{"id":19759,"date":"2021-06-07T17:29:41","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T00:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/?p=19759"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:39:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T23:39:07","slug":"building-a-team-early-on-bandwagon-founder-harold-hughes-shares-key-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/building-a-team-early-on-bandwagon-founder-harold-hughes-shares-key-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a Team Early On: Bandwagon Founder Harold Hughes Shares Key Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is so much unpredictability that goes along with the startup journey, especially in the beginning stages, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/haroldphughes\/\">Harold Hughes<\/a> cautions about how important it is to create consistency in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/blog\/6-startup-founders-share-their-hiring-mistakes\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hiring<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and evaluation process from the start. This allows for fair evaluation of potential hires and the roles they will play in the future of the company.<\/span><\/h3>\n<blockquote><p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Secrets to build your STARTUP TEAM | Founders Network\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/i-CwcKPmsug\" width=\"840\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe> <a href=\"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/event-video-library\/?page_id=20424&amp;preview=true&amp;wchannelid=1kf2f5hdr1&amp;wmediaid=7lqdw0zwj6\">Click here to watch the ENTIRE video<\/a><\/p>\n<div>or explore our entire <span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: teal;\" href=\"https:\/\/fndrs.net\/3utK12X\">event video library<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the first big hires for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/bandwagon-fan-club\/\">Bandwagon<\/a> was the software engineer. Because Hughes is not a technical founder, he knew he\u2019d need outside guidance, but he separated the hiring process into two parts. First was aptitude\u2014&#8221;from a technical standpoint, let\u2019s make sure the person can do their job,\u201d but the second part was not whether the candidate would be a good fit, but rather if they would provide an additive quality to the team. \u201cSo we don\u2019t look for culture fit. We look for folks who are going to improve the culture of our organization.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffoundersnetwork.com%2F%3Fp%3D19759&#038;text=%E2%80%9CWe%20don%E2%80%99t%20look%20for%20culture%20fit.%20We%20look%20for%20folks%20who%20are%20going%20to%20improve%20the%20culture%20of%20our%20organization.%E2%80%9D%20-%20%40OneBandwagonFan&#038;via=foundersnetwork&#038;related=foundersnetwork' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cWe don\u2019t look for culture fit. We look for folks who are going to improve the culture of our organization.\u201d - @OneBandwagonFan <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffoundersnetwork.com%2F%3Fp%3D19759&#038;text=%E2%80%9CWe%20don%E2%80%99t%20look%20for%20culture%20fit.%20We%20look%20for%20folks%20who%20are%20going%20to%20improve%20the%20culture%20of%20our%20organization.%E2%80%9D%20-%20%40OneBandwagonFan&#038;via=foundersnetwork&#038;related=foundersnetwork' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the biggest aspects of hiring that can hold budding startups back is preconceived notions about compensation. \u201cRemember that at the end of the day you are building this company from scratch and so you don\u2019t have to use some boring compensation plan.\u201d Hughes recommends adopting an approach of employing multiple flexible terms, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deferred compensation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Base salary plus bonus<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Commission<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/blog\/fnmentoring-equity-law-brian-patterson-partner-gunderson-dettmer\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Equity<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As long as you are in talks with a candidate open to flexible terms, the more options you offer, the higher your likelihood of bringing on the person that you truly desire for that role. During the event, Hughes will go through the most effective compensation tactics to help land the hires of your dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to the hiring process, Hughes believes in patience, with an eye towards long-term possibilities. \u201cTiming is everything, especially when it comes to building out your team,\u201d Hughes explains, \u201cand you never know when the career arc of your ideal candidate, and the needs and resources of your own company will be matched up. So when you find an amazing person that you\u2019d love to work with always stay in touch with them, reach out to them, consider adding them to your investor update list, or your stakeholder list so you can continue to massage and build that relationship because you never know when the timing is going to work out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffoundersnetwork.com%2F%3Fp%3D19759&#038;text=%E2%80%9CRemember%20that%20at%20the%20end%20of%20the%20day%20you%20are%20building%20this%20company%20from%20scratch%20and%20so%20you%20don%E2%80%99t%20have%20to%20use%20some%20boring%20compensation%20plan.