Building the '96 Chicago Bulls of Tech
We’re at the point in the journey here at TIKI where we are looking to scale our team—and fast. There’s been lots of talk about what we’re building, and quite a bit of progress made on the development side of things, but with new opportunities comes new responsibilities, and we’re headed into an acceleration period with plenty of deliverables checkpoints along the way.
So, the question is, what type of people do we bring on to scale the team with a finite budget and a need to build out a solid product? Engineers are naturally a coveted asset for any scaling tech start-up, and our situation is no different in that we need engineers to accelerate the development of our product.
Differentiating factors arise when considering the type of scaling tech start-up that we are at TIKI. With trust, transparency, and user-centricity being the foundational pillars of our company, it’s imperative that who we bring on also shares these ideals. Gotta be comfortable with open-source and following through on what you say you’re going to do, because anybody can hold you accountable.
After those initial prerequisites, what else are we looking for? I had a conversation with Mike multiple times in the past few months where I told him we need to bring on some cold-blooded killers. You know, the type of people that check in to work and for the entire duration of their work day they are nose to the grindstone. Code assassins is another way of putting it. Except they’re not killing the code, they’re---whatever. You get the point.
The question arises: how many cold-blooded killers are there out there? How many in Nashville, or willing to join us here? Are they just in it for the stock options, or are they long-haulers who believe in the long-term version? These are important questions to consider, though figuring out the answer to all of them is no easy task, if it’s possible at all. Things change, people change. But can we have our cake and eat it too?
Being presented with the budget for the next 12-18 months, I sat down with Mike to try to drill-in to the type of team we’re looking for, especially on the engineering side. Naturally, I turned to sports metaphor. We need some vets, some killers, some people who have been there, done that, but also the fresh, eager blood who, over time, turns into the aforementioned killers. We have to build a pipeline. A solid balance of veterans and role players is what we’re after. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. But also Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley and Ron Harper. Maybe even Dickey Simpkins. Can the real-life Dickey Simpkins code? Let us know.
For those of you who do not understand my dated 1996 Chicago Bulls reference, Jordan was the stud. The best who ever did it. Scottie Pippen was a star in his own right. The other guys filled necessary roles that culminated in (at the time) the best regular season record in NBA history.
Is that what we’re looking for? Is it sustainable? We’re pretty sure it’s the route worth taking. The reality is, we got lots to do and need the team that’s best suited to get us there.
If you’re reading this, MJ, give us a shout: https://angel.co/company/mytiki/jobs