When I hired my first team member, I was excited… and honestly, a little nervous.
I thought if I found people with the right skills, everything would fall into place.
It didn’t.
Here are a few things I learned the hard way:
1. Don’t hire just for skills.
Someone can be great on paper but not fit how your team works. The best hires cared about the work and shared the same goals.
2. Culture starts with you.
I thought culture was about fun activities or slogans. It’s really about how you show up every day – how you communicate, how you solve problems, and how you treat people.
3. Hire for where you are, not where you want to be.
In the early days, you need people who can handle messy situations, do multi-tasking, and build from scratch – not just follow processes.
4. Your first few hires matter the most.
They set the tone for everything – work habits, communication, and even how future hires will think.
If I could go back, I’d spend more time understanding what motivates people – not just what they can do.
It’s much easier to teach skills than to fix attitude or teamwork issues later.
If you’ve built a team before, what’s one thing you wish you knew earlier?