Recruiting a Great Team for your Startup by Dan Olsen

Dan Olsen, CEO, YourVersionDan Olsen, CEO, YourVersionStartup Leadership ProgramStartup Leadership ProgramMarch 9, 2011March 9, 2011

Recruiting a Great Team for Your Startup

http://www.yourversion.com/

Copyright © 2011 YourVersion

Agenda

YourVersion Story

Recruiting Team Members

Startup Advice

Quick poll of audienceStage: Idea, coding, private beta, public

Background: engineering, business, other?

Looking to hire?


My BackgroundBSEE, Northwestern & MSIE, Virginia TechStanford MBA19 years of Product Management Experience

5 years managing nuclear submarine design5 years at Intuit, led Quicken Product ManagementCofounded consumer web startup in Madrid, SpainLed Product Management at FriendsterPM consultant to startups: Box.net, YouSendIt, EpocratesCEO & Cofounder of YourVersion, startup building “Pandora for your real‐time web content”

Will post slides to slideshare.net/dan_o


Problem: Amount of Relevant ContentFar Exceeds How Much Time We Have

Hours per day you have to consume content

Amount of new info created each day that’s relevant to you

Time


YourVersion: the Best Way to Stay on Top of the Topics You Care About

Most Personalized: add any topic to profileBrings you latest news, blogs, tweets, webpages, videos, Quora Q&ADelivers Best Blend of Relevance with RecencyEasiest to Use: innovative user interfaceMost Complete Discovery Solution

Sharing: email, Facebook, TwitterLink shortening: yv2.meBookmarking with auto‐taggingMobile apps: iPad, iPhone, Android phone & tabletBrowser toolsPersonalized email digests & widgets

Harnesses Collective Intelligence

YourVersion iPhone App

YourVersion Android Tablet App


Praise for YourVersion

Launched Sep 2009 at TechCrunch50, won People’s Choice Award

Complimented by Marissa Mayer & Robert Scoble

Also won awards at Berkeley Digital Media Conference, FailCon, SF NewTech, & SF Beta

iPad App: Apple featured us as “New & Noteworthy” app

Recruiting Team Members


Deciding WHAT type of people you need

Skills

Experience level

Full time vs. part time

Local vs. remote

Eligibility to work

Personality fit


Team Chemistry

Myers‐BriggsExtroverted vs. Introverted

Sensing vs. iNtuitive

Thinking vs. Feeling

Judging vs. Perceiving

Motivation

Work ethic, schedule preferences

Attention to detail


YourVersion Phases

Phase 1: “Food equity” phaseFriends on weekendsCofounders or not?PHP vs. JavaPrivate beta milestone

Phase 2: After incorporatingPhase 3: After public launch, winning TechCrunch50 People’s Choice AwardPhase 4: After angel round


Resources for Finding PeopleYour Network

LinkedIn, FacebookPing more than once over time

Local eventsMeetups

Startup matchmakingSpecific technologies: iOS, Android, PHP, JavaScript

PlancastStartup orgs: SVASE, TiE, etc.

Coworking spaces: Hacker Dojo, Office of SVIncubators / angels


Resources for Finding People cont’d

Universities

Job fairs: JobNob

Job posting sites

Jobs section on your website

Your user base


Evaluating CandidatesWrite job descriptionAgree on evaluation criteriaDefine your process

Step 1: review resume (also check on LinkedIn & Google)Step 2: phone interview (check list of questions)Step 3: in‐person interview

Resume reviewInterviewing is a skill, need to practice to get good at itPhone interviewIn‐person Interview

Work samples are bestBehavioral interviewing, real‐time exercisesAsk where your company stands in their mind

Check referencesTrial period


Success with Interns

In interview:Really probe motivation & thought processCover logisticsSet expectations

May be their first jobFor them

Make sure it’s a real job, give ownershipEnsure dedicated manager/mentorIdentify & clearly define projectsLearning experience: ok to stretch, grunt work bad


How do I Motivate my TeamWhen I don’t have Cash?

