Hiring in a startup isn’t about putting candidates through a test — it’s about inspiring them to build with you. Today’s top talent isn’t trying to impress; they’re choosing missions, momentum, and founders with clarity. The best early-stage hiring isn’t interrogation, it’s storytelling. Here are three things great founders do differently to attract and keep exceptional people.

I’ve noticed a trend over the years: The candidates my clients have been happiest with have generally been those who were hired for...

In early-stage startups, the quality of the talent you bring on from day one can determine your trajectory. Founders know this - yet even great builders struggle with hiring when scaling from founder-led execution to creating real GTM and technical functions. And the real friction isn’t just choosing the right person - it’s the cost of the search itself. Every cycle spent wrestling with hiring is a cycle not spent shipping product, talking to users, or closing reven

Specializing in Sales and Marketing recruitment at TSE in San Francisco naturally means I have the privilege of partnering with some...