Hire And Hire
This story appears in the May 2000 issue of Startups. Subscribe »
Hiring is always risky. Will the person get along with other
employees? Will they benefit the company? When starting your own
business, the risks are even greater, because it¹s your first
employees who make or break the business. Sometimes it's best
to take risks Name/Age: Phil Shawe, 30 Name/Age: Richard Allred, 36 Name/Age: Alexis Abramson, 32 Contact Sources Mature Mart Inc., (800) 720-6278, www.maturemart.com
Company/Description: TransPerfect Translations Inc., a New
York City translation firm
First Hire: "Our first hire was Matthew Rodano, a young
kid out of school with great talent. Although Matthew was doing a
great job, his efforts didn't immediately generate business. We
were forced to lay him off, but we kept good relations with him and
explained that it was simply due to economic realities. The
marketing effort he put forth in those first months started to pay
off shortly after he left. As soon as we could afford to hire him
back, we tracked him down and were able to re-establish our
relationship. It's five years later, and he continues to close
large deals every week."
Two Things I Learned: "First, sales is a long process.
A sales executive who's doing the right things but struggling
in the short-term is likely to prosper later. Second, our attempts
to part ways as politely as possible paid off in a win-win
situation later on."
Company/Description: Toes on the Nose Corp., a Costa Mesa,
California, surf apparel company
First Hire: "We didn't have a lot of money with the
first person we hired--we were looking for a part-timer. We hired a
woman who was six months pregnant. People have reservations about
hiring a pregnant woman, but it worked out perfectly. She worked
until she went on maternity leave and came back after giving birth.
She's now vice president."
Company/Description: Mature Mart Inc., an Atlanta-based
distributor of products for senior citizens
First Hire: "My first hire was my 84-year-old
grandmother--she was the company receptionist. I hired her because
I thought she would understand the market. She not only used and
knew the products well, but she could also help end-users or
caregivers choose the appropriate product for a particular need.
[From this experience,] I learned I could work cohesively with
family members."
Toes on the Nose Corp., (714) 513-1500, www.toesonthenose.com
TransPerfect Translations Inc., (212) 689-5555, www.transperfect.com