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Hiring Mistakes That Could Kill Your Startup (+ How to Fix Them)

Founders, hiring isn’t just about skills—it’s about culture, mindset, and long-term vision. Here’s how to do it the right way.

Author

Anmol Goel
March 04, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5min5 minutes

Hello Innovators,

Welcome to this edition of the GACS Newsletter! Hiring can make or break your startup. Get it right, and you’ll build a team that moves fast, adapts, and helps you scale. Get it wrong, and you’ll waste months (or years) cleaning up the mess.

Most founders make the same critical mistake when hiring:
👉 They prioritize resumes over mindset.

Experience matters, but skills can be learned. What you really need are people who think like owners, adapt quickly, and thrive in uncertainty.

Here’s how to find, interview, and close the best talent, before your competitors do.

Treat Hiring Like a Top Priority (Not an Afterthought)

Many founders treat hiring as a side task until they desperately need to fill a role. By then, it’s too late. The best founders recruit constantly. They’re always meeting new people, even when they don’t have an open position.

Action Step: Build a talent pipeline today. Set up a simple Notion or Airtable database where you track potential hires. When the time comes, you’ll already have great candidates.

The Best People Aren’t Applying—They’re Already Hired

If your hiring strategy is just posting on job boards, you’re doing it wrong.

The top 1% of talent isn’t looking—they’re being recruited. Your job is to find them before they even consider switching jobs.

 How to do it:
 Leverage referrals. The best hires come from your network.
 Engage on LinkedIn & Twitter. Comment on posts from talented people in your industry.
 Cold outreach (done right). Personalized messages work 10x better than generic “we’re hiring” emails.

Hire for Ownership, Not Just Skills

A great hire isn’t just someone who can do the job; it’s someone who will take ownership and grow with your startup.

💡 Mindset > Skillset

  • Skills can be taught. Curiosity, grit, and adaptability can’t.

  • Your best hires will think like founders, not just employees.

 Example: Imagine you’re hiring a Head of Marketing. Candidate A has 5 years of experience in digital ads, but they just follow instructions. Candidate B has 2 years of experience, but they obsess over your startup, offer creative ideas, and think strategically.

✅ Hire Candidate B. They’ll scale with your startup.

 Action Step: Ask this in interviews:
👉 “Tell me about a time you took full ownership of a problem and solved it without being asked.”
The best candidates will have strong answers.

Run a Fast, Tight Hiring Process

  1. A slow, messy hiring process will cost you top talent.

    If your interview loop drags on for weeks, great candidates will take another offer.

     Here’s a better hiring funnel:
    1️⃣ First call (30 min): Quick intro, culture fit check.
    2️⃣ Technical/Practical test: short, relevant assignment.
    3️⃣ Final interview (60 min): Meet the team; dig deeper.
    4️⃣ Decision within 48 hours. Move fast!

    ✅ Pro Tip: Sell them on your vision. Make them excited to join your team.

Reference Checks: The Most Underrated Hiring Hack

Most founders skip reference checks or do them half-heartedly. Big mistake.

📞 Call at least 2-3 past managers and colleagues. Ask:
“Would you hire them again?” (If they hesitate, that’s a red flag.)
“What’s their biggest weakness?” (Great candidates have real, fixable weaknesses,not just “I work too hard.”)

Closing the Hire: Don’t Lose Them at the Finish Line

Top candidates have other offers. If you don’t close them fast, they’ll join someone else.

 How to seal the deal:
✅ Move quickly. If you love a candidate, make the offer ASAP.
✅ Show excitement. Tell them why you’re excited to work with them.
✅ Sell the future. Help them see their long-term growth in your company.

📌 Action Step: In your offer email, add a personal note like:
“We believe you’ll have a massive impact here. We’re excited to build the future with you.”

"A small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players." 

– Steve Jobs

Hiring isn’t just about filling roles—it’s about building a high-performance team.

The right people will accelerate your growth. The wrong ones will slow you down.

If you need help refining your hiring strategy, let’s connect. Reply to this email and let’s chat!

We hope you found these tips helpful! For more insights and detailed guides, visit our GACS Blog, and Stay tuned for more insights and tips from the startup world in our upcoming newsletters!

Best regards,

The GACS Team