Observations of an Early Operator

Launching a new product or service is hard, but convincing others to join you well before the company is a sure thing is a whole different beast in itself. Where do you even begin? Having the right team in place early can make a world of difference. That being said, hiring, especially at this stage, is very hard to get right. There will be missteps. You will likely have to let people go, and some will leave once they realize that it is not for them. Putting the right group together takes time and patience. But, if you stay persistent, eventually you will find the right mix that will set your company up for years of success down the line.

So what are some important things to consider?

Culture Matters?

Most people in startup world have heard this before, but it can never be reiterated enough. You first 5-10 employees are crucial to shaping the future culture of the company. Their impact on how things are done, moving forward, will have lasting effects on your company—good or bad. You wouldn’t build a house with a questionable foundation, right? Treat the early building of your team the same way.

You want early operators who are all in on the company’s vision and mission, but who are also not afraid to (respectfully) challenge the CEO/Founders when necessary. They were hired for a reason, and it wasn’t just to blindly agree with every decision that is made.?

This core team needs to be able to withstand (occasionally extreme) tough times. They are inevitable, even as your team grows. The employees that join later will look to the early team as leaders when it comes to handling adversity. Whether they openly express it or not, they're watching you--what do you want to show them?

Move Fast, Thoughtfully

You're probably familiar with the famous phrase coined by Mark Zuckerberg: "Move fast, and break things". However, I believe it is in everyone's best interest at your company to move fast, but make sure you're being thoughtful about your decisions and creating a high quality product and experience. When it comes to start-ups at the earliest stage, time is not on your side. You're constantly racing against the ($$) clock. If your company is sacrificing quality and thoughtfulness, for the sake of speed, then you're setting a bad precedent. The team needs to be able to balance both.

Hire Generalists with a Specialist’s mindset

I believe it is somewhat universally agreed upon that at the earliest stages, you primarily need generalists who can "wear many hats". To some, this is a dangerous place to be because they feel an early stage employee may become good at a few things, but great at none.

I don't fully agree. The early operators that you bring into your company, by default, will have to be generalists. That's just how it goes. There are too many things to do, with too few people to do them. At the same time, you should strive to have individuals who are capable of going fairly deep in more than one area. So deep that they almost seem like they are specialists across multiple functions. They are able to compartmentalize their different roles, and be equally effective at each.

Which brings me to the next point...

Optimize for a High Impact per Employee Ratio?

Since early stage companies are operating with a finite amount of resources, the challenge (and opportunity) for the early members of your team is to figure out how they can have an outsized impact on the company, within their role. This will set the stage for how your product(s), team, and overall business develop over time. As an early team member, your output may potentially need to mimic that of 2-3 people. This will require you to stretch yourself in ways you never imagined. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Your company will not be able to staff for every single function that a similar company at later stage would.

Now, this comes with sacrifices. Being in on the ground floor of a company that can potentially change your life, and the lives of everyone involved, means other areas of your life will receive less attention. All of the early team members will need to be open to the idea that, for a certain amount of time, the mission of the company is the top priority, and proceed as such.

Prioritize Community Members/ Customers /Users

Saying you are "user obsessed" has become the norm for startups. However, not many companies actually walk the walk. This is especially important as you are still trying to find product-market fit, but still extremely important as you scale. No matter what their function within the company is, every early team member should have a very strong understanding of exactly who you are building for. This may mean that you have engineers talking to potential users to gain a better understanding of how they use your product, or why certain decisions are made by the CEO. Do not overlook this. Most strategic decisions should always be made with the consideration of how your users will be affected. If every team member is on the same page in this regard, you'll be able to live with the results of those decisions, no matter what they may be.