The Business of People
Scaling a startup isn’t just about product and funding—it’s about people. The Business of People is a biweekly newsletter that helps startup operators build high-performing teams, scale operations, and drive commercial success.
🚀 When HR and Finance don't talk, everyone pays
When HR and Finance don’t talk, everyone pays April 15, 2025 | Edition 6 The Business of People is brought to you by: Design and manage your scale-up's culture with OpenOrg by your side Tap into 25+ years of product-led, culture change experience via a flexible, monthly rolling service built for scale-ups. We’ll be your coach, sparring partner, builder and designer on all things people and culture. How it works At startups, People and Finance teams can’t afford to work in silos. Why? Because...
🚀 How do you answer "Why does this person earn more than me?"
How to build and use a compensation philosophy April 1, 2025 | Edition 5 The Business of People is brought to you by: Get your compensation practices working for you The FNDN Series is a newsletter delivering compensation insights from Heads of People, Founders and Experts across startup tech. Subscribe Here Most startups don’t have a compensation philosophy. They have vibes. And vibes don’t help when someone asks, “Why does this person earn more than me?” But, a compensation philosophy...
The People Ops KPIs You Should Be Tracking (But Probably Aren't)
The People Ops KPIs You Should Be Tracking (But Probably Aren't) March 18, 2025 | Edition 4 The Business of People is brought to you by: Benchmark Your People & Talent Metrics Today Get instant access to verified data from 600+ scale-ups across 18x people and talent metrics. Gain the insights you need to make smarter decisions and give stakeholders the context they crave. Try It Free for 14 Days SaaS startups track CAC, LTV, burn rate, and runway like gospel. But when it comes to People...
Organizational Design 101: Strategy Leads, Structure Follows
Organizational Design 101: Strategy Leads, Structure Follows The Business of People | Edition 3 The way your company is structured determines who makes decisions, how quickly things get done, and whether you can scale without breaking. Yet, many startups treat organizational design as an afterthought—something to fix once things feel “off.” Here’s the truth: The most successful companies align (and re-align) structure to strategy continuously. What is Organizational Design? Organizational...
Hiring Without Headcount: Your guide to fractional and flexible talent
Scaling Smart: When and How to Use Contractors, Consultants, & Fractional Talent Effectively February 18, 2025 | Edition 2 To scale successfully, build the right team at the right time. Not every role needs to be a full-time hire. Many founders struggle to balance when to use contractors, consultants, and fractional leaders versus making full-time hires. Get it right, and you’ll scale faster with flexibility. Get it wrong, and you’ll waste money, create inefficiencies, or slow down momentum....
Scaling People Ops: How to Level Up HR (Without Killing Agility)
From Founder-Led to Scalable People Ops: How to Build HR That Actually Works February 4, 2025 | Edition 1 Scaling startups isn’t just about product and funding—it’s about people. Yet, too many founders rely on gut feel for hiring, performance management, and culture until things start breaking. The truth? People Operations is critical to successfully scaling from 20 to 250 employees. Let’s talk about how to move from reactive, founder-led HR to a strategic, scalable People function—without...
Scaling a startup isn’t just about product and funding—it’s about people. The Business of People is a biweekly newsletter that helps startup operators build high-performing teams, scale operations, and drive commercial success.