Start-up Realities

Recently we wanted to hire a talented individual. The problem was he lacked start-up experience. We were concerned that he was accustomed to life at “BigCo.” That evening, I wrote him a letter. Our CTO reviewed it, made a few minor edits, and together we sent it off…

Dear Candidate,

We look forward to discussing the prospect of you joining the Green Couch Conspiracy in a full-time capacity. Before we do that, it is imperative that you fully understand the realities of start-ups in general, and Green Couch Conspiracy in specific.

Start-ups are the worst possible work environment for 99% of the population. The hours longer, the pay lower, the work more stressful and demanding, the prospect of no paycheck higher, and the probability of failure higher than in any category of businesses.

Start-ups have no friends. No competitors welcome a startup into the market. No customers or vendors have grown to rely on them. The overwhelming majority of potential clients don’t want to hear about yet another product/service/company. The standard reaction is to dismiss the new offering out-of-hand with the first objection that comes to mind.

And yet, for a tiny handful of people, this presents the ideal work environment. Startups are challenging, demanding, and sometimes harsh. And because of this, they are vital, exciting, and creators of tremendous value.

Our current challenge is an execution race. To succeed, we must, and do, have ruthless focus on that. The time has past for pondering and exploring new ideas. We have a strategy. We have received good feedback that it is the right one. We must execute on it as rapidly as possible. There is no time for anything else.

The hours are long. The founder of Cisco said that “dedication begins at 60 hours a week.” Please consider this. Are you ready for the impact it will have?

In a start-up, you must work on the highest value task. Fun, or interest-level just doesn’t play into it. If shoveling shit is the highest priority, that’s what gets done first. This is true for everyone, ourselves included. There are no two-ways about this.

Related, there isn’t much management overhead. This means that everyone must be trusted to follow through on delivering the highest value project, particularly if it is delegated to him or her. If you disagree with prioritization, a startup is the most likely place that reason will win out, as we cannot afford to make dumb mistakes. But the final decision must be executed upon.

We both want you to read through this note and consider it very carefully. If you have any questions, please ask either one of us, or both of us. If you agree that the forgoing is a requirement for all employees, and a level of accountability to which you are willing to fully commit to, if you are willing to shovel the shit, if you are willing to do work even when you disagree with the priorities, if after all of this you’re still interested in joining the Green Couch Conspiracy in a full-time capacity, then we are excited to talk with you about the possibilities.

Thank you for taking the time to carefully consider this. We value your contributions and friendship, and have invested the time in this because we care about a relationship that works for all.

Sincerely,

Steve McCracken
CEO
Green Couch Conspiracy

Jeremy Franklin-Ross
CTO
Green Couch Conspiracy

I’ve redacted the sections that were unique to his role, but the letter serves as a good reminder of what it means to join a start-up. And it’s a great reminder that while employees are easy to find, great employees are hard to find. They’re cut from a different cloth. They’re worth their weight in gold. I’m proud to say that we have a team of great employees. And our candidate chose to join.