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Podcast: This Founder Shares Why the Philosophy 'Don't Hire 'Til It Hurts' Went Horribly Wrong for His Company In the latest episode of 'Problem Solvers,' the co-founder of software company Zapier talks about not only knowing how to hire a stellar team but when to onboard people.

By Jason Feifer

entrepreneur daily
Zapier

Introducing our new podcast, Problem Solvers with Jason Feifer, which features business owners and CEOs who went through a crippling business problem and came out the other side happy, wealthy, and growing. Feifer, Entrepreneur's editor in chief, spotlights these stories so other business can avoid the same hardships. Listen below.

Many entrepreneurs struggle with how to hire the right people. But they don't always think about when to hire those people.

That can lead to disaster.

Related: After Realizing Customers Didn't Share Her Vision, an Entrepreneur Makes a Big Change -- And Sales Grew More Than $3 Million

Wade Foster knows this well. He's the co-founder and CEO of a software company called Zapier. As the company began growing, it followed a philosophy he calls "don't hire "til it hurts." Basically, he didn't hire a new person until he absolutely needed to. But when Zapier hit a growth spurt, it was in desperate need of new staffers -- and there was no system in place to find them. "And now," Foster remembers thinking, "it really, really hurts, because we're half as big as we need to be."

Related: Podcast: Her Cookie Company Went Viral, Which Meant A Bouncer and 4-Hour Lines

This experience led Foster to completely rethink how and when he hires new people, and to build a system that ensures his staff grows at the same pace his company does. How did he do it? We explore his process in this new episode of Problem Solvers.

Listen to the show below, or subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Jason Feifer

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor in Chief

Jason Feifer is the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine and host of the podcast Problem Solvers. Outside of Entrepreneur, he is the author of the book Build For Tomorrow, which helps readers find new opportunities in times of change, and co-hosts the podcast Help Wanted, where he helps solve listeners' work problems. He also writes a newsletter called One Thing Better, which each week gives you one better way to build a career or company you love.

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