Having Confidence In Finding New Hires: Hire For Experience or Potential?

All things in life have their chicken-and-egg debate—Which one came first? This is one of those situations that, in the world of business ownership, you're trying to figure out: Is it better to hire someone with great experience, or do you bring in someone younger and train them up? What do you do with that? We're going to be answering that, and I think it'll be really helpful.

Also, I wanted to make you aware of the new Dickie and Donny Podcast. It’s right here on the Business On Purpose channel. If you scroll through some of the previous episodes, you’ll find The Dickie and Donny Show. That’s Shawn and Brandon and two of our BOP coaches—amazing coaches—who get together and take a super fun, whimsical look at some of the challenges you’re dealing with, walking through a lot of the tools within our operating system. Make sure to check that out!

At the end, I’ll also show you something that I think will be really helpful. But first: Do you really need world-class talent, or can you develop someone younger?

There’s a common misconception that business owners must always seek out world-class talent, which usually means overpaying. But this overlooks an important reality: Exceptional talent often comes with its own set of baggage or challenges. When you hire a top performer, you’re not just managing their skills—you’re also managing their quirks, demands, and potential difficulties.

This issue reminds me of a very old story about a treasure in a field. A man stumbled upon a hidden treasure while walking through a field. He was thrilled—he saw something no one else did. So he approached the landowner and offered to buy the entire field. The landowner, unaware of the treasure, agreed to sell what he thought was just ordinary land. The man got the treasure, but he also became responsible for the entire field.

We often miss that part of the story. He now had to tend to and care for every aspect of that land—not just the part he initially wanted. The parable perfectly illustrates what happens when businesses pursue world-class talent. You might secure that exceptional individual, but you're also taking on everything that comes with them. It’s like buying the whole field just to get the treasure.

So when you’re thinking about top-tier candidates, it’s best to conduct the hiring process—the one we’ve built and talked about in our Business Operating System—with caution and thoroughness. In fact, as I’m recording this, we just put an offer out to a new team member last week, and we walked through every step of our hiring process to get there.

That’s why we strongly advocate for a documented, checklist-based hiring process for every business owner. It acts as a safeguard, slowing you down and helping you avoid potentially costly mistakes. A structured system allows you to thoroughly evaluate a candidate’s skills, achievements, and cultural fit. It helps uncover any potential baggage that may come with their talent—because there will be baggage.

The goal is not just to hire the best talent, but the right person—someone who will contribute positively to your team and mission. That’s why we have core values and a stated mission: to use them as filters for decision-making, especially when hiring. Sometimes, the best hire isn’t the most decorated or accomplished individual—it’s the one who best aligns with your company’s needs and culture, if you’ve built it and written it out.

By implementing a comprehensive hiring process, you give yourself the best chance of finding that hidden treasure—without inadvertently taking on more than you bargained for. It’s about striking the right balance between talent acquisition and culture fit, ensuring your new hire is an asset to your team in every way because you’ve worked through every item on that checklist.

If you’ve got questions about this, as I’ve said before, some of our coaches have set aside time just for you. If you’re a business owner, the primary owner, with three or more full-time W2 employees and doing $1M+ in revenue, you can hop on a 15–20 minute “Ask Us Anything” call—no strings attached. Just go to businessonpurpose.com/ask. If you sign up and show up, we’ll answer any questions you have. If you want to know how to work with us, just ask. We’ll tell you.
businessonpurpose.com/ask

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