When Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates remarked, “If you take our 20 best people away, I tell you that Microsoft would become an unimportant company,” he was talking about just how transformative top talent can be in a company’s success.
Microsoft, a company with over 230,000 employees, attributes much of its trajectory to just 20 people. That’s less than 0.01% of the workforce. This illustrates one important fact: not all hires are created equal. Some individuals have the power to dramatically shape your outcomes, especially in the early stages of business growth.
If you’re in the process of setting up a company or looking to scale, understanding the power of a single superstar hire can give you a competitive edge. Let’s explore why and how these high performers can fuel success.
Key takeaways
- One great hire can change everything – a top performer can multiply output, inspire others, and accelerate growth far beyond their role.
- Founders should focus on attracting people who excel in areas they don’t, and give them the space to make things happen.
- By investing early in exceptional talent, the right person will more than pay for themselves by saving you time and unlocking new opportunities.
Why superstar hires matter from day one
Starting a business is overwhelming. You’re juggling everything, from registering your company with Companies House to creating a product, defining a brand, and attracting customers. At some point, the founder must decide whether to handle everything themselves or begin to build a team.
Here’s where it gets interesting: hiring just one high-calibre individual, a top 1% performer, can change everything.
1. They create leverage
Superstar hires do more than tick things off a list, they create systems, frameworks, and innovations that amplify their own productivity and that of everyone around them. Their contribution doesn’t just add value, it multiplies it.
“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” – Archimedes.
In business terms, leverage means someone who can dramatically accelerate progress without requiring proportionally more resources. That’s how a superstar hire operates.
2. They raise the bar
High performers elevate the standards of those around them. Whether it’s through the questions they ask, the benchmarks they set, or the behaviours they model, their presence compels others to do better.
As Amazon founder Jeff Bezos once said:
A small group of high performers can accomplish far more than a much larger team of average performers.
This effect has a cultural impact too – setting expectations for performance and pace, especially crucial in the foundational phase of a startup.
3. They attract other top talent
Excellence attracts excellence. One great hire brings in others, sometimes directly, through their network, or indirectly, by signalling that your business is a place where ambitious, high-achieving people want to be.
They make the company look better to customers, investors, and future employees – helping shape the culture of the business right from the start.
4. They don’t just do the work – they push the business forward
Superstar employees aren’t just executors, they’re thinkers and builders. They identify new opportunities, challenge flawed assumptions, and push boundaries. In other words, they think like owners.
In creative and results-driven roles, the returns are exponential.
As Reed Hastings, co-founder and former CEO of Netflix, puts it:
In procedural work, the best are 2x better than average. In creative or highly leveraged roles, the best are often 10x or more.
From founder to facilitator
As a founder, it can be tempting to try and do everything, especially when capital is limited. But if you’re too central to the day-to-day, you block scalability.
Here’s what I have learned as founder and CEO of 1st Formations:
- I am not the superstar.
- I can be the visionary, but I can’t be the centrepiece.
- To build something exceptional, I need to attract people who are better than me in key areas.
- Superstars are not a luxury – they are essential.
Think of yourself as the architect, designing the business. You don’t need to lay all the bricks. You need skilled craftspeople to build it with you.
In the context of starting a business or handling your company formation journey, this lens is essential. Choose your early hires as wisely, or more wisely, than your tech stack or marketing plan.
Why early-stage businesses hesitate (and why that’s a risk)
In new and scaling businesses, the idea of hiring top talent can feel daunting. Salaries can be higher, expectations are bigger, and the pressure is real.
But not hiring one top-tier person could cost more in missed opportunities, slower growth, or failed market experiments.
Spending wisely on wages or consulting fees early on often makes business sense, especially if the right person helps you grow faster or open up new opportunities.
As venture investor Peter Thiel notes:
Foundations matter. If you get the first few people right, you’ll get the rest right.
In other words, shifting from “can we afford to hire this person?” to “can we afford not to?” could be the move that accelerates your trajectory.
Starting smart
Many new entrepreneurs think company formation and team-building are separate milestones. But when you’re setting up a company, thinking strategically about talent should happen in tandem with your pick of company structure and registration.
Early planning creates the infrastructure to attract strong talent, whether that’s via offering equity, appointing co-founders or directors, or streamlining HR and legal foundations later on.
1st Formations helps thousands of UK startups get off the ground each year, and we’ve observed that those who treat early hires seriously from day one often grow faster, fundraise more successfully, and build enduring businesses.
Start hiring top talent for your business growth
If you’re starting a business or setting up a company in the UK, ask yourself this: “Do I have a superstar in the room? And if not… what is it costing me?”
A single great hire can save you time, money, and missed opportunities. Don’t wait until you “can afford” them. Attract them early. Structure your business to support them. Build your future around them.
At 1st Formations, we’re proud to support ambitious founders building tomorrow’s businesses today. Whether you’re forming your company or scaling your team, it all begins with smart decisions – and superstars.
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