The idea for this eBook came about after the author Zahra Khan was repeatedly approached for advice from start-up companies from a HR perspective on the internal challenges a start-up business faces – from setting up the corporate culture, staffing issues, the roles and responsibilities of founders and employees, compensation structures, communication issues, etc. For a start-up to flourish into a solid medium-sized company, it needs to have a strong foundation, which can be achieved through HR processes that help with strategic foresight, market intelligence and advice in making the right ‘people’ decisions. A properly-focused HR department provides a structure and support mechanism to the founders and the management team that is critical to the ultimate success of the company. It can be difficult for start-ups to justify hiring a non-revenue-creating employee at an early stage. But not investing (because that’s what it is!) in HR early on can leave start-ups inadequately prepared for their growth spurt. The ‘Stanford Project on Emerging Companies’ highlighted that companies that took on HR experts in the initial stages were the fastest to go public and the least likely to fail. HR can be a real competitive advantage, because it helps you hire better, to retain better, to work better. RIGHT FROM THE START: ESSENTIAL HR FOR START-UPS & EARLY STAGE COMPANIES focuses on how to meet legal HR requirements cost-effectively, the classic pitfalls to avoid and how to build the right culture in your developing company.