Quote of the Week

"Make something people want."

~Paul Graham, Y Combinator

This Week’s Tip

Hiring isn’t just about filling seats. It’s about building leverage through talent — the people who will multiply your output while you sleep.

Entrepreneurs, listen up: the biggest bottleneck in scaling your business isn’t lack of customers — it’s lack of the right people. You want employees who show up ready, get the job done better than you could, and don’t need babysitting.

Here’s the game plan to do this:

1. Find talent where they already hang out. Use industry forums, LinkedIn groups, job boards, even social media. Don’t wait for them to come to you. Hunt them. Your best hires won’t be the ones casually browsing Craigslist.

2. Screen for mindset and capability, not just experience. Skills can be taught; attitude can’t. Ask: “How do you solve problems when things break down?” or “Tell me about a time you took ownership of a mess.” If they dodge or blame others, move on.

3. Create a simple skills test — real work, real outcomes. Don’t guess from resumes. Have them do a small task that mimics actual work. Watch how they approach it. Do they care about quality? Are they fast? Can they follow directions and think independently?

4. Check references aggressively. Don’t just ask if they’re “nice.” Dig into reliability, teamwork, how they handle pressure. Ask former bosses what would make them NOT rehire this person.

5. Build an onboarding process that sets expectations and measures early wins. Don’t throw them to the wolves. Clear communication and early feedback create leverage faster. Remember, onboarding isn’t just paperwork — it’s building muscle memory for your culture.

Bottom line: Every employee is a lever. You want those levers to be strong, fast, and reliable so your output scales exponentially, not linearly. Don’t just hire; hire right. And remember — the right person on your team is the difference between “working hard” and “working smart.”

This Week’s Resource

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Trivia

Question: What car company pioneered the assembly line?

Answer: Ford — Lesson: Operational innovation can create massive efficiency and scalability.

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