A little aboutme 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
A little aboutme Co-founded CloudMine in Philadelphia Currently CTO
CloudMine’s Team Grew from3 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
Agenda When to Grow TheFirst Hire Finding Them and Keeping Them Culture New vs. Existing Talent Interns
When should wegrow? People are your most expensive resource.
When should wegrow? You should always be pegged at 100%. (don’t be lazy)
When should wegrow? In the beginning... Your job is to do everything.
When should wegrow? Hiring someone means firing yourself from their job. (with the exception of sales)
When should wegrow? Hire to fill the gaps in your personal skill-set
When should wegrow? Remember: don’t outsource CEO responsibilities (like fundraising)
When should wegrow? Remember: don’t outsource CEO responsibilities (or hiring)
The First Hire Importantquestions to ask yourself: • Can this person shoulder extra responsibility?
The First Hire Importantquestions to ask yourself: • Can this person shoulder extra responsibility? • Can this person communicate with you?
The First Hire Importantquestions 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?
The First Hire Importantquestions 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?
The First Hire Importantquestions 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?
The First Hire Peopledecide to work with you based on the people they will be working with.
Finding and KeepingThem The key is keeping your employees challenged and giving them creative freedom.
Finding and KeepingThem 3 roles I will cover: • Designers • Developers • Salespeople
Finding and KeepingThem Designers want... • to be challenged • to work with people they respect
Finding and KeepingThem Designers want... • to be challenged • to work with people they respect • to be respected by their peers
Finding and KeepingThem 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
Finding and KeepingThem Designers must... • have a variety of design skills • focus on user experience
Finding and KeepingThem Designers must... • have a variety of design skills • focus on user experience • appreciate constructive criticism
Finding and KeepingThem Designers must... • have a variety of design skills • focus on user experience • appreciate constructive criticism • be flexible and amenable to change
Finding and KeepingThem Developers want... • to be challenged technically • to work with people they respect
Finding and KeepingThem Developers want... • to be challenged technically • to work with people they respect • to work with people they can learn from
Finding and KeepingThem Developers want... • to be challenged technically • to work with people they respect • to work with people they can learn from • to feel ownership
Finding and KeepingThem Developers must... • be product people • be able to communicate with other people
Finding and KeepingThem Developers must... • be product people • be able to communicate with other people • believe in what you are building
Finding and KeepingThem Developers must... • be product people • be able to communicate with other people • believe in what you are building • be flexible and amenable to change
Finding and KeepingThem Salespeople must... • approach sales as business development
Finding and KeepingThem Salespeople must... • approach sales as business development • be motivated not only by commission
Finding and KeepingThem Salespeople must... • approach sales as business development • be motivated not only by commission • work closely with founders to report learnings
Finding and KeepingThem 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
Culture Team is everything. Teamis everything. Team is everything. Team is everything. Team is everything. Team is everything. Team is everything. Team is everything.
New and ExistingTalent New talent brings energy, new ideas and new perspectives.
New and ExistingTalent Existing talent brings stability, best practices and a variety of experiences.
New and ExistingTalent New talent is... • inexperienced • hungry... starving.
New and ExistingTalent New talent is... • inexperienced • hungry... starving. • raw
New and ExistingTalent New talent is... • inexperienced • hungry... starving. • raw • ripe for molding
New and ExistingTalent New talent is... • inexperienced • hungry... starving. • raw • ripe for molding • relatively inexpensive
New and ExistingTalent New talent is... • inexperienced • hungry... starving. • raw • ripe for molding • relatively inexpensive • risky
New and ExistingTalent Just remember to hire more than just college students and recent graduates.
Wrapping Up Don’t hireuntil you have to. Team is everything. Diversify and challenge. Foster a company culture made up of the best parts of your personality.
Wrapping Up Don’t hireuntil 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.