Hiring & Talent

Practical advice for UK founders hiring their first team. Share what's working — from writing job descriptions and choosing between agencies and direct hiring, to designing interview processes that close candidates before competitors do. Whether you're making hire number one or scaling to fifty, this is where founders help each other get it right. First hires, recruitment agencies, remote hiring, interview design, offer negotiation, scaling teams, inclusive hiring.

How to structure equity, share options, and compensation when you can't compete on salary. Discuss EMI schemes (including the April 2026 expansion), vesting schedules, option pool sizing, salary benchmarking by stage, and how to explain an equity offer so candidates actually understand it. If you've set up an EMI scheme, negotiated equity as an early employee, or figured out how to pay yourself as a founder — share what you learned. EMI options, CSOP, vesting, salary benchmarks, equity splits, BADR tax rates.

The operational side of employing people — payroll software, employment contracts, employer NI at 15%, auto-enrolment pensions, and all the compliance that kicks in the moment you hire someone. Honest questions founders are often embarrassed to ask: "Do I need PAYE if I only pay myself?" "What's the cheapest payroll software that works?" "Am I claiming the Employment Allowance?" Payroll software, HR software, PAYE, employer NI, pensions, employment law, statutory payments.

Thinking about joining a startup? Preparing for an interview? Considering leaving your corporate job? Discuss what it's actually like working at an early-stage company, how to evaluate offers when equity is involved, and how to prepare for interviews that test real skills rather than polished answers. We particularly welcome neurodivergent perspectives — traditional interview advice doesn't work for everyone. Startup careers, equity evaluation, interview prep, salary negotiation, career changes, neurodivergent experiences.

Connecting founders with experienced professionals who work fractionally, part-time, or freelance. Founders: post what you need — a CFO for your fundraise, a marketer for three months, a developer for a specific build. Freelancers and fractional execs: introduce yourself, what you do, what stage you work with, and how to get in touch. No hard selling. Fractional CFO, CTO, CMO, freelance developers, designers, consulting, interim, project-based hiring.