When startups fail to scale, it’s rarely because of bad code or bad luck. More likely, it's because they didn’t hire the right people at the right time.
Chris Barbin, founder and CEO of Tercera, shares a playbook for assembling your “Starting Five” — the essential leadership roles every professional services startup needs to grow from $10M to $100M and beyond.
Drawing from decades as an operator and investor, he explains how to spot founder-market fit, when to swap out co-founders, and why hiring someone with a flashy resume can set you back two years.
If you’re building a people-first business, this episode is your blueprint for doing it right the first time.
RUNTIME 35:14 EPISODE BREAKDOWN(2:24) Chris explains how his career path led him to become CEO of Tercera.
(6:18) The most common problems and challenges he helps founders navigate.
(9:17) What stage are the professional services startups Chris typically meets with?
(11:06) How he defines founder-market fit.
(13:31) Red flags that indicate a founder isn’t ready to work with investors.
(16:15) One of the constructs of our fund is [that] none of our investments compete with each other.”
(17:34) After the CEO, “ those five supporting cast members — key lieutenants — are essential.”
(19:11) In most cases, three of the original Starting Five need to be replaced.
(22:29) “ I've fallen into that trap myself — I hired a bunch of those that look amazing on paper.”
(24:29) A framework for finding your first executive marketing hire.
(27:17) Don’t let your board pressure you into making rushed staffing decisions.
(29:37) Managing the ripple effects associated with rebuilding the Starting Five “is really, really hard to do.”
(31:29) Chris shares his preferred format for board meetings.
(33:00) The one thing he wishes every founder understood before they started raising money.
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