In March 2024 I shared a series of LinkedIn‑style posts for Indian startup founders that distilled observations on hiring, founder presentation, compensation, core uncertainties, learning, failure, and the trade‑off between resource scarcity and abundance.
I note that a founder advisory board (not your board of directors) can be incredibly helpful for accessing talented individuals and with support on hiring decisions.
My mantra is “Hire slow, fire fast.” Embracing difficult conversations is a critical part of being a leader.
Low founder salaries can lead to: - Stress about paying bills, distracting from building the business.
High founder salaries can cause: - Shorter cash runway, meaning more time fundraising than growing the business.
These big uncertainties fall into three main categories: 1️⃣ Execution uncertainty: Do you have the right skills and experience to create what you're planning?
When startups don't have a lot of resources, they're forced to be creative and make careful choices.
These insights build on my earlier April 2024 reflections where I also flagged a 50 % hiring time allocation and inform the decisions I listed at the end of the March series.