I have a confession to make. When I started my entrepreneurship journey a year ago, I thought I had figured out everything. I mean I had a small team with over 20 years of collective experience in the IT industry and a good support system to get me through the initial dry spell. But I was wrong!
I didn’t know how to groom my talented team to handle bigger projects. It’s not like I didn’t try. I hired the best HR agency in the town and conducted endless personal interviews – but to no avail. After losing the hiring battle, I reached out to entrepreneurs running successful ventures for advice – and got insights worth preserving.
Through this post, I’m sharing the hiring wisdom from three entrepreneurs that changed my perspective of finding talent. Let’s get down to it right away!
Hiring Wisdom From Jas Kaur
Jas Kaur is the co-founder of QuikConsult, a Chandigarh-based startup connecting top consultations of India with people seeking advice. When I asked her about the talent dilemma my startup consultation and web services brand was facing, she told me to ‘channelize’ my personal network. She said: “All of us know people who know people. You must have thousands of friends on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Mind every network and jot down names of people related to your industry. Reach out to them personally and say how you are planning to grow your team. I guarantee you will be surprised how many will respond positively.”
Hiring Insights From Rocky Ma
Rocky Ma is the CEO of Senior LED, China’s leading LED brand with global client base. When I emailed him to share some talent acquisition tips, he told me to fine-tune the hiring process and make some much needed tweaks. This is what Rocky exactly said: “Some people take time to open up. Some may not share the enthusiasm you have for your company. Accept that. Focus on two things: Flexibility and skill-set. If she can get the job done at the end of the day and is open to learning, hire her. Your first goal should be confirm the skill-set, and later concern yourself with other details.”
Hiring Insights From Shawn Michaels
Shawn is the founder of Smart Lad, a top knowledge resource for outdoor and adventure gear in USA. A young entrepreneur and explorer, he is truly a warehouse of personal brand building. If I had to choose one hiring tip I loved the most, I would pick Shawn’s. This is what he said: “Start building a culture that people would want to be part of. Make your office a great place to be. Make space for play during work. Organize great parties. Have a transparent reward policy. And most importantly, talk about it all. This will bring the best talent to you. And you won’t have to pay a head hunter for that.”
Whether you are building a startup, or running a coffee shop, you cannot deliver the best experience without a team that is committed to the job. That’s why it is important to figure out the ‘people’ angle when you are thinking about starting on your own. I did it for UpReports – and you must, too, for your business or startup!
While these were hiring tips from my circle of entrepreneurs, I’m sure you have some hacks to bring together great people as well. Share them in the comments section and let’s start a conversation!
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