The Secret to Great Talent

3 links, 1 thought, and 4 tweets. I hope they give you the most value for the least time every week.

Jesse Pujji

Mar 24, 2023

1. Product-led growth is many things. But here is what it's NOT.

A great primer on how to cultivate an effective product-led growth (PLG) strategy.

2. OK, it’s time to freak out about AI

Time to freak out? Or time to get to work? I agree that we can not predict exactly how AI will change our world. But I do know that I am going to be prepared to use AI to my benefit… at least until it’s time to crawl into my gooey pod.

3. Don't hire engineers until you have product market fit

This is some good, practical advice. In an era when venture money is more available than ever, it can be tempting to build a team prior to achieving PMF. But the disciplined approach is always a better long term strategy.

The Thought

The Secret to Great Talent

A hill I will die on: Great startup talent is BUILT not BOUGHT.

I made this matrix and share it with all startup CEOs I coach. The sad truth is that most early stage companies can only attract "powerhouse but inexperienced" hires. The powerhouse experienced ones are too expensive or hard to recruit. The reality for those folks is that your startup is unlikely an optimal "expected value" for them. Better EV for them is probably starting their own company or joining big tech/scaling growth stage and getting a much bigger package. The most dangerous of course are the not powerhouse but experienced. They are great talkers but not doers.

So if you believe this matrix, what else does it mean? It means while you can hire a powerhouse, they will require tons of training, development and coaching. I.e. you have to build them up to be that great hire and great talent. Every company I've founded, the best people have always been "built" talent. And one interesting note is that even the medium experienced folks who became great were super open to learning/feedback.

So what are you doing to develop talent? How can you do more?