Recruiting
Where to post jobs, how to run a quick and fair interview process, and the applicant tracking tools a small team needs.
1 article
Hire and manage your team
How to make a first hire or a tenth, at home and abroad, work with contractors, run payroll and benefits, and keep a growing team organized.
Topics
International hiring
How to hire in another country without setting up a company there, using an employer of record or a contractor of record, and what each one costs.
7 articles
Contractors
How to work with contractors at home and abroad, from contracts, payments and tax forms to staying clear of misclassification.
6 articles
Payroll and benefits
Payroll and benefits software for small teams, what it takes off your hands, and what it costs per employee.
6 articles
HR and scheduling
HR tools that help small businesses with shift scheduling, time tracking, onboarding and leave.
3 articles
Collaboration and productivity
Project management, documentation and the collaboration tools that keep a team aligned.
3 articles
Latest articles
Guide · Collaboration and productivity
The startup tech stack: the dozen tools a new business runs on
Start with a domain you control, email on that domain, a simple website, a business bank account, accounting software, a way to take payments, a CRM, shared docs, a password manager and light automation. Most have free plans that last a two-person company months. A five-person stack runs about $180 a month at list prices.
· 7 min read
Guide · International hiring
EOR or your own Indian subsidiary: when to stop paying per head
At $599 per employee a month, an employer of record costs $7,188 a person each year. Your own Indian subsidiary swaps that for fixed running costs and Indian tax on a cost-plus margin. With $30,000 a year in quotes, it pays for itself at about six people. Here's how to work out your own number.
· 8 min read
Guide · Collaboration and productivity
How to set up business email on your own domain: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or free forwarding
Google Workspace Business Starter and Microsoft 365 Business Basic both cost $7 a user a month on annual billing. Zoho Mail's free plan covers five users. Forwarding through Cloudflare is free but only receives, and from January 2027 Gmail stops letting a personal account send as an outside address.
· 8 min read
Comparison · Collaboration and productivity
Notion vs ClickUp for a startup team under ten
Notion's free plan is built for one person. Once a second owner joins, the workspace gets 1,000 blocks in total. ClickUp's free plan allows unlimited members but only 60MB of storage. Paid plans cost $10 per member a month on Notion Plus and $7 on ClickUp Unlimited, both billed yearly. Here's which fits a small team.
· 7 min read
Guide · Contractors
How to pay international contractors: the paperwork, the payment options and the fees
To pay a contractor abroad, collect a Form W-8BEN, sign a contract that covers scope and IP, and pay through a low-cost rail like Wise, Airwallex or a contractor platform rather than a bank wire. For work done outside the US, there's no US withholding and no 1099. Here's the full process.
· 7 min read
Guide · Contractors
1099 vs W-2: how to tell a contractor from an employee, and what it costs to get it wrong
Whether someone is a 1099 contractor or a W-2 employee depends on control and independence, not on what the contract says. The IRS weighs behavioral control, financial control and the relationship, and states like California apply a stricter ABC test. Here's how to decide.
· 7 min read