How Rillet’s Founder and CEO Screwed Up ‘Domain’ Hiring | Startups

Nicolas Kopp—CEO and founder of Rillet—reveals how he screwed up hiring by over-indexing on customer empathy and believing anyone could learn anything given enough time.

He learned the hard way that domain expertise matters, especially when accounting hires couldn’t ramp up fast enough to meet startup demands. But instead of abandoning his philosophy, Nicolas refined it. He developed a nuanced framework for when to bet on potential vs. experience, and created a playbook to set unconventional hires up for success.

In this interview, Nicolas breaks down his top tactics: co-leading early customer calls, sequencing projects to stretch new hires gradually, and spotting early signs they’re on track.

Whether you're wrestling with the trade-offs between functional experience and domain knowledge, or are trying to train high-potential talent into unfamiliar roles, this episode is packed with useful lessons in strategic hiring.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Nicolas intro
00:15 Show intro
01:28 The early days
01:45 Hiring philosophy
03:16 The mistake
04:08 The cost
05:29 Lessons learned
06:15 Success stories
08:16 Signs of an exceptional domain hire
09:33 Spotting an exceptional domain hire
10:58 Setting hires up for success
12:57 Beyond hiring

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