Recruit The Right Candidates

• Culture and environment: Company outings, family picnics, lunch and learns, appreciation days, etc.
• Attire: Whether there’s a dress code — if it’s business casual, business formal, and so on.
• Employer prestige: Your retention rate, company history, tech opportunities, awards won, etc.
• Travel: Company trips, seminars, conferences and training.
• Compensation and benefits: Incentives, bonus structure, stock, 401(k), holidays, company car, healthcare, etc.
• Personal advancement: On-the-job training, cross-training, education, certifications, employee awards and promotions.

Know The Type of Candidate You Want

Ask Pertinent Interview Questions

• “Why should I hire you?”
• “If I called your old boss, what would he or she tell me you need to work on?”
• “How you would handle X situation?” (Make it a situational question that requires creative reasoning skills.)

Check References

Commit to Excellence 

Check Social Media

Hire Interns

Up until that point, my small team was getting by with sticky notes on a whiteboard, a handful of phones and a small website. Our press feature, although exciting, was bringing in traffic that we simply couldn’t handle. We missed out on a lot of business that day because our website crashed, we couldn’t respond to emails fast enough, and we weren’t able to answer every call.

So what did we do next? Planned for scalability. I made it an objective for the next year to focus on building processes, tools and headcount (if necessary) for complete 10x scalability. I worked closely with my chief operating and technology officers to make sure all of our bases were covered — and the lessons that came from that year have been some of the most important since starting Fattmerchant. 

You Can’t Manage What You Can’t Measure

When you’re operating on a small scale, it’s easy to pull numbers when you need them or simply remember important information. You’ll notice where your leads are coming from because there aren’t that many — so you take a personal look at each one.

This should go without saying, but that just isn’t going to work at scale. As your company continues to grow, it is vital that you have tools in place to track everything. The more data you have, the better equipped you are to make changes when necessary, either to fix what’s broken or improve what’s working.

Metrics dashboards have become my best friend, all thanks to my CTO. We’ve built dashboards for all of our departments so we can stay on top of metrics day to day. This has been a game-changer as far as scale is concerned, because now we can look at the numbers and gain a better understanding of where our roadblocks are.

Determine Build Versus Buy

So you find yourself in need of a certain product or tool — a website upgrade, customer management system, new landing pages — but you don’t know where to start. You might immediately look at your in-house developer for your website upgrades, but she already has a full plate with your core product. In these cases, it might be the smarter decision to buy services from an outside source. Other companies have found their niche and have the time, experience and expertise that your team members might not have for certain tasks.

Look at each new process or tool you want to implement and make sure that your internal team’s time is being used in the best way. For example, my company recently reached out for third-party help on some website optimization items, but looked in-house for customer onboarding improvements.

Never Say ‘This is Fine for Now’

Saying that running a business is hectic is a massive understatement. Trust me, I know how difficult it is to look at broken processes, see what it’ll take to fix them, and feel overwhelmed by all of the other things on your plate. But saying “this is fine for now” is the worst thing you can do.

Putting the time, effort and dollars into building scalable processes now will pay off in the long run. In the early days of Fattmerchant, we didn’t know how to keep track of deals. Someone picked up a Post-it, wrote down the contact information, stuck it on a whiteboard, and we all thought “this is fine for now.” We quickly learned it wasn’t and realized the importance of a good CRM system the hard way.

Understand When to Break Your Ceilings

One of my favorite analogies for scale is the ceiling analogy. Basically, every new stage of growth can be viewed as a floor of a building. The most difficult part of scaling is breaking through to the next floor — but once you do, there’s a period of relative calm as you float toward the next ceiling.

Our COO is wonderful at understanding when to break that next ceiling. It’s natural to want to break it as soon as you see it. Growth is exciting! But that isn’t always the best idea. Understanding the right time to make the move can ensure you’re actually ready in every sense — headcount, funding, process and so on.

Give Your Decisions Time

With everything going on as you scale your business, it’s easy to feel impatient. As you continue to build process, make decisions, implement tools, and hire new team members, you will naturally expect instant results. But don’t fret if you don’t. These things take time!

One thing we have all learned is to not overcorrect. Once you make a decision or implement a new process, give it time to do its thing. Just because it’s not immediately showing results, doesn’t mean you need to pivot to a new solution right away. A good way to combat this is to go into each new decision with a set of success and failure definitions. What exactly does success look like for this process? What’s the ramp schedule? Answer these questions and set expectations for each major decision. You’ll be set up for success.

