Core HR concepts for every startup

A follow-up to our meeting

Thanks for taking the time to talk about the HR challenges you might be facing. I know things can feel overwhelming, so I wanted to follow up with a quick overview of the core HR foundations we discussed and more—the same concepts I share in my workshops and with other startups navigating similar growing pains.

After 20 years working across IT startups, recruitment agencies, and EU organizations, I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. I’ve witnessed successful projects that transformed companies and failures that wiped out entire teams. The good news? Most HR disasters are preventable with the right foundations in place.

The CRISP Framework

Think of these five elements as your HR foundation. I use the acronym CRISP to make them easy to remember: Culture, Recruitment, Immunity, Systems, and Performance.

Culture: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Here’s the truth that many founders don’t want to hear: your behavior will shape your company culture more than any mission statement or values poster ever will. People leave managers, not jobs.

If you want to build a culture of ownership, you need to actually delegate. If you want transparency, you need to share information openly. Lead by example, because your team is watching everything you do.

Recruitment: Minimize the Guesswork

Early hires can make or break your startup. To improve your odds:

• Aim to minimize subjective evaluations by using structured interviews
• Include multiple panel members in the hiring process
• Bring in external experts when you’re hiring for roles outside your expertise
• Test critical skills in written form before making an offer

Think carefully about what kind of team you’re building. Every hire shapes your culture and sets expectations for who comes next.

Immunity: Build Resilience Before You Need It

What happens if your lead developer quits tomorrow? What if your best salesperson gets poached? These aren’t pleasant scenarios to imagine, but they’re exactly the kind of risks you need to plan for.

Spend time creating a risk matrix. Identify your most likely and highest-impact risks. Build redundancy into critical roles. Document processes. The best time to prepare for these situations is before they happen, not during the crisis.

Systems: Automate Before You’re Drowning

Here’s a counter-intuitive insight: a good HR system can actually delay the need to hire a dedicated HR person. The right tools automate routine tasks, help you stay compliant, and generate data for better decision-making.

You want an HR system in place before you feel like you desperately need one. When individuals fail or drop the ball, good systems take over and keep things running smoothly.

Performance: What Gets Measured Gets Done

Peter Drucker was right—what gets measured gets done. But you need to measure the right things, and you need to compare performance against clear targets.

Make sure your goals are SMART:

• Specific – Clear and unambiguous
• Measurable – You can track progress
• Achievable – Challenging but realistic
• Relevant – Aligned with business objectives
• Timebound – Has a deadline

Without clear performance expectations, even your best people won’t know if they’re succeeding.

Start Small, But Start Now

You don’t need to implement everything at once. Pick one area where you’re feeling the most pain and start there. Maybe it’s tightening up your recruitment process, or finally documenting your key workflows, or setting clear quarterly goals.

The key is to build these foundations while you’re still small enough to be nimble. It’s much harder to retrofit culture and systems into a 50-person company than to establish them when you’re a team of less than 10.

If you have questions or want to dive deeper into any of these areas, feel free to reach out. I’m here to explore solutions together, not prescribe one-size-fits-all answers.

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Looking for more HR guidance for your startup? Visit www.borealhr.com or get in touch to discuss your specific challenges.