Zeroth Hour - Building the right Team
Part 1
To build a great product — and ultimately a great company — the first step is to assemble a great team.
This probably is the most obvious advice in the history of startup advices, but given how often startups stumble on this, I suppose it’s ok being a little repetitive here. So at the risk of being called Captain Obvious, I want to write the first post on Zeroth hour on this very particular, important topic of hiring the right set of folks.
The first mistake founders do while building the early team is focusing only on the skillset of the candidate for a particular role. While Skill is indeed of foremost importance, that shouldn’t be the only criteria. Startup journeys are really long and tiring and It’s your early hires that sets the tone for that entire journey. Imagine being adrift at sea in a tiny boat, with people who aren't entirely sure how to navigate to the destination. It's a recipe for adventure—or disaster, all depending on who those people are.
Your early team really does make or break your company.
While hiring for the early team, I try to look beyond roles and responsibilities and the overall general framework of hiring someone for a specific role. It’s not enough to judge them based on just their skills. We need someone who goes beyond just getting the job done. We need Mavericks, Folks who are not afraid to challenge status quo, Folks who are willing to get their hands dirty, Folks who are willing to go that extra mile to optimise for your results. We need survivors, people, if dropped behind enemy lines with nothing but some rations and a broken compass, would still manage to find their way back.
When it comes to skills, and in the specific context of hiring builders, one thing we should be cognisant of is that Coding is the easiest part of the job. Especially with AI, getting standardised answers for standardised questions is no longer a relevant way to judge a candidate. As important as it is to evaluate them on their knowledge, it’s more important to evaluate their approach to problem solving. I often try to judge them on their system thinking skills, how modularised their problem solving approach is. Clarity of thought in these areas is a big green flag for me. But talent can only get you so far.
Whenever I hire a person, Within the first 10 minutes of talking to them, I know if I’m going to hire this person or not. That’s not cause I’m able to judge the skills or experience of that person that quickly, It’s because I try to measure them on just 3 different angles.
Curiosity
Learning is perhaps the most important skill any person can have. If you’re a quick learner, you can solve most problems or adapt to most situations fairly quickly. That intense desire to learn something new should be powered by curiosity rather than other mandates. I’ve seen innately curious folks being obsessed with any problem given to them. They often want to understand it from all the possible angles. To them, it’s not just enough to do the bare minimum to solve a problem, but it’s important to understand it deeply and thoroughly to come up with a solution that goes above and beyond the original scope. I adore and love working with such people cause they inspire me. They inspire me to do more everyday, to learn more everyday and to ultimately grow into a better version of myself. They ask the tough questions. and it’s often the toughest questions that lead to the clearest answers.
Excitement
Startups aren't cushy jobs. The grind can be exhausting, and only those with passion for the mission will endure. You are not just expected to do the tasks that you’re assigned and collect a pay check at the end of the month. You should be willing to spend that extra amount of time and energy over and above what is expected of you. And that’s why excitement is important. You’ve to be excited about the problem that you’re solving, you’ve to be excited about the team that you’re solving it with. You’ve to be excited about creating value. And devoid of that excitement, it’s going to get real tiring real fast. Genuine excitement is infectious, it breeds energy within the team, pushing them to do more, to do better.
Versatility
This one is more of a soft constraint, But someone who checks this box after the first two is definitely a strong hire for me. In the context of a startup, It’s not just that someone versatile would be able to don many hats, it’s often a pleasure to work with such folks. People who’re interested in a lot of things outside of their work are often very open minded when it comes to problem solving. This could be Art, Music, Films, Sports or even some niche interests really. They bring in a variety of ideas, along with a bit of creativity and out of the box thinking to the problem they’re trying to solve. I’ve often noticed this culminating in beautiful outcomes which are not just a single dimensional solution. They also fit in beautifully in the overall org structure, cause of the soft overlap they often bring in with the adjacent teams.
In order to evaluate them on these three axes, The first fifteen minute of any call I do with a prospective candidate is just me talking to them about my experiences and motivations and asking them about theirs. An open ended conversation about these almost always lets me judge them on these three fronts.
Think about this: the person you hire will likely become a significant part of your daily life for the next several years. You’ll collaborate with them, exchange ideas, tackle challenges, and yes, sometimes you’ll even clash. After all the evaluations and assessments, take a moment to pause and really think about that. If the thought of spending so much time with this person gives you even a hint of unease, trust your gut—it’s a sign to reconsider.
Hiring for startups is really tough, but fulfilling. It’s not just about filling roles—it’s about finding the right people for the journey. So, as you build your team, look beyond skill. Hire those who inspire, excite, and challenge the status quo. They’ll be the ones rowing beside you when the seas get rough.
Thanks for reading so far, If the Ideas above resonate with you in any level and you’re looking for your next role, reach out. We are hiring across Product and Engineering at Breakout and We are building one of the coolest AI products ever.
For questions, Reach out to me at ashfakh@getbreakout.ai