But above all, I encourage you to take risks. You already took the leap and started your own business, so the “playing it safe” mindset has no place in your company. Success comes from your ability to go outside of your comfort zone and do what you need to do to grow and scale the best way you can. Create great processes and hire great people, and you’ll be on the road to success in no time.

To succeed in a startup environment, employees must have two qualities: enthusiasm and flexibility. Like the saying goes, hard work beats talent when talent won’t work hard. As a business leader, I will take a determined individual with some experience over someone with years of experience and no enthusiasm. A positive drive allows people to adapt when roadblocks arise.

Employees must also be ready and willing to work in the trenches right next to you. The startup battlefield involves a lot of sacrifices, hard work and important decisions. Talented individuals who believe in the vision — not just their paychecks — can make a difference for the startup.

Hire For Love

It sounds simple, but my most reliable (and successful) employees love their jobs. Anyone can gain knowledge in a particular field, and it’s obvious when employees are doing only enough to get by. Individuals with a genuine love for the job pay attention to detail because they care and want to challenge themselves. They are the ones who put in the time and effort, and aren’t just watching the clock.

Not hiring for love of the job breeds negativity, which can overtake all the positives you have built. Two employees who are excited about our mission and love their jobs are much better and more valuable than an office full of employees who have amazing talent but drag everyone down.

How to Spot Employees Who Love What They Do

I can look at my employees and know instantly who is dedicated to the company (and who is not). Anyone can show up and be physically present for eight hours, but it takes someone who loves his or her job to do something meaningful in that timeframe.

Here are three ways to stay aware:

• Schedule regular team lunches. We schedule mandatory lunches outside the office every other Friday, which gives us a chance to bond as a team and discuss our performance. It’s known that employees who regularly eat together have better work performance than those who consistently work alone, and my team is no exception. People tend to open up more and be themselves when they’re away from the office. The meetings have no time constraints, and as we eat together I recap what we have accomplished and discuss possible new initiatives Regularly spending time together and bonding over lunch helps me see who loves what they do and who may be falling “out of love.”
• Communicate the creative process. My job as a leader and innovator is to provide direction, insight, and different approaches to business tasks that will keep everyone focused. Maintaining a transparent creative process helps employees stay in the loop and retain their enthusiasm. When my employees see me working at the office after almost everyone else has headed home, they know that I love what I do. Valuable employees will go to bat for their leaders, especially when the boss is fighting right alongside them. Leaders have to get their hands dirty and make sacrifices to get the best results from the team.
• Be responsibly compassionate. Startup life can majorly impact home life, and balancing the two can be incredibly difficult. Taking a personal approach at work and asking my employees about their lives helps me be aware of any challenges they’re encountering — in the office or at home.

An unexpected death in my family a few years ago led me to closely examine my own work-life balance; I realized I was not spending enough time with the ones I love most. This experience gave me greater insight into my employees’ happiness: I give people space if I sense something is going on outside the office. I approach individuals only if the behavior is repetitive, disruptive, or interferes with deadlines. I owe it to my team to be supportive when needed and offer encouragement when they’re facing distractions outside the office. Ensuring them that their job is secure gives them one fewer thing to worry about.

Startup life can be stressful, but employees who love their jobs are committed to helping their company succeed. Looking for those employees helps keep that love — and your startup — alive.

The need to maintain a good dialogue with my talented team is critical, however, in order to maintain or accelerate their productivity. That has led me to try different communication tactics to ensure the lines are open and I’m addressing each remote team member’s needs. These five tactics have helped us improve communication and productivity.

Keep Online and Mobile Channels Open 

While there are obviously certain times of day when I have to set my Slack channel to “snooze,” I tend to leave it open and accessible to the entire team. They are located in various parts of the world, so different time zones mean they will reach out at hours that may not always align with my schedule. However, by keeping that channel open, I see all notifications of someone who needs my response or guidance much faster than I would if the message was emailed to me.

Delegate Specific Communication Needs 

Having a communication channel like Slack also provides a way to open up the conversation to other senior members of the team who might be able to address a concern or question much sooner than I can. That’s why I’ve told all team members to contact certain people with specific concerns. It’s an approach that shows the remote team that it’s good to talk to each other and that I no longer hold all the answers.

For example, the remote team knows that if they have a log-in problem, they can check in with our chief technology officer. Or, if there is a product or feature question, a remote team member can reach out to members of the sales team. This gets their question answered and allows me to focus on other communication needs. It is also a way to start establishing a formal structure — necessary as the company grows.

