Not So Fast

Startups like to hit the ground running, but taking a more strategic approach to hiring will set them up for sustained success

- Damien Martin

Congratulations, you started your own company. That dream you've nurtured for years is finally becoming a reality. You're striking out on your own and you're going to be the boss. After that initial euphoria, if you're like a lot of founders, you might get a twinge of panic and think, "We need to hire more people if we're going to really get moving."

Sometimes, founders' hands are forced because venture capital comes with investors' expectations that they'll allocate a certain percentage to hiring. Other times, all that cash is burning a hole in founders' pockets and they want to assemble a dream team. Imposter syndrome starts to creep in, and they want to hire experts, forgetting it was their own skill and hard work that launched the company in the first place.

But, warns Brianna Rooney, CEO and founder of strategic talent partner TalentPerch, moving faster doesn't necessarily mean you have to hire more. There are probably people in the core team launching the company with you who have the transferable skills necessary to take on a host of assignments. This will give you the time necessary to establish the company culture and values that will attract the right kind of people, keep them, and result in sustainable hiring.

Establishing Culture 

Before you just go hiring willy-nilly, it's important to set the company's values.

Hiring is a two-way street, and the people you bring on want to have a positive experience and be a good fit just as much as you want them to.

"What do we care about? What are our values?" Are important questions for founders to ask themselves so they can instill those values in their companies, and then go out hiring.

"If there's something that you value, then you have to make sure every single person you bring in values the same thing," Rooney said. "Because if you don't, you're going to have so many issues throughout."