After announcing we’re hiring the Partner #3 at Bloco, we got asked why we only want to hire partners. So let me share our reasoning...

From the start, we wanted to keep Bloco a small team, growing slowly. Not grow it to flip it or for growth’s sake. Grow sustainably in experience, results and impact. Plus, transparency is key for us, specially for those who work with us.

So, when bringing someone new into the team, we want to remove all barriers between them and us. Avoid a boss-employee relationship. Make them feel the company is also theirs. That they have a say in every decision and share the responsibility.

And the best way to achieve that is to share the ownership of the company, make everyone own an equal part of Bloco.

Of course hiring a partner is more difficult. It’s not just matching the skills we need. There needs to be a strong match in values and a willingness to work on whatever the company might need. At the same time, a specific technical ability isn’t that important, because we’re betting long term.

Once we find someone, there will need to be an experimentation period, of course. It’s not easy being sure you found the right partner. But as soon as we know it, we want to make sure Bloco is as his/hers as it is mine and Cláudia’s.