Share Company Updates

With so much going on, it’s hard to remember what you have shared with the team and what you have forgotten to announce about the company’s growth and changes. It may sound unlikely, but as you grow, it happens. I’ve started creating a running list of changes and happenings each month that I put together in an email to share with the remote team. Entering these updates into a notes app as soon as I think about or handle the changes enables me to simply copy and paste them into bullet points for each monthly company email.

Since doing so, everyone seems to have fewer questions. There has been much more enthusiasm because each remote member can visualize what they are a part of, how it’s growing and where it’s headed, rather than wonder what has been going on. Focus on the areas that are “wins” and also mention specific areas of changes for improvements, so the remote team has a roadmap and a set of goals. Of course, while you can’t share everything, it helps to supply your team with the updates you can.

Don’t Slip Into an “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” Mentality 

It’s great when you have a talented, productive team because it alleviates some of the stress that goes with managing a business. However, just because they are pumping out the work and generating revenue doesn’t mean you should stay quiet. What can happen is that you get caught up in what you do have to worry about and forget to check in or acknowledge their hard work.

Since these workers are remote, they most likely already feel somewhat alienated, even if they do like working this way. It can get lonely and lead to a team member feeling unappreciated — even when it couldn’t be further from the truth. Your appreciation of them may be in your mind but you haven’t stopped to tell them.

I add times to my calendar each week to check in with certain members of the team through their preferred communication channel. If they can’t talk then, I make a note based on their feedback to try again when it works for them. This has helped me keep them on my mind. In return, they have an opportunity to share what’s on their mind. The catching-up process lets them know they are thought of, valued and critical to our success.

Collaborate With Shared Documents

While all these communication tips have vastly improved how my remote team works, one of the best ideas has been using collaborative documents rather than emailing or uploading files to each other. I switched to using Google Drive collaboration tools for documents and spreadsheets. It allows work to get completed quicker and provides a way for me to list tasks. Plus, we can chat using the messaging function on this collaborative platform to ensure everyone is on the same page. And finally, it provides a way for many people to voice their opinion, share ideas and stay in the loop with what we have going on.

Having as many on my remote team as I do now — and with plans to hire more people — communication has been a challenge throughout the past year. However, in making the changes I’ve listed above, we’ve seen vast improvements, with productivity already on the rise. There is always more to do, but it’s important to start doing something before you lose any of your talent!

Does this sound gut-wrenchingly familiar? There’s a good chance you committed one or more of the five fatal mistakes of negotiating a raise. I’ve been on both sides of the table, as an employee navigating annual reviews and asking for raises, and as an employer and CEO conducting more than 100 annual reviews since 2009.

In order to broach the topic of a raise, you need to first understand what’s at stake. Your employer will give you a raise when you’ve met all of the following conditions:

• You are producing more tangible value in your role than you’ve been compensated for since your last performance review (i.e. You are producing more, high-quality output).
• You are taking on responsibilities and initiatives outside of your core role and are excelling at them without dropping the ball. 
• You have built up enough value in your company that your particular skills and talents are difficult to replace.

Once you’ve understood that any negotiation is based on two parties agreeing upon the perceived value being discussed, you’ll have a much more successful outcome. Steer clear from making any of these disastrous mistakes during a salary negotiation:

You Don’t Know What The Market Pays For Your Position

If you don’t understand the changing value of your role in the market, you won’t be able to anchor your request with facts. Market value is determined by:

• What you could earn for the same role elsewhere
• What your company would pay to replace you 
• What your company would pay to keep you

Compare apples to apples when researching your role. Account for market size, geography, and cost of living standards. For instance, salaries in Toronto, Canada will be very different from those in San Francisco.

You’re Asking For a Raise Prior to Proving Your Capabilities

Employers are wary about paying for success in advance of it being achieved. If in the last year, you have over-performed in your role, but your responsibilities have stayed the same this year, asking for a performance bonus is much more appropriate and likely to get awarded.

To increase overall compensation, you must increase your responsibilities and do more work that creates tangible value for your company. A reasonable boss would be happy to compensate you for it. 

You Think Working Harder Is The Same as Producing More

As coach John Wooden used to say, “Never mistake activity with achievement.” Applying effort, being a team player, and being a social butterfly at work won’t necessarily increase your value. If you find yourself talking about how you deserve a raise because you’re a hard worker, you’re automatically setting yourself up for disappointment.

To increase your salary, simply become an achiever in your role. Think of yourself as a sports player: The more goals you score, the better your contract gets.

You Aren’t Prepared to Show Your Boss How You’ve Provided More Value

Prepare a well-structured document to show your boss how you’ve increased value for the company. Doing this prior to discussing your raise not only increases your confidence when speaking with your boss, but your boss will be pleasantly surprised to see that you’re so well prepared.

