Your first 10 hires will determine if you scale to $100M or die at $10M. Most founders hire for skills. Winners hire for judgment. Skills can be taught. Judgment under pressure cannot.
Serial entrepreneur, AFoundery venture studio founder, angel investor, mentor, and public speaker. Harvard Business School alumnus. 20+ years building ventures across USA, Mexico, India & Nepal. 30+ startup investments via TheSeedFund.vc.
Your first 10 hires will determine if you scale to $100M or die at $10M. Most founders hire for skills. Winners hire for judgment. Skills can be taught. Judgment under pressure cannot.
Stop chasing a unicorn that needs constant outside money. Build something that pays you this year and still stands in ten.
A business built for an exit serves a buyer who may never come. A business built for profit serves a customer who is already here.
I am not looking for the most polished applicant. I am looking for the one who already talked to a customer.