The founders of Drybar tell the story of one of the most impressive employees they've ever had
Alli Webb and Michael LandeauAt Drybar, after five short years, we have almost 3,000 employees, and we truly believe that our ability to find and hire the right folks is the single biggest factor that has contributed to our success so far.
For us, it all starts with finding people who share our passion and have an obsessive focus on the customer experience. We've learned (sometimes the hard way) that it's much easier to teach skills than it is to teach attitude and passion!
One good example was a girl who came to a stylist audition in the very early days. It was clear that she didn't have what it takes to be a Drybar stylist. However, she followed up with an emphatic desire to be a part of our company, and offered to be an assistant or "do anything to work here."
Well, she ended up being one of our best hires, working her way up through the ranks and eventually becoming one of our top regional managers.
Another important lesson that we have had to learn is letting go. It's imperative to not only hire great, passionate people, but to also empower them to be leaders and give them the autonomy to make a difference. As founders, this can be extremely hard, as your instinct is to want to do everything yourself. it's the catch-22 of being a passionate founder of a company.
The best advice we can give to a fast growing start up is to hire the most talented and dedicated individuals you can find before you think you actually need them. We have our partners at Castanea to thank for this, as they helped us understand that by the time you figure out that you really need someone in a particular role, it's probably six months too late. As entrepreneurs, striving for profitability, this can often feel counterintuitive. However, it has proved time and time again to really pay off.