You Aren’t Asking The Right Questions

Your boss may have a number of objections to green-lighting your request for a raise. Understand that timing is everything when it comes to salary negotiations. In the event that you face an objection from your boss, ask him or her these questions:

• “Under what circumstances would you be happy to give me the raise I’m asking for?”
• “Which of my statements do you agree with? Which do have concerns about?”
• “What specific things need to happen so that we both agree this raise is merited at our next performance review?”

Remember that “no” doesn’t mean “never.” It means “not right now,” which is precisely why asking better questions will help you navigate and pre-determine the factors involved in scoring your next raise.

However, the more time I spend on the other side of the table interviewing and hiring job applicants, the more I’ve come to see the resume as just one small component of a much larger picture. And by the time today’s students graduate from college, I’m not so convinced that resumes will – or should – bear the weight they have in the past.

Through my experiences, I’ve found that other aspects of the application and hiring processes do much more to bring the resume (and the person) to life:

Your Personal Narrative

Every interview in our office begins with the classic “tell me about yourself.” While the question may be a bit clichéd, I’m most focused on one thing in particular: the candidate’s narrative. How did her educational path influence her professional one? How do her past experiences shape her goals for the future? What details has she left out? Resumes ask the recipient to derive their own narratives; the format is inherently passive. Despite this, as a job seeker, be sure to utilize the form to make your story pop off the page in anticipation of your interview. Be thoughtful about how you’re arranging your experiences. Sometimes chronology is most effective, but not always. Remember that the headings you use and the way you organize your work history will give the recipient helpful context. Think of the resume as an outline for your story so that when you arrive for the interview, the narrative will easily flow.

Expressing Gratitude Thoughtfully – and Quickly

Too many times, I’ve reviewed a perfectly edited resume only to receive a thank-you note with typos and grammar errors. It’s one thing to be able to communicate effectively in a resume format and another to write a well-composed, thoughtful follow-up message. If a resume is a first impression, a thank-you note is how you want to be remembered. And here, technology can play to a candidate’s advantage. While a handwritten note is a charming touch, it should only be used to follow up after an email. I expect to hear from a candidate within 24 hours of an interview. For business owners, be sure candidates have the interviewer’s email address. Any time our office schedules an interview, we copy the interviewer on the exchange to ensure that their information is accessible after the meeting.

Showing Your Skills in Action  

While job applicants are traditionally expected to write or speak about their experiences, it can be challenging to showcase your abilities in an interview setting. In the college process, some innovative universities are welcoming prospective students on campus for live writing tests and are encouraging students to submit graded academic assignments with their applications. In a similar vein, we give job applicants the opportunity to show how they think on the spot, applying their skills to new problems.

We’re always sure to give candidates advance notice (no one likes to be caught completely by surprise!), but simulating an actual work scenario offers a glimpse into what cannot be gleaned on paper alone. Additionally, digital portfolios and personal websites aren’t only for artists; putting a link to a personal website at the top of a resume shows initiative and reveals a candidate’s personal passion and style. While employers may want to develop their own tests, job applicants can be proactive by sharing past writing samples or projects to offer a sample of their work in action.

One of the most exciting parts of my job is preparing students for their futures. And as someone who’s simultaneously committed to recruiting the best talent for our team (a goal many universities share), I’ve come to realize that we need to think about what the resumes of the future might look like. While paper resumes may be eschewed for their digital variations in the coming years, the human element – and the power of narrative – is not going anywhere.

Through my experience as a startup founder, I’ve realized that mental health issues are especially prominent among founders and people who play major roles in entrepreneurial endeavors. After addressing my own mental health and witnessing many of my close founder friends sink into depression, I have taken steps to ensure my company sustains a healthy work environment in order for everyone to thrive.

Let Go of Negative Influences

I founded Humm.ly six months ago with several others. I trusted one particular team member wholeheartedly, overlooking some questionable behaviors because I thought his skills and talent would be valuable to the team. They delivered impeccable work whenever needed. I let him lead an entire project because I trusted his high standard of work. However, trying to get a startup going can be perilous. They were highly critical of other employees in circumstances that called for patience. Gradually, this person’s temper discouraged almost everyone in the company. I was afraid to start frank conversations with him because of unreasonable criticisms and arguments. It was a difficult realization for me. I had to convince myself that having him as a leader in the company would significantly slow down work performance and impact others’ job satisfaction. After a lot of consideration and consultation with more experienced startup founders, I made the difficult decision to let them go. Even though I had sympathy for him, his departure ultimately prevented negativity from spreading to other team members.