%E2%80%9D%20-%20%40OneBandwagonFan&#038;via=foundersnetwork&#038;related=foundersnetwork' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cRemember that at the end of the day you are building this company from scratch and so you don\u2019t have to use some boring compensation plan.\u201d - @OneBandwagonFan <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffoundersnetwork.com%2F%3Fp%3D19759&#038;text=%E2%80%9CRemember%20that%20at%20the%20end%20of%20the%20day%20you%20are%20building%20this%20company%20from%20scratch%20and%20so%20you%20don%E2%80%99t%20have%20to%20use%20some%20boring%20compensation%20plan.%E2%80%9D%20-%20%40OneBandwagonFan&#038;via=foundersnetwork&#038;related=foundersnetwork' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While this might sound like straightforward networking, for Hughes this is not so much about increasing the overall size of the network, but rather the depth of specific relationships with people that you\u2019d like to see in very key roles in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hughes credits his \u201calways be courting\u201d philosophy as critical to the success of hiring the company\u2019s current COO, B\u00e4r\u00ed Williams. Hughes had become aware of her almost from the same time as founding <a href=\"https:\/\/bandwagonfanclub.com\/\">Bandwagon<\/a> in 2016. And while he had added her to a list of people he\u2019d dream of working with, when he met her in 2017, he knew better than to make that ask, feeling that he could not offer any sort of comparable salary.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Hughes did do was stay in touch, keeping connected with Williams on Twitter and adding her to investor updates. In the end, Williams ended up reaching out to Hughes about a potential role at Bandwagon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the pre-seed and seed stages capital is always going to be limited. It can feel like a Catch-22 when it\u2019s necessary to have a winning team <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/function\/selling-equity-with-greg-winston\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to show your company\u2019s value<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in order to raise that capital, while having so many restraints on building the initial team.<\/span><\/p>\n<span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffoundersnetwork.com%2F%3Fp%3D19759&#038;text=%E2%80%9CWhen%20you%20find%20an%20amazing%20person%20that%20you%E2%80%99d%20love%20to%20work%20with%20always%20reach%20out%20to%20them%2C%20consider%20adding%20them%20to%20your%20investor%20or%20your%20stakeholder%20list%20so%20you%20can%20continue%20to%20massage%20and%20build%20that%20relationship.%E2%80%9D%20-%20%40OneBandwagonFan&#038;via=foundersnetwork&#038;related=foundersnetwork' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cWhen you find an amazing person that you\u2019d love to work with always reach out to them, consider adding them to your investor or your stakeholder list so you can continue to massage and build that relationship.\u201d - @OneBandwagonFan <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffoundersnetwork.com%2F%3Fp%3D19759&#038;text=%E2%80%9CWhen%20you%20find%20an%20amazing%20person%20that%20you%E2%80%99d%20love%20to%20work%20with%20always%20reach%20out%20to%20them%2C%20consider%20adding%20them%20to%20your%20investor%20or%20your%20stakeholder%20list%20so%20you%20can%20continue%20to%20massage%20and%20build%20that%20relationship.%E2%80%9D%20-%20%40OneBandwagonFan&#038;via=foundersnetwork&#038;related=foundersnetwork' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the upcoming <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Founders Network<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> event, Hughes will go into depth on all the ways in which a startup can build the team they need with limited resources. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Join Harold Hughes at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Founders Network<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for actionable takeaways on all aspects of hiring including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating a process and sticking with it<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being creative with compensation packages and plans<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Always be courting<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re an early stage founder you won\u2019t want to miss this critical advice that will show you how to assemble the dream team you need to progress. <a href=\"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/function\/team-building-for-startups-doing-more-with-less-ft-harold-hughes\/\">Register now<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/request\/\">request an invite<\/a> to see if you qualify for membership.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script>; 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<\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/building-a-team-early-on-bandwagon-founder-harold-hughes-shares-key-tips\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":19760,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10971,144],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"class_list":["post-19759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-event-ads","category-tech-startup-advice"],"acf":[],"featured_image_data":{"src":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Harold-Hughes-Blog.jpeg","alt":"Harold Hughes","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19759"},{"taxonomy":"table_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/table_tags?post=19759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}