant learning; if not, get rid of them.\n
- Devs can be territorial.\nConstant learning; if not, get rid of them.\n
- Devs can be territorial.\nConstant learning; if not, get rid of them.\n
- Devs can be territorial.\nConstant learning; if not, get rid of them.\n
- Communication with people inside and outside the company.\nOn and off the Internet.\n
- Communication with people inside and outside the company.\nOn and off the Internet.\n
- Communication with people inside and outside the company.\nOn and off the Internet.\n
- Communication with people inside and outside the company.\nOn and off the Internet.\n
- I don’t actually know what they want.\nTraditional salespeople are for later stage companies.\nShare story of creative sales comp package @ CM.\n
- I don’t actually know what they want.\nTraditional salespeople are for later stage companies.\nShare story of creative sales comp package @ CM.\n
- I don’t actually know what they want.\nTraditional salespeople are for later stage companies.\nShare story of creative sales comp package @ CM.\n
- I don’t actually know what they want.\nTraditional salespeople are for later stage companies.\nShare story of creative sales comp package @ CM.\n
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- Easy to remember, becomes difficult in the day-to-day to remember.\n
- Easy to remember, becomes difficult in the day-to-day to remember.\n
- Easy to remember, becomes difficult in the day-to-day to remember.\n
- Easy to remember, becomes difficult in the day-to-day to remember.\n
- Easy to remember, becomes difficult in the day-to-day to remember.\n
- Easy to remember, becomes difficult in the day-to-day to remember.\n
- Easy to remember, becomes difficult in the day-to-day to remember.\n
- Easy to remember, becomes difficult in the day-to-day to remember.\n
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- Multidisciplinary teams help with growth.\n
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- I have employees asking me for these things.\nThey need to know where they stand.\nDesire personal improvement.\n
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- Employees read into your words and actions.\nYou are their partner but also their leader.\n
- Briefly touch on this.\n
- Generally...\n
- Generally....\nAnd that’s not to say existing talent can’t bring new ideas.\n
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- It’s all about diversity.\n
- Briefly touch on this.\n
- Get ‘em while they’re young.\n
- They haven’t been jaded yet.\nCan still break bad habits.\n
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- Give special weight to potential.\nNot easy.\nFind overall smart people.\n
- Typically one of the earlier employees who is good at teaching.\n
- Gives them a sense of identity in the bigger picture.\n
- Intern projects cause a rift between the intern and the other engineers.\nThe projects are cop-outs.\n
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