Encourage Physical Wellness

Years of research shows that physical activity can reduce anxiety and depression for healthy adults. Yet, exercising regularly can be difficult, especially when starting a new company and experiencing high levels of stress. During the beginning of my startup life, I experienced tremendous weight gain, living on spicy ramen and late-night delivery options. One of my founding members ate Big Macs for a month straight! This was not the image we wanted to present, especially with a mission to promote healthy lifestyles for our users. I encouraged the team to sign up for boxing and yoga classes with me. I reminded them to eat healthfully and sleep well every day.

We have been able to maintain medium- to high-intensity exercise routines ever since then. If you are worried about how to keep your team motivated to accomplish fitness goals, lead by example. You can initiate a great sense of well-being within your company by creating opportunities for regular exercise and fitness partnerships within your team. I’ve seen that with a proper routine, memory recall and creativity can increase and team members can feel more relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives, potentially increasing their performance and attitude at work.

Develop Meaningful One-to-One Communication

The most challenging thing in my startup experience so far has been managing the emotional highs and lows over the past several months. Although the ups and downs are a natural part of building a new company, it’s crucial to keep track of all team members’ well being, especially during the initial development of the business. I have found that regular one-to-one meetings are valuable for building rapport between you and the individuals you work with every day. Get coffee, go for lunch, hike and even take spontaneous trips with the team member you want to check in with. One-to-one communication can develop trust, increase productivity, and support the team’s alignment and development of a shared mental model.

Foster a Supportive and Positive Culture

Creating a supportive and positive culture became the most important priority for my company after stress and burnout caused internal discord and issues with team members. Although startups are always pushing to meet crucial deadlines, it is ultimately more important to reinforce your team and support them in going the extra mile. You want to help your team feel welcome, secure in their position and valued within the company. Lead by example and set a positive tone through supportive behaviors. As you build relationships with team members and grow your company’s culture, over time you will create a supportive and positive place that people love working at.

Competition in the startup world can be brutal. If founding team members are constantly overwhelmed and not receiving support for mental or physical wellness, the company could crumble. Every founder should consider working on their own skills, including mindfulness, listening, clear communication and empathy. The team and the company will benefit from their founder leading by example, resulting in longevity, prosperity and happiness for all involved.

Understand That Everyone Has a Unique Perspective

Having six sisters, I learned early on that everyone has a unique perspective. What one person perceives as a benign comment can start a war when heard by someone else. I try hard to keep this in mind when working with my employees. What seems obvious to me may not be to my team.

This came to mind during a recent meeting. “How did you come up with that number?” I asked my managers. The math wasn’t adding up. After having a discussion with no resolution, I realized that the problem was the way I asked the question: it was making one of my managers more defensive than I had intended.

I’ve also developed a different sort of perspective as a CEO. I see the big picture, where frequently, my employees only see what impacts them directly. For example, one of our employees was recently promoted to manager. While she welcomed the position, it took a while for her mindset to shift from that of an individual contributor. For months, she put her external clients ahead of her managerial responsibilities, not realizing that she really needed to delegate that work to another team member so that she could focus. Once she realized this, she shifted her perspective and is now making better leadership decisions.

Establish a Rapport

As busy as I am, small talk can feel like a waste of time. “How are you?” and “What are you doing this weekend?” aren’t the first items on my agenda. That said, having camaraderie goes a long way in building a team that trusts one another. As the boss, it also ensures the team knows I care about them as people, and not only for the work they are doing. In the long run, the few minutes it takes to catch up with an employee helps improve job satisfaction. When employees feel valued as people, they are more likely to remain committed and stay with our company.

Be Direct

This may sound contradictory to my last advice, but I’ve found getting to the point quickly is my best approach. Being a good manager means clearly articulating what you need an employee to do, within what timeframe, and how you want the task performed. It’s hard for employees to succeed if they don’t have an explicit directive.

This can be challenging when you must reprimand an employee, but both of you know what’s coming. Better to get it out and figure out the next steps so you can move on.

Listen

My final piece of communication advice is to listen. I learn something every time I talk to my employees. I also make better decisions because I’ve taken the time to listen. It allows me to learn the perspective of my team, establish a rapport and improve their overall function.

Managing people is difficult. To succeed, I’ve worked hard to become more aware of what’s going on in all aspects of my business. I’ve also set goals so that I can improve employee turnover, my ability to get employees to do what I’ve asked, and employee satisfaction. After some trial and error, I’ve found that the more effort I put into managing people, the more successful I am as a business owner.