Pawan Joshi
WorkServicesAboutSpeakingInsightsContact
HR PlaybookNew
Say hi
Start here
  • HR FundamentalsBeginner
    What HR really does
  • Employee LifecycleBeginner
    Attract to alumni
  • Modern People OpsBeginner
    The operating mindset
  • Roadmaps
    Guided learning paths
For managers & founders
  • HiringIntermediate
    Structured & fair
  • PerformanceIntermediate
    Reviews that work
  • 1:1s & FeedbackBeginner
    Weekly leverage
  • Difficult ConversationsIntermediate
    Run them well
  • Scaling TeamsAdvanced
    Splits & spans
For HR professionals
  • RecruitmentIntermediate
    End-to-end hiring
  • CompensationIntermediate
    Bands & equity
  • L&DIntermediate
    Skills that compound
  • HR ToolsIntermediate
    ATS, HRIS, payroll
  • Employee ExperienceIntermediate
    Culture as a system
Specialized
  • Startup HRBeginner
    First 50 hires
  • HR AnalyticsAdvanced
    12 metrics that matter
  • AI in HRAdvanced
    What works, what doesn’t
  • Org DesignAdvanced
    Spans, layers, splits
Resources
  • Templates
    Scorecards, 1:1s, 30-60-90
  • Case Studies
    Netflix, GitLab, Google…
  • Glossary
    40+ terms explained
  • All Playbooks
    Browse everything
A practical guide to hiring, leadership, people ops, and team growth.Open the Playbook
Work01Services02About03Speaking04Insights05Contact06
Say hi
Playbook
PlaybookStartup HR
Beginner~100m total

Startup HR

First 50 hires, founder-led HR, when to hire your first people lead, equity and offers without a template.

For: Founders, early-stage operators

Beginner12 min

The First 50 Hires: A Founder’s Playbook

What to actually do (and stop doing) as a founder hiring your way from 5 to 50.

Beginner12 min

When to Make Your First People Hire

A decision framework for founders: the signals that say it's time, which role to hire first, what the first 90 days should produce, and how to pay for it.

Beginner14 min

Founder Offer Letters and Equity Packages: A Plain-English Guide to Getting It Right

First-time founders make their most expensive mistakes in offer letters and equity grants. Mis-grants are nearly impossible to unwind. This is a plain-English guide to building offers, equity ranges by stage, cliff and vesting standards, 409A and FMV traps, and the legal touch points you cannot skip.

Pawan Joshi
© 2026 · Kathmandu · Global HR & Remote Hiring