
Succeeding after Demo Day - ashrust
http://gigaom.com/2013/08/17/everything-you-need-to-know-to-succeed-after-yc-demo-day/
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whbk
"At SendHub we’ve let go of about half of the people we’ve hired, most of them
within a few weeks of their start date. Looking back at everyone we let go
much later, we should’ve terminated them during their probation."

Is it just me or is a company's hiring process fubar if they are firing half
their hires within 3 weeks (and more thereafter)? I get the need for early
stage startups to not let mediocrity seep in, and having a probationary period
is great for that, but I'd argue the company is neglecting their end of the
bargain if they are apparently so inept at bringing on the right people.

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ashrust
I think getting hiring right is a process, we were certainly a lot more hit &
miss right after demo day, than we are now.

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sroussey
May I suggest the one week trial?

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jayzalowitz
Weighing in from the "Recruiting" Startup industry myself, check out
[https://grouptalent.com/](https://grouptalent.com/) (which i have nothing to
do with) if you are in that hiring mentality, that way everyone knows exactly
what is going on and there is a better reaction set all around.

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seiji
Doesn't a prohibition period on hiring only work if you're hiring children?

I can't imagine leaving an existing job only to be not guaranteed a place at a
new job if "they don't like me" in the first few weeks. That's what the
interview process was supposed to suss out. Does immediate termination come
with a three month severance package?

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jedberg
> Doesn't a prohibition period on hiring only work if you're hiring children?
> ... Does immediate termination come with a three month severance package?

My thoughts exactly. You're asking someone to take a big risk with your
company by bringing them on on probation. They may be leaving a well-paying,
stable job to do it.

You have to do something to temper that risk, ideally with a very large
severance or something like it.

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ashrust
We're upfront about the probationary period with all candidates, they start
knowing they'll receive a lot of feedback in the first few weeks, they'll get
an opportunity to see if it's a fit from their side and also from the team's
side.

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seiji
Perhaps you're firing so many people up front because your policies only
attract weird people willing to put up with them?

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cbjaycee
I love the advice on responding right away to opportunities. Although clearly
important in funding, this should be carried over most, if not all aspects of
life. Also agree with the mention of probation for new employees. Your new
company will be moving at lightning speed, and you don't have time for
babysitting/dead weight.

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zosegal
Lots of great advice here - as someone looking to apply to YC in the future, I
took away a lot from this.

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tgoldberg
Solid article on the importance of leveraging Demo Day hype to raise a round.
As someone who is trying to raise without being in a world renowned
accelerator like YC, I only wish I had an opportunity like Demo Day to help
the round close quicker.

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ashrust
Agreed, it's a key advantage for YC companies.

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consciousness
I see lots of good advice in this article. Rich. Thanks OP!

