How to Recruit "A Players" For Your Company

Why Most Business Owners Struggle to Hire – And How to Fix It

If you’re trying to build a real business — not just a high-paying job — your ability to recruit top-tier talent will make or break you.

Yet most entrepreneurs treat hiring like a side task. They post a generic job listing, ask a few surface-level questions, and hope for the best. Then they wonder why they’re stuck doing everything themselves or constantly cleaning up other people’s mistakes.

Here’s the truth:
Hiring is your business. Because people scale systems, and systems scale companies.

Below is a breakdown of what the best founders do differently when it comes to building elite teams:

1. A-Players Only Work for A-Players

Top performers aren’t looking for a paycheck — they’re looking for a mission.

They want to join something they can believe in. They want to be part of a winning team. They want to brag about who they work with.

So if your branding, your culture, or your leadership is average, don’t expect extraordinary talent to come knocking.

• Are you building a brand people want to be associated with?

• Do your vision and values stand out?

• Is there meaningful upside for them — financially and personally?

If not, fix that before you ever think about scaling your team.

2. The Power of Specialized Talent

There are two types of hires: generalists and specialists.

Generalists are great utility players — useful early on, especially when budgets are tight. But at some point, they max out.

Specialists, on the other hand, move the needle fast. They show up with frameworks, execution speed, and clarity. You’ll often learn something in the interview with them — that’s how you know you’ve found one.

If you’re stuck in the day-to-day, it’s probably because you don’t have enough specialists around you.

3. When to Hire W2 vs. 1099

Here’s a simple framework:

• 1099 contractors are great for early-stage roles (sales, marketing, freelance ops). They bring skill and speed without the overhead.

• W2 employees are better once you’re ready to build long-term systems, culture, and infrastructure.

Use contractors to stay lean. Convert your best into W2 when you’re ready to scale.

4. Build a Real Interview Process

Treat interviews like sales — because you’re selling the right person on your vision, while filtering out the wrong ones.

• Round 1: Get to know their real personality. Be relaxed.

• Round 2: Dive into their thinking. Can they break down what they do in clear steps? Do they teach you anything?

• Round 3: Get a second or third opinion. A-players shine across multiple conversations.

And remember: the best hires will sell you on why they’re a fit. You shouldn’t have to drag it out of them.

5. Onboarding is Culture-Shaping

Once someone joins, the first few days tell them everything they need to know:

• Is this company organized?

• Are expectations clear?

• Do results matter here?

Build your onboarding like you're teaching it to a 5th grader — because clarity is what scales. And if someone’s already making excuses in week one, let them go.

A-players are obvious. So are C-players. Don’t confuse motion for progress.

Final Thought

If you can master recruiting, your business can scale faster than you ever imagined. But if you get it wrong, you’ll be stuck forever in operational quicksand.

Want to Build a Business with the Right Foundation?

I’m working with 5 people this month to launch a business from scratch in 30 days or less — with a focus on building systems, hiring top talent, and creating scalable revenue from Day 1.

👉 Apply now: www.grantmittconsulting.com

Let’s build something worth bragging about.

— Grant