I have a confession to make. When I started my entrepreneurship journey a year ago, I thought I had figured out everything. However, I was wrong!
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.
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 startups for advice – and got [envoke_twitter_link]insights worth preserving[/envoke_twitter_link].
Through this post, I’m sharing wisdom on hiring people from three entrepreneurs. It changed my perspective on 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 consultants 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 ‘channelise’ 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 SeniorLED, China’s leading LED brand with a 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. Rocky 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 to 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 the 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 that of Shawn. 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. Organise 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, [envoke_twitter_link]you cannot deliver the best experience without a team that is committed to the job[/envoke_twitter_link]. That’s why [envoke_twitter_link]it is important to figure out who the people working for you should be [/envoke_twitter_link]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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