Pallet

We've worked with 50+ seed stage startups hiring their first leaders in: marketing, operations, finance, and product Here's five tips we give to every founder to run the best possible process: 1. Be transparent Some startups have particularly intense hours. Some lack the capital to make significant salary offers. Most require a skillset outside of the job title. Each one provides an entirely unique environment. Transparency is self-selecting — being upfront with what you're really expecting will tighten your funnel. ----- 2. Solve, then hire. This applies to a lot of functions but growth is an easy example. Don't hire to grow, hire when you've already achieved growth, and need someone to scale it. The startups that have hired most successfully with us didn't need operators to figure out how to operate, but to make existing systems more efficient. ----- 3. The value of equity is seen in vision, not in dollars. Early stage hiring is marked by large equity packages. Commonly, founders will sell the financial upside of owning a significant part of their business. But you want candidates to draw their own conclusions. You can never come up with a more convincing dollar amount then the one imagined when you communicate a clearcut vision on how you'll reach the next level. ----- 4. Impact is king. Every successful employee at an early stage startup will provide a huge impact to the business as a whole. We've noticed that stressing the opportunity for impact and ownership is one of the most resonant messages towards candidates. People want to be leaders. ----- 5. Treat every convo as a pitch. In initial conversations both parties are vetting each other. This applies to startups even further down the line. Most candidates you originally source are not gonna be instantly interested in what you do. The burden of interest lies with you.