What Every Startup Needs Before Its First Hire

Hiring your first employee is a huge milestone.

It's also where a lot of startups make expensive mistakes.

Before you make that first hire, make sure you have these in place:

✅ A proper employment contract (not a template you found online)

✅ An offer letter that clearly sets out terms, salary, and start date

✅ A basic HR policy document (disciplinary, grievance, holiday)

✅ Payroll set up and running — PAYE registered with HMRC

✅ Employer's liability insurance (it's a legal requirement, not optional)

✅ A clear probation period defined in writing

✅ An onboarding plan for their first 30 days

This isn't bureaucracy for the sake of it.

Every single item on this list has, at some point, been the thing that turned a small HR issue into an expensive legal dispute for a startup I've worked with.

Get it right before you hire. Not after.

Are you about to make your first hire? What questions do you have?