One of the guiding principles at Names@Work is to keep our staff as small as possible.

Sometimes, though, you meet someone and you know that you just have to hire them if at all possible. Someone who will contribute more than a skillset, more than a work effort, more than a spot on the roster. Someone who will challenge you and even change what you thought the company was meant to do. A real contributor.

At my previous company, we had as many as 45 employees, and in retrospect that was a mistake. It was expensive, it required an extra management layer, and it made it very hard to keep the company personal and friendly — which was how we all wanted to work.

At Names@Work we’ve decided to concentrate figuring out how to scale our efforts instead of just throwing people at problems. We’re dedicated to achieving great results with just a few people, mixed with a stable of great independents who can work with us on the projects that work for them.

I found Jeff Kirsch by accident — we weren’t looking for anyone. He was working with my friend Jen Bekman’s art gallery, taking care of her hugely successful Hey Hot Shot! photo contest. Jen kept telling me, “You really ought to look at Jeff.”

One day, I took him out to lunch, followed by another, then a coffee in my neighborhood, followed by an introduction to James, and today I’m really happy to announce that Jeff Kirsch has joined Names@Work as Director of Product Management.

Welcome!

P.S. Read more about Jeff

[Note: Edited 10/13/07]

Posted by Antony in: News