# Step 06 · Build the team

> Hire slowly for values and quickly for gaps. Design a remote-first operating system from day one, and write things down.

URL: https://regenerate.capital/start-here/build-the-team/
Language: en · Other language: https://regenerate.capital/fr/par-ou-commencer/equipe/index.md
Publisher: Regenerate Capital (https://regenerate.capital) · Updated: 2026-09-25

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[Home](https://regenerate.capital/) / [Start Here](https://regenerate.capital/start-here/) / Step 06

Step 06 / 08 · Build the team

# Build the *team*.

Do you have the right team? A startup becomes a company the moment other people depend on it, and the team you build sets the ceiling on everything else.

Why it matters

Early hires shape culture more than any values statement. Each one raises or lowers the bar, and in a small team you feel it right away. A wrong hire costs far more than a slow one.

Remote-first is now the default. It opens the world’s talent to a small company, but only if you design for it: written communication, clear ownership, and a rhythm that doesn’t need everyone in one room.

How to do it

## Build the team

01

### Hire for the next 18 months

Define the few roles that remove your biggest bottlenecks. Everything else can be fractional, contracted or automated.

02

### Run a real process

A written scorecard, structured interviews, a work sample and reference calls. Consistency beats instinct.

03

### Onboard like it matters

The first 30 days decide whether a hire succeeds. Give every new hire a written ramp, a buddy and three early wins.

04

### Design remote-first on purpose

Written decisions, async updates, overlapping hours and deliberate time together in person.

05

### Build HR foundations early

Contracts, equity, compensation bands and a simple review cycle. Before the tenth hire, not after the fiftieth.

Common mistakes

- Hiring friends to avoid a hard search
- Hiring senior titles before there is a job for them
- Running a remote team as if it were in an office
- Postponing hard conversations

You’re ready for the next step when

- The team ships without you in every meeting
- New hires are productive within a month
- People you would hire again apply because of people you already hired

From the studio

Joaquim scaled MLG Blockchain from 4 to 120 employees in 9 months, fully remote, with zero external funding. Onboarding held it together: a one-month structured ramp, a buddy for every hire and clear Slack norms. He later built the HR function at Secure Digital Markets as it grew from 9 to 40.

Where the studio can help

01

### Talent and team building

Hiring plans, recruiting pipelines, onboarding and the HR foundations you need before you need them.

**Experience** · Scaled MLG Blockchain from 4 to 120 employees in 9 months. Built the HR function at Secure Digital Markets as it grew from 9 to 40.

02

### Remote-first operations

Distributed teams that work: an async cadence, clear tooling, written documentation and a culture that survives distance.

**Experience** · Has built and run companies from 75+ countries. MLG Blockchain grew to 120 people fully remote.

03

### Change management

Leading your team through growth, reorganizations and new systems, including the human side of adopting AI.

**Experience** · COO through hypergrowth at MLG Blockchain. Installed HR and marketing systems as Chief of Staff at Secure Digital Markets.

Read next

[Recommended Readings](https://regenerate.capital/readings/)

Leadership and relationships

### [Extreme Ownership](https://regenerate.capital/readings/#book-extreme-ownership)

Jocko Willink & Leif Babin

Leaders own everything in their world. No excuses, no blame.

Habits and discipline

### [The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People](https://regenerate.capital/readings/#book-seven-habits)

Stephen R. Covey

Principles of personal and interpersonal effectiveness that still hold up.

Leadership and relationships

### [Daring Greatly](https://regenerate.capital/readings/#book-daring-greatly)

Brené Brown

Vulnerability as the root of courage, trust and real leadership.

[← Previous step05 · Win your first customers](https://regenerate.capital/start-here/first-customers/)
[Next step →07 · Raise the right capital](https://regenerate.capital/start-here/raise-capital/)

Work with the studio

## Building something worth growing?

Tell us what you’re building and what you need. We read every application, and every founder gets an answer.

[Apply to work together](https://regenerate.capital/apply/)