As Piktochart is growing, one of the main things the investor wants to see (apart from traction and revenue), is the ability to scale the company by hiring the right people.
We have hired 2, so there’s just one more to go! As we are going through the process, we have noted several things:
1) Do not sell the company for more than what it is worth. At this stage, we have more than 1,000 beta sign ups, blogs write about us, the Penang government is creating an infographic with us, we have gotten in touch with over 20 different organizations which are interested in us, but…. we have not launched! That means our traction numbers do not prove anything, sales numbers are still not there. We prefer candidates who are passionate about what we are doing, changing the way people look at data, starting a revolution at home…..
2) Make sure you test the candidate. There are several candidates who have walked through our doors with mighty impressive CVs and backgrounds (although just 2-3 years) and seem like a great person who understands our vision ….. but as time goes by, we find that they might not belong in the job description. This will be frustrating to both parties, which brings us to the next point.
3) It is okay to let go off somebody. Employment law is a tough one to crack, 3 months of compensation for any “release” of employees without strong grounds. But, it is important to let go off the person earlier than later for the reasons that it might affect company morale and generally, it just does not make sense to give second chance, third chance ….. This is however easier said than done.
4) If you have found a wonderful person to work with, try enticing them with the vision/treat them well/be reasonable in terms of salary. We have lost 2 candidates because of a lower bid in terms of salary. The environment/culture/sense of achievement is what keeps them in. Treat them well and be nice to them!
What is a tough nut for us to crack and still is, is when the employees ask us about career advancement opportunities. We are a flat level organization, so there is no “Senior Designer” or “Senior Developer” (We prefer everyone to own the same amount of desk space and enjoy almost the same amount of benefits). All we can sell them is the vision of Piktochart and the founding team. Sounds like Investment 101 all over again, doesn’t it?
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