The key idea of the video is that Gusto's successful early hiring strategy prioritized skill set and growth mindset over scalability, resulting in long-term returns, and they prioritize people and create a great workplace culture by involving the team in the hiring process.

• 💼
  00:00

  Gusto's co-founder and CPO, Tomer London, discusses the first hire outside of the founding team and how they were found.
• 👨‍💻
  00:59

  Davey was a key player in creating a great user experience with a unique full-stack mentality, while the company values hiring adaptable individuals with a focus on user experience and problem-solving skills.

  • Davey, a designer, played a critical role in building a great user experience and had a unique full-stack mentality that went beyond the expectations of his profession.
  • The company prioritized hiring individuals who could adapt and learn quickly across multiple disciplines, with a focus on user experience and problem-solving skills.
• 💻
  02:39

  Pair programming is a great methodology for building successful software and has been heavily relied on for 11 years.
• 💼
  03:28

  Startup hires experienced tax and payroll expert to build compliance function and advise on product decisions, customer care, and operations.

  • Stephen was hired through a job post on Hacker News, which is a great platform for startups to hire their first engineers.
  • The team lacked deep experience in taxes and payroll, so they brought in someone with that skill set to build their compliance function and advise on product decisions, customer care, and operations.
• 🚚
  05:08

  Steven moved from Minnesota to California for a new job in payroll, with a more relaxed dress code.

  • Steven moved from Minnesota to California for a job in a payroll company where he no longer has to wear suits every day.
  • Finding the right person for the compliance, operations, and customer care role at Gusto was challenging, as it required evaluating a candidate's skill set from a different industry and spending significant time on LinkedIn to connect with potential hires.
• 💼
  07:00

  Gusto's early hiring strategy focused on skill set and growth mindset, which resulted in long-term returns and non-scalable processes were acceptable in the beginning.
• 💼
  08:16

  Gusto prioritizes people and creates a great workplace culture by involving the team in the hiring process.

  • Prioritizing people and making them feel valued is crucial for any business, and at Gusto, they celebrate and prioritize potential hires by involving the entire team in the hiring process.
  • Gusto focuses on building a great place to work for its employees, which sets the tone for the company's culture and mission to make it great for its customers.
• 🧦
  10:21

  Gusto's "shoes off" culture has remained a significant part of their identity, with a collection of branded socks for big events and milestones leading some to think of them as a sock company.

  • The company started as a "shoes off" culture in their first office and it has remained a significant part of their culture even after 10 years.
  • Gusto has a collection of branded socks for big events and milestones, which has led some people to think of the company as a sock company.