Comments on: Hiring your first employee. http://47hats.com/2008/12/hiring-your-first-employee/ Bob Walsh Fri, 18 May 2012 17:40:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Jim http://47hats.com/2008/12/hiring-your-first-employee/comment-page-1/#comment-30526 Jim Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:54:09 +0000 http://www.47hats.com/?p=881#comment-30526 Good employees are rare. Most are lazy and do not care about your product. There are 2 times when they put forth the most effort: 1) When they are bending over backwards to convince you to hire them 2) After you fire them, and they are collecting their final check In the middle, they figure they are on the clock, and you can't get much out of them. That is my experience as an ISV,and I'm on my sixth employee now. They are so called "sales" people, and I have yet to make a single sale out of any one of them. I personally have sold thousands of copies of my product, but it seems I'm the only one that can do it. Good employees are rare. Most are lazy and do not care about your product. There are 2 times when they put forth the most effort:

1) When they are bending over backwards to convince you to hire them
2) After you fire them, and they are collecting their final check

In the middle, they figure they are on the clock, and you can’t get much out of them. That is my experience as an ISV,and I’m on my sixth employee now. They are so called “sales” people, and I have yet to make a single sale out of any one of them. I personally have sold thousands of copies of my product, but it seems I’m the only one that can do it.

]]> By: David Locke http://47hats.com/2008/12/hiring-your-first-employee/comment-page-1/#comment-30085 David Locke Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:32:54 +0000 http://www.47hats.com/?p=881#comment-30085 I recently came across some advice for consultants, "If you don't hit it off with the client, do not accept the engagement." Why? Well, your success as a consultant depends on their being happy with the outcomes? It's kind of like doctors and malpractice lawsuits. If you have bad bedside manners, the patient will sue you. The doctor has to be human. If the client isn't happy, your business will suffer. The same goes for employees. If you are interviewing and you don't hit it off with them, nothing else will matter. You might get the offer, but forget it. An employer has too much power over your life. The same thing goes for the hiring manager. If you don't hit it off with them, forget the looming deadline, just do the candidate a favor and don't extend an offer. It is a favor, because the conflict to come won't be wonderful for either of you. Likewise for contractors, consultants, or offshore vendors. We do better business amoung people we like. Find people you like. Do business with them. I recently came across some advice for consultants, “If you don’t hit it off with the client, do not accept the engagement.” Why? Well, your success as a consultant depends on their being happy with the outcomes? It’s kind of like doctors and malpractice lawsuits. If you have bad bedside manners, the patient will sue you. The doctor has to be human. If the client isn’t happy, your business will suffer.

The same goes for employees. If you are interviewing and you don’t hit it off with them, nothing else will matter. You might get the offer, but forget it. An employer has too much power over your life.

The same thing goes for the hiring manager. If you don’t hit it off with them, forget the looming deadline, just do the candidate a favor and don’t extend an offer. It is a favor, because the conflict to come won’t be wonderful for either of you.

Likewise for contractors, consultants, or offshore vendors. We do better business amoung people we like. Find people you like. Do business with them.

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