A Large Company Isn’t Always a Big Company

When I first went into business on my own, I started planning from my tiny college apartment. I had lots of plans to one day become a big company with lots of employees. A big company was exciting to me at the time because I thought I’d have the collective resources of tens if not hundreds of amazing minds and the sheer brawn to get anything done.I was naive and I was wrong. Big companies need to be big, to survive. Many can only operate the way they do at scale. Others require departments to perform specific tasks a lot like a group of small companies. In very few instances do you see large companies - that is companies that monopolize their industry - want to be big for collective power.Over the past few years I’ve had big companies and small companies. Even when companies I’ve been involved with have doubled or tripped in size - the key has always been to increase brainpower over headcount.As a startup - or just simply as a business - you should plan to grow only when you’ve met certain criteria (here’s my list):1. The position you want to hire for will increase your forward momentum and fill a specific need you have.2. The person you’d like to hire is a good cultural fit and is eager to contribute to both the companies growth and their own personal growth3. There is a clear set of responsibilities for your new hire4. You have a fully thought out on-boarding process for the new employee5. There is an understanding between the new employee and the rest of the company how you will measure if the new employee is meeting expectations6. The new position you are hiring for is needed now - there won’t be idle time where the new employee can’t contribute.7. You’ve been specific with your new hire on what resources they’ll need - and where they can get help.Remember, being a new employee in a small fast-moving company is both a bit scary and exciting. As a CEO, or someone in management, you should always be training yourself to think from employee’s perspective. Always set them up for success, always teach vs. directing and always remember that once you make the decision to hire them - they are a part of your family.