How to hire the best talent for your startup

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in free business advice, HR, Networking

Lisa Kolenda is head of executive search for Omidyar Network. Lisa discusses the ins and outs of recruiting, securing and retaining the best personnel for you startup company.

We talk about building a company culture, what sort of events work best for rewarding your team, and tools for managing the hiring process.

This is a highly informative show for any entrepreneur who is looking for great talent. Which means its a must listen for all entrepreneurs!

The Free COO radio show offers free advice for building and running a startup company. Listen in live on Thursdays at 4:00pm Pacific Time on Spreaker. Join in the live conversation via Spreaker’s chat function in the player.

Hiring Contractors – Part 1

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in COO, Hiring Consultants, Hiring Contractors, HR

Independent Contractors or Independent Consultants are people who do work for your company who are not employees, corporations or LLCs. Hiring independent contractors is attractive to startups because it allows them to quickly bring on talent without the headache of setting up payroll and benefits. Independent contractors also make it easy to bring people onboard for as long or as little as needed without worrying about employment laws that apply to hiring and discharging of regular employees. Without the added expense of benefits, matching FICA payments, and perhaps even office space and equipment, independent contractors can offer real savings and cash flow benefits to a startup organization.

But there are some legal pitfalls to hiring independent contractors that most startups (and many established companies for that matter) don’t understand. This post is the first of a three part series that helps to explain some of those potential pitfalls, so that you can make an informed decision before hiring an independent contractor. Read more…

Justifying Your Pay – An Imperative for the COO and Every Employee

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If your manager was faced with a force reduction decision, would he or she be able quantify your contribution and justify your position? In other words, does a cost-benefit analysis of your job result in a net positive? Even if it does, have you made the data necessary to prove it readily available?

In a period of high unemployment, outsourcing, cost-cutting and general economic uncertainty every employee needs to be keenly aware of their value to their organization. They should also be able to easily point to solid data that proves their worth. The ability to do this well, could make the difference between you being someone who is indispensable or someone holding a pink slip. If you are not your own best advocate, you should be. Read more…

Setting Up HR – In-House or PEO

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in COO, Getting Started, HR

Human resources encompasses a broad array of business functions. There is the obvious sourcing, hiring and firing of employees. However, retaining employees, training employees, managing benefits, setting compensation policy, overseeing contractors, new hire orientation, managing corporate culture and a host of other functions also fall into the domain or share a dotted line to the HR function.

One of the first questions a startup venture needs to address – at least as soon as the founders hire their first employee or contractor – is who will be responsible for the HR function. Getting this right is critical to the success of a venture, as it is the first five to ten people in an organization that will establish the company’s culture for years to come. Read more…