Stock optionsT‐shirts / schwagPositive feedback / recognitionTraining / learningResume builder, be a future job referenceLaunching/using their work, accomplishmentPositive feedback from customers, pressPride of a job well doneAdvice, skills barterFood, Fun


Startup Advice

1. Focus on the Customer Problem First


Russians: pencil

NASA: space pen($1 M R&D cost)

Example:Ability to write in space (zero gravity)

Problem Space vs. Solution Space

Problem SpaceA customer problem, need, or benefit that the product should address

A product requirement

Solution SpaceA specific implementation to address the need or product requirement


Iterating Your Product Vector Based on User Feedback in Solution SpaceProblem Space

(your mental model)Solution Space

(what users can react to)

Help userbook travel

Help userplan travel

Customer Feedback

Mockups / Code

2. Go After a Big Opportunity


High Importance + Low Satisfaction =Opportunity

Impo

rtance of U

ser N

eed

Impo

rtance of U

ser N

eed

User Satisfaction with Current AlternativesUser Satisfaction with Current Alternatives

CompetitiveMarketOpportunity

LowLow HighHigh

LowLow

HighHigh

Not Worth Going After

3. How Will Your Product be Better?


Kano Model: User Needs & Satisfaction

User SatisfactionUser Satisfaction

User DissatisfactionUser Dissatisfaction

Performance (more is better)

Delighter (wow)

NeedNeednot metnot met

NeedNeedfully metfully met

Must Have

Needs & features migrate over time


What is Your Value Proposition?

Which user benefits are you providing?

How are you better than competitors?

Competitor A Competitor B You

Must Have Benefit 1 Y Y Y

Performance Benefit 1 High Low Med

Performance Benefit 2 Low High Low

Performance Benefit 3 Med Med High

Delighter Benefit 1 Y ‐ ‐

Delighter Benefit 2 ‐ ‐ Y


4. Design & Ease of Use Are Critical4. Design & Ease of Use Are Critical

VisualDesign

InteractionDesign

InformationArchitecture

ConceptualDesign

Recommended reading: Jesse James Garrett’s“Elements of User Experience” chart, free at www.jjg.net

What most people seeand react to

What good product people think about


5. Prioritize and Stay FocusedLimited resources

10 high priorities = FAIL

What’s most important?

Manage scopeAvoid feature creep

Bread down big items

Strategy = deciding what you’re not going to do

Must say “no”

6. Launch so you can Learn & Iterate

7. Listen to Your Customers


“Ramen” User Feedback for Startups

Anyone can do it!

Ingredients:Solution‐space product/mockup to test

1 customer (with laptop if testing code)

1 desk

1 person to conduct the session

Pen and paper

Optional note‐taker and observers


Typical Format for Customer Session

5 ‐ 10 min: Ask questions to understand user needs and solutions they currently use30 ‐ 50 min: User feedback

Show user product/mockupNon‐directed as much as possibleWhen necessary, direct user to attempt to perform a specific task

5 ‐ 10 min: Wrap‐upAnswer any user questions that came upPoint out/explain features you want to highlightAsk them if they would use the product


Dos & Don’ts of Conducting Usability

DoExplain to the user:

Their usability test will help improve the productNot to worry about hurting your feelings“Think Aloud Protocol”

Ask user to attempt the task, then be a fly on the wallAsk non‐leading, open‐ended questionsTake notes and review them afterwards for take‐aways

Don’tAsk leading questions“Help” the user or explain the UI (e.g., “click over here”)Respond to user frustration or questions (until test is over)Get defensiveBlame the user


8. Startups are like Roller Coasters

Exciting with scary momentsHigh highs, low lowsChallenging turns & dips

Find at least 1 cofounder: 1 + 1 = 3Get through the dips, share the highsEnjoy the ride!


Try it out at:http://www.yourversion.com

Free apps:iPad http://bit.ly/yv‐hd

iPhone http://bit.ly/yv‐appAndroid phone http://bit.ly/yv‐apAndroid tablet http://bit.ly/yv‐tab


http://bit.ly/yv-hd

http://bit.ly/yv-app

http://bit.ly/yv-a

http://bit.ly/yv-tab


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Recruiting a Great Team for your Startup by Dan Olsen