mrpink essays

How to Hire (and Fire) in a Startup

Hiring well isn’t just about finding talent — it’s about shaping the cultural and emotional DNA of a company.

These reflections come from my own experience as a founder and from what I’ve seen in the startups we’ve invested in at MrPink VC — teams that grew with purpose, and others that fell apart because they never truly understood what it means to build together.

The Weight of Early Hires

Few decisions matter as much in a startup as the first hires. When the team is small, one new person can change everything.If there are five of us, that person is twenty percent of the company; if there are a hundred, only one percent.Those first hires don’t just fill roles — they define the company’s future identity.

A startup is, in essence, a small society. And like any society, its destiny depends on its values, beliefs, and ways of coordination.Cultures aren’t designed in Notion; they’re lived in hallways, in Slack messages, in how we react when things go wrong.Every new person either multiplies or divides the collective energy.That’s why when hiring, it’s crucial to look beyond titles or credentials and pay attention to how someone handles uncertainty, disagreement, and learning.

Real Motivation (and True Awareness)

I often say that early hires must really want to work with us — not just for the startup, but with the founders.That motivation is what sustains the long hours, the mistakes, the endless iterations, and the emotional rollercoaster of building something from nothing.

And humans —fortunately— are quite good at detecting honesty.
We’re not looking for scripted answers like “I love fast-paced environments.”
We’re looking for substance: someone who shows they’ve understood the vision, who connected with the mission, who saw a talk or read an interview and thought, “I want to be part of that.”

Just as important as enthusiasm, though, is understanding what they’re signing up for.Working at a startup is nothing like working in an established company.It means operating with limited resources, moving fast, living with uncertainty, and making decisions without asking for permission.It’s not for everyone — and that’s perfectly fine — but it’s better to find that out before signing the contract.

Beyond the Interview

A good candidate can learn the script of what to say.But what really matters is how they think, how they act when they don’t know the answer, and how they respond to disagreement.

The Dunning-Kruger effect reminds us that the least capable often overestimate their ability, while the most capable tend to doubt themselves.
That’s why, instead of just asking questions, it’s more useful to observe: to give them a small practical challenge, to see how they reason through it, to contradict them just to watch their reaction.
The ability to listen, reason, and build on what others say is a far more reliable indicator than any résumé.

The Fears Behind Every Hire

Hiring also confronts us with our own fears.
It reminds us that we often don’t know exactly what we need, or how to evaluate it.
That speaking with people who know more than we do in a given area can be deeply uncomfortable.

How do we lead people in fields where we’re not experts?
How do we make sure those people succeed under our leadership?
And what happens if they don’t — knowing it’s on us to make the hard call to let them go?

Then there’s the gaze of the rest of the team, who trust us to bring in the right people so everyone can keep growing.
And that irrational fear of disappointing them — of not hiring well enough, or fast enough.

Hiring, in the end, is a mirror of leadership.
It forces us to coexist with uncertainty, to accept that we don’t have all the answers, and to decide anyway.

Culture, Performance, and Incentives

Every time we hire, someone leaves other opportunities behind and places their trust in us.
That decision comes with enormous responsibility — because hiring also means being ready to fire when things don’t work out.
Not out of coldness, but out of respect for the team and the mission.

If someone doesn’t fit the culture, it’s almost impossible to fix. And that’s okay — it simply means they belong somewhere else.
If the problem is performance, but the cultural fit is right, then it’s worth trying to help: coaching, feedback, training, redefining the role.
Still, in a startup, time moves fast — one or two quarters are usually the reasonable limit to see progress.

Founders often believe that purpose and passion are enough, but people also need to understand what behaviors are rewarded.Well-designed incentives don’t replace culture — they reinforce it.Vision inspires, culture guides, processes bring clarity… and incentives set the true direction.

If we say teamwork is essential but reward only individual achievements, we’re teaching that competition matters more than collaboration.Cultures are shaped far more by incentives than by the values written on the wall.That’s why, whenever possible, it’s worth including a variable component tied to what we truly want to maximize. It doesn’t just motivate — it aligns.

Flexibility and Constant Reinvention

Startups change all the time. The product, the model, even the strategy can shift within months.
That’s why early hires shouldn’t be rigid specialists but curious, adaptable people — those who can learn fast and reinvent themselves without drama.
That flexibility, more than past experience, is often the best predictor of success in a young company.

✦

Probably the most transformative act a founder can perform.Few decisions blend as much art, intuition, and strategy.

Hiring isn’t an operational process — it’s an act of faith.
It’s trusting that, out of all the people in the world, those few will help us challenge the impossible.

And when the team finally clicks — when every piece fits and the purpose is shared — something emerges that transcends the professional:
an energy that turns a group of individuals into a single movement.

That, in essence, is a startup.
And caring for that energy, again and again, is the founder’s true work.