Hire Slow, Fire Fast

I don’t have enough people.  We are turning away dozens of projects a month right now.  The clients we are working with are begging us to expand our team and take on more projects for them.

The other end of that problem also makes it very tempting to grow.  I have a list of former colleagues as well as past and present collaborators that I know would make great contributions to the team.

So why not pull the trigger and bring these folks on?

First, the current core team has been battle tested.  We aren’t talking about a strategic series of chess matches either.  We’re talking about an all out blitz that requires specific skills and knowledge while also forcing the individual to step, willingly, outside their comfort zone in order to meet the expectations of a would be customer.  These battles were subsets and supersets of the Protoven crew.  Frequently and consistently, however, I would be instant messaging with one of the current at all hours of the night.  We didn’t want to be there, but dedication won out over sleep.  It’s one thing to finish up your tasks and sign off to the others.  It’s quite another thing to tip the clock down on its face and broadcast to the group, “Who needs help?”

Second, I don’t like to fire folks.  I don’t like to hold layoffs or reductions in force.  I had one of core ask me recently, “Am I going to be the first to be laid off?”  It’s times like that where I love my job.  I told them that they were going to be the last to be laid off.  The problem with the scenario is a function of numbers though.  Being the last of 5 when 5 are being laid off, and really that’s the only scenario I can imagine at this point, is not a heart-warming consolation.  What I conveyed to him is our dedication to this company.  This is not a flash in the pan operation.  We have a plan and an execution strategy that seems to gain momentum everyday.  I have smart people.  I need every one of them.  They are so necessary to this company’s fundamentals that concessions in time as needed are never questioned.  Ask any of the guys how many vacation days they have.  They should tell you,  ”All of them.”

The last reason I’ll mention speaks to a fundamental belief that Protoven was founded on, less is more.  Dave and I realized early in our careers that we both felt the sweet spot for our talents was early in a startup’s evolution.  We’re self-motivated guys who don’t need a lot of direction.  We think we’ve surrounded ourselves with 3 additional Protoven idealists that fit perfectly in the plan.  When you have 5 guys that work hard you get a “Hacker in a Garage” mentality that is focused on getting releases out the door as fast as possible.  Iteration on a project shows life in a project.  When clients see feature after feature rolling into their project, they accept the hiccup risks, which become fewer and further between in our experience.  When we’re working on a large project inevitably the task list grows.  When I look at that list I realize a couple of things.  Everyone of the other 4 of us is working on something on that list, so I should be working on something in that list.  Also, it doesn’t matter which task it is, it all needs to get done.  Even the toilets need cleaning.  Roll up your sleeves, Ty, and write some code, setup that virtual server, write that documentation, send those code examples, etc., etc.

Will Protoven hire more folks?  We’ll inevitably have to to staff some of the projects we’re working on, yes.  If you’re interested in working for us, find a way to work with us.  That is your best chance at becoming part of this team.  The current guys, as mentioned, survived 2 - 3 - 4 years dealing with our craziness.  We’re working hard, all of us, to make it all worthwhile.