Shoutout to the b2b founders who think a big team means you're winning

I keep seeing founders in our space talk about team size like it's a score. Just last month, a founder in Austin bragged about hitting 50 people in two years. But when I looked at their product, it was still full of bugs and the sales were flat. I ran my first company with just three of us for four years and we hit over two million in yearly sales. More people means more meetings, more slow choices, and way more money going out the door each month. I think a lot of us get pushed to grow fast because it looks good to investors, but it can kill your focus on making a product customers really want. How do you fight the pressure to hire before you're truly ready?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_miles3mo ago

More people means more meetings" is so true. Just hire when you're in pain.

the_william1mo ago

Yeah I've been on both sides of this and neither one is fun. When you wait until you're drowning you end up taking whoever shows up first just to get a warm body in the chair. That's how I ended up with a guy who couldn't figure out Git after two weeks. On the flip side, hiring early can mean you're paying someone to twiddle their thumbs while you figure out what to do with them. Best middle ground I've found is to have a clear process written out before you even post the job ad - know exactly what they'll be doing day one. Then if you're already feeling a little stretched but not totally broken yet, that's your sign to start slow with a contractor or part-timer first.

noahjenkins3mo ago

Actually, I've found the opposite. If you wait until you're in pain to hire, you're already behind. You end up rushing a bad hire just to stop the bleeding, and then you're stuck training them during a crisis. Better to plan ahead a little.