Hiring Employee Number One From Freelancer to Agency
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.
Robert Kennedy
2008
Be prepared to make sacrifices
ME
ME
DOGS
Work with people you like
No road is long with good company- Turkish Proverb
Starting WebDevStudios
Minimize Overhead
2009
Not Funny Bro!
2010
• Interns• Local Community– Meetups, WordCamps, Events
• Social Networks– Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
• Look Outside the Box– Justin (House Painter -> Lead Developer) – Jaimie (Hot Topic Manager -> Project Manager)
How to Hire
Chris Cochran was WebDevStudios first intern and first hire
Matt Mullenweg was our third hire
Brian Williams was our fourth….
• Business Insurance• Payroll Taxes– Withholding– Unemployment Taxes– Varies by State
Lessons Learned in Hiring
• Legal / Lawyer Fees– Employee Handbook– Contracts
• Benefits• HR
Lessons Learned in Hiring
Things to Look For in Employees
• Attitude is as important as skill level• Always eager to learn more• Can admit what they don’t know• Enjoys knowledge sharing• Able to work from home
Final Thoughts
• Listen to your Gut• Take Risks• Stay Focused• Balance Work and Life
• If you aren’t happy, make a change
And finally, never forget to….
Treat Yo Self!
Brad WilliamsCEO / Co-Founder @ WebDevStudios