Building a startup is a whirlwind. Founders are constantly pulled in a million directions, from product development and chasing investment to putting out the daily fires. In this high-stakes, fast-paced environment, it’s all too easy to overlook the foundations that truly determine whether a startup soars or stumbles: its people.
Last week, our COO, Cameron Smith, joined Laura Cloherty, Founder & CEO at Lead ink, and Caitlin Rozario, Founder at Interlude, for a panel on “Building a Crew at Altitude,” expertly moderated by Dec McLaughlin at Foras Ventures. They dug into the most common mistakes founders make when building early-stage teams and offered practical, real-world advice on how to fix them.
Here are the key takeaways for any founder looking to build a resilient, high-performing team.
One of the most frequent and damaging hiring mistakes a startup founder can make is prioritising speed above all else. Cameron Smith kicked things off by tackling this head-on. The pressure to build a team yesterday can lead to disastrous compromises on cultural fit. As Cam pointed out, rushing the hiring process can result in a “bad apple” that disrupts the entire team’s dynamic. The hidden costs of a bad hire go far beyond just salary.
“Don’t mismatch speed for the importance of your culture,” Cameron urged. “As a founder, ask as many questions you want until you’re comfortable.” This is a cornerstone of any strategic hiring plan. He also stressed the importance of logistical clarity before you even start, especially when building global or nearshore teams. Know the local employment laws, understand the compensation norms, and iron out the details to prevent major headaches later.
A practical thread that ran through the discussion was the need for founders to get the small details right, especially when hiring internationally. Cameron Smith shared a crucial piece of advice for any founder looking to hire outside their home country, emphasizing the need to understand local compensation norms before making an offer.
He highlighted the specific, practical questions founders should be asking, using Portugal as an example: “what’s a 13th or 14th check… or what’s a meal voucher in Portugal?”. Getting these specifics right demonstrates respect for the local culture and prevents legal and financial headaches down the line. It’s a prime example of how operational details are fundamentally tied to building a strong, respectful company culture.
Laura Cloherty powerfully debunked the pervasive myth that founders are “born leaders.” She argued that leadership is a learned skill, not an inherent trait that magically appears with a C-suite title. As Harvard Business Review notes, skills like communication and the ability to have tough conversations are muscles that need to be built. Charm and hustle will only get you so far.
Neglecting leadership development has real costs. “Your best people will walk,” Laura stated simply. It’s a cliché because it’s true: people leave bad managers, which means sunk recruitment costs and lost knowledge. Untrained managers also become a bottleneck, struggling to delegate or address performance issues early, which can be fatal for a startup. Laura’s advice is to think of your payroll as an investment. Every salary is a bet that the employee will generate more value than they cost. Effective leadership is the system that ensures you maximise the return on that investment.
The “sleep when you’re dead” mantra of startup hustle culture is not just outdated; it’s dangerous. This was a core theme from Caitlin Rozario, who spoke about the absolute necessity of building sustainable productivity. This isn’t about working less; it’s about “producing high-quality work in a long-term sustainable way whilst protecting the health and well-being of your teams.” A culture that ignores this is a ticking time bomb, as Gallup’s research on employee burnout shows.
Caitlin’s advice is to build a culture of sustainable productivity in layers, from establishing clear behavioural norms to building systems that support healthy work habits. A baseline for this is simply respecting your employees as adults, providing absolute clarity, and having zero tolerance for bad behaviour. It’s about creating an environment where people can look after their health and still deliver incredible work.
For founders learning how to manage remote staff effectively, the challenges are amplified. Laura Cloherty noted that you can’t just assume your “in-real-life vibes” will translate over a screen—they absolutely do not. Remote work is a skill, and it requires intentional system design.
“Be intentional about your communication tools,” Laura advised. Match the format to the message. Not everything belongs on Slack. Sometimes a quick Loom video to show, not just tell, is far more effective. Her most actionable tip was for founders to run an “energy audit” with their team. Instead of defaulting to a 2 PM Friday all-hands that no one is engaged in, ask your team when their energy is highest and schedule your most important conversations for those moments.
Building a successful startup requires more than just a brilliant idea and a slick pitch deck. It demands a deep, ongoing commitment to the human elements of the business. The conversation with Cameron, Laura, and Caitlin serves as a powerful reminder that your company’s success is inextricably linked to how you hire, how you lead, and the culture you intentionally build every single day. By moving away from the “move fast and break things” mentality and towards a more deliberate, human-centric approach, founders can build not just a successful company, but a resilient and remarkable team that can weather any storm.
