Bringing in your first team member is a real milestone. In this edition of Founder Notes, I want to reflect on what that moment means—and what tends to follow after. If you’ve already made your first hires, I’d love to hear how you approached it and what you learned.
The First Hire Eats Most of Your Cake
For many founders, that very first hire has the biggest impact on your budget. Up until that point, you’re doing everything yourself, and whatever you earn goes straight toward keeping your own bills paid. But the moment you decide to bring someone on board, it becomes clear: this will take a significant bite out of your income.
That’s a tough realization. But here’s the mindset shift that helped me—this hire isn’t just a cost; it’s an investment. Because with the right person in the right role, you’re not just cutting the cake differently. You’re baking a bigger one.
I remember this phase vividly. My co-founder and I were transitioning from freelancing to building an agency. We knew it meant we’d earn less than our first hire(s) for quite some time. And honestly, that was okay. We weren’t building for the short term—we were laying the foundation for something more sustainable. That decision paid off. But even now, I don’t downplay how tough it felt in the moment. It was painful—and worth it.
The Next Hires Get Easier
Once you’ve taken the first step, something shifts. Your second hire feels less daunting—both emotionally and financially. As your team grows, each new hire becomes a smaller relative cost. You start building the infrastructure, and that initial financial stretch starts to stabilize.
But there’s more: you get better at hiring. You start seeing who fits—not just in terms of skills, but in mindset and culture. I’ve shared before how much I value a cultural match, and that becomes even clearer as your team expands. With every hire, you learn a little more about who you need and who you don’t.
By the time we were hiring our 10th team member, it felt far less overwhelming than hires one through three. We had a better understanding of what we were looking for, the budget was more balanced, and the perceived risk was smaller. Of course, we were also lucky—our early hires were incredible people. That kind of luck does help. But preparation and clarity go a long way too.
Growth = More Communication Complexity
As your team grows, communication becomes its own challenge. Brooks’ Law illustrates this well: with every new person, the number of communication lines increases exponentially.
With a small team, you can still keep an eye on how people are collaborating. If something’s off between person A and B, you usually notice. But with 10 people, there are already 45 possible connection points. Conflicts or misalignments become harder to spot—and that means you need to be more intentional in how you communicate, guide, and lead.
This goes for team dynamics, but also for operational standards. For example: if you’re particular about how client deliverables are presented, you can explain that clearly to one new hire. But when your team grows, you’ll need systems—documented workflows, templates, and quality standards—so that consistency doesn’t depend on you personally checking everything.
Honestly, this last part deserves its own Founder Notes. So I’ll leave that for next time.
Your Turn
I’d love to hear how you handled your first hire—or if you’re thinking about it now. Was it hard? Did it go well? What surprised you? I’m genuinely curious, so feel free to send me a message.
That’s it for today—thanks for reading, and good luck with whatever stage you’re in right now.
Have a great day,
Ralph Wolbrink
Founder @ Guram
P.S. Know someone who might find this helpful? Feel free to forward it. 💡
