In the fast-paced world of blockchain and crypto, where projects like meme tokens can explode overnight, building the right team is crucial. But how do you know when and whom to hire? A recent exchange on X (formerly Twitter) between Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko and Tristan from BulletXYZ sheds light on this, offering practical wisdom for founders navigating growth.
Yakovenko, known for his no-nonsense approach to building Solana—one of the fastest blockchains out there—shared some hard-earned advice: "Hire to scale up the CEO/founder. If the CEO isn’t working on it, there is no need to hire that role." He breaks it down simply: If you're as the founder already handling a task, it means it's important, there's real work to be done, and you can judge if the new hire is up to snuff within 90 days. Otherwise, skip it.
This resonates especially in the meme token ecosystem, where founders often juggle everything from smart contract development to community hype. Imagine you're launching a new meme coin on Solana— you're coding in Rust (Solana's programming language of choice for its speed and security), managing tokenomics, and engaging with your community on socials. Bottlenecks hit hard when you're the only one who can do it all.
Tristan, who's perfecting on-chain perpetuals at BulletXYZ, chimed in with his own experience: "Learned this the hard way. Recently hired our first principal engineer who is undoubtedly 10x better at Rust than I ever will be, and honestly couldn't be happier. Feels good to scale past my own bottlenecks and free up time to be working on more high leverage problems."
For meme token creators, this is gold. Rust might sound technical—it's a systems programming language that's memory-safe and super efficient, making it ideal for blockchain apps to avoid bugs that could lead to hacks or losses. Hiring someone who's a wizard at it lets you, the founder, shift focus to what really moves the needle: innovating on your token's narrative, partnering with influencers, or optimizing for viral growth.
Why This Matters for Meme Tokens
Meme tokens thrive on speed and community, but behind the memes are real tech stacks. Solana's ecosystem, with its low fees and high throughput, has become a hotspot for meme coins like Dogwifhat or Bonk. Applying Yakovenko's hiring rule means you're not just building a token—you're building a sustainable project. Ask yourself: Are you stuck fixing code when you should be brainstorming the next viral campaign? Time to hire that Rust pro.
Key Takeaways for Blockchain Practitioners
- Prioritize Based on Your Own Workload: Only hire for roles you're actively doing. This ensures the position is vital and you can evaluate performance quickly.
- Set a 90-Day Benchmark: If the hire can't match or exceed your output in three months, they might not be the right fit. This keeps your team lean and effective.
- Embrace Scaling: As Tristan notes, handing off tasks frees you for "high leverage problems"—think strategic partnerships or ecosystem integrations that can 10x your project's value.
This advice isn't just for big players like Solana; it's scalable for anyone in crypto, from solo meme token devs to growing DeFi teams. If you're feeling the founder fatigue, revisit your tasks and consider who could take them to the next level.
For the full context, check out the original thread on X. And if you're diving deeper into meme token strategies, stay tuned to Meme Insider for more insights on blockchain tech and trends.