Mark Bjornsgaard emphasizes the importance of honesty and respect within his experienced team at Deep Green, which he likens to a "genius Donkey Sanctuary."
He recommends the book "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" for insights on hiring and firing, especially in sales, and stresses the need to define what is being sold clearly and to whom.
Joshua Feinberg highlights the role of early sales hires in understanding product needs and communicating these to the technical team.
They both agree on the value of smaller teams learning their craft before scaling up.
They also discuss the challenges of defining product-market fit and go-to-market fit, with Mark noting the relative simplicity of the data center industry compared to others.
This video is excerpted from the podcast Ep. #40 Mark Bjornsgaard, Founder and CEO of Deep Green Technologies | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast.
Action Items
- Provide feedback to the CTO/technical founder on the priority features needed to close deals.
- Read the book "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" to learn more about hiring for sales in startups.
- Determine what the startup is trying to sell and to whom, before hiring a sales team.
Outline
Challenges of Hiring for Sales in Startups
- Mark Bjornsgaard emphasizes the importance of "truth to power" within his team, describing their dynamic as a "genius Donkey Sanctuary" where respect and brutal clarity are key.
- Mark Bjornsgaard recommends Ben Horowitz's book The Hard Thing About Hard Things, highlighting its insights on hiring, especially in sales, and the necessity of firing friends who can't grow with the business.
- Joshua Feinberg discusses the role of early sales hires in startups, suggesting they should also act as part-time product managers to understand recurring feature requests and communicate these needs to the technical and executive teams.
- Mark Bjornsgaard agrees, noting the importance of smaller teams learning their craft before scaling up and handing over responsibilities, referencing the "rework principle."
- Joshua Feinberg points out the lack of consensus on what product-market fit and go-to-market fit look like, suggesting startups build ideal client profiles from case studies to better understand their target market.
- Mark Bjornsgaard finds the data center industry simpler to navigate than other businesses, focusing on power and build costs as the primary levers for success, despite acknowledging other variables.
Resources
Read "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" (By Ben Horowitz)
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