Cannabis Startups: The Cost of Not Using an Executive Search Firm

So you’re a small startup?  Here’s why you still need an executive search firm for your key hires.

Often cannabis companies are hesitant to spend money on an outside agency to fill their key positions. We often hear that a smaller, start-up, or early growth organization is just getting started and doesn’t have dollars in the budget to pay a search firm. We understand that budgets may be tight as an organization begins building, but here’s an alternate question:

Can you afford to make a mistake when hiring a key member of your leadership team?

Many start-ups tend to try hiring on their own first, even for key leadership roles. While this approach may work some of the time, it usually limits your search to your own network or those candidates that are actively searching for a new opportunity on low-cost or free job posting sites like Indeed.com. One of the biggest benefits to engaging an executive search firm like H2 Talent is the access to a bench of qualified cannabis professionals of all disciplines as well as those from outside industry with a plethora of transferable skills.

What does it cost to engage H2 Talent? Not as much as it costs to make a mistake.

We have spoken to clients who have hired a C-level executive that they’ve found through hours worth of working with traditional job postings or through their network, hours of resume review and interviewing, and six months in, it’s just not working. This is an investment of months of time and money spent searching for, hiring, training, and acclimating this individual to their business and incorporating this person’s skill set into their practice. That’s a tremendous expenditure of time, energy and money for someone who isn’t helping them grow.

Hiring the right leader at the right time for your organization can be the difference between keeping the business open and growing versus becoming yet another start-up that couldn’t make it work.


H2 Talent’s Value Proposition

Expanding your reach to the best and brightest professionals isn’t the only benefit to engaging a search firm. Here at H2, we know that skills and experience are important, but we also recognize that it’s simply one part of the puzzle. We interview our clients as much as candidates, learning about their vision, their culture, what makes their workplace uniquely amazing.  We then use that information in our screening process, digging deep with our candidate conversations to not only qualify each candidate’s background as it relates to the role, but also to ensure alignment with vision and purpose, communication, and working style.

We work with only the best candidates in the industry. Before you see a resume, we have spent hours getting to know them and what they’re an expert at, and we know how your role will ultimately fit within their career objectives. We spend the extra time and attention on these details so you can spend your time and attention on growing your organization. After the first interview, you’ll feel like you know the candidate a bit as well, with a clear idea of motivating factors, questions, and any concerns. The candidate will leave the interview with a clear idea of the position and its role in your organization.

We do all of this because H2 Talent’s mission is to become your valued, strategic partner. We’re in this to set your organization up for success. Our services may represent a line item in your budget, but the cost of making a mistake in hiring for your leadership team is a cost that you can’t plan for, and may not be able to overcome, when growing your business.

In closing, reach out to us! We’re always open to a conversation, and we love to hear the reasons why your organization doesn’t need a search firm.  For every obstacle, there’s a solution, and we look forward to partnering with you to find your solution.