Getting it absolutely right with our “Start-up” solution

The magic number is “2”! Ok, I can imagine a couple of head scratching, puzzling looks going around the room. Let me add some context to this!

It is with great pride and excitement that I’m doing this article, and “Yes!”, I’m blowing my own trumpet a little here. Just let me enjoy and savor this moment a little.

 It took us “2weeks” for one of our “Start-up Solution” client to get to their first hire!

Working with Start-ups had always been what set us apart from the others. At our very core, we’ve also held firm to our beliefs that as a HR and Talent Partner to our clients, the work we do is an extension to their setup.

 I remember my first engagement with this client, not so long ago. We discussed how I could help with some of his hiring. Being an early start up, he’s yet to hire any anyone and is extremely cautious with his spend. I am of the same mind, given that The Talent Shark is still in our early days.

I guess the similarity of both organizations worked out well and we were able to convince them to hear us out. The very first concern is with the cost and how our industry traditionally priced our services. While it’s a pricing model that’ll work for established organizations, it can be daunting to commit such cost when you are at seed funding or series A stage and not anticipating revenue for the next couple quarters.

Our first meeting quickly got to the pricing agenda, and trust me, it took a bit of modelling to get to the right pricing model which is a win-win for both organizations. So, how did we do that?

Open and candid discussions! As simple as it sounds, what really happened during that short 60 mins was exactly what took place in many organizations during their headcount/ manpower/ talent planning exercise. (Whatever term you call it!)

What our client got when they first engaged us was access to a fully functional HR and Talent team, and the ability to engage and plan at a strategic level how that hiring plan would look like. We managed to achieve a ramp plan aligned to the go live timeline by fine tuning the original hiring plan our client got. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that they don’t have anything, or the expertise to do this. They do have a fully decked out plan and it was impressive. As we step into the role of their “Interim CHRO/ Head of TA”, we had the perfect opportunity to fine-tuned this plan and made it executable.

As we got a deeper understanding of what they wanted to do, when and how, we were able to put in a very attractive pricing model which allows for scale as they ramp up their activities.

Saying “yes” was an easy decision for the both of us. It was a good business both ways, and the moment we’ve got a shake on that, it was all hands-on deck. Which brings us to that magical 2 weeks!

2 weeks to the first hire, and I haven’t even mentioned that we’ve also got to final shortlist for one of their head of department role at week 2, which is an absolute key hire!

I’m extremely excited about this partnership and collaboration. It was an important milestone we’ve crossed and we’re looking to a long and fulfilling journey with this client.

Finally, thanks for hearing me brag about our own success. This milestone meant a lot to me and the team at The Talent Shark, and yes, I’ve got a bottle of champagne ready.

Do share your startup experience, joy and pain with us. Every startup is different, and the more people we talk to, the more we learn, the better we get at doing this.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Eric Wong is the Managing Consultant from The Talent Shark and the CHRO forIntel Wise. His experience spans across the various human resource functions such as HR Information Systems, Business Partnering and Talent Management. Eric currently sits on the Advisory Board of the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS). Connect with him on Linkedin or follow him on Twitter @ErickyWong.