Natasha & Sam: How To Hire A-Players When You Are Bootstrapped | Agency Culture Conversations Ep. 7 episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 12, 2026 · 56 MIN

Natasha & Sam: How To Hire A-Players When You Are Bootstrapped | Agency Culture Conversations Ep. 7

from Agency Culture Conversations · host Agency Workplaces

In 2022, Natasha and Sam were a marketing pro and a college sophomore who started a conversation at a family reunion. Three years later, The Viral Group is a 24-person global influencer marketing agency. In this episode, the two co-founders sit down to share how they built it, how they hire, how they handled the HR manager who faked interview scorecards, and the lessons they have learned about clarity, trust, and remote culture along the way.In this episode, you'll learn:▸ Why they hired senior "builders" before junior "executioners" and didn't take a salary for 18 months ▸ The hiring philosophy that combines startup speed with corporate systems ▸ The HR manager who faked interview scorecards (and what they did about it) ▸ The light-accountability systems they built afterward, instead of resorting to micromanagement ▸ How they track 24 people across functions without micromanaging ▸ Why burnout comes from lack of clarity, not workload ▸ How a single team member's feedback led to company-wide health insurance ▸ How to tell an A-player "no" to a promotion without losing them ▸ The two mistakes both founders would refuse to repeat🏆 Run an agency with a culture worth recognizing? Apply for our official agency culture recognition program at https://agencyworkplaces.com/nomination-formGuests: Natasha and Sam, Co-Founders of The Viral Group Host: Wesley Hoang, COO at Agency Workplaces

In 2022, Natasha and Sam were a marketing pro and a college sophomore who started a conversation at a family reunion. Three years later, The Viral Group is a 24-person global influencer marketing agency. In this episode, the two co-founders sit down to share how they built it, how they hire, how they handled the HR manager who faked interview scorecards, and the lessons they have learned about clarity, trust, and remote culture along the way.In this episode, you'll learn:▸ Why they hired senior "builders" before junior "executioners" and didn't take a salary for 18 months ▸ The hiring philosophy that combines startup speed with corporate systems ▸ The HR manager who faked interview scorecards (and what they did about it) ▸ The light-accountability systems they built afterward, instead of resorting to micromanagement ▸ How they track 24 people across functions without micromanaging ▸ Why burnout comes from lack of clarity, not workload ▸ How a single team member's feedback led to company-wide health insurance ▸ How to tell an A-player "no" to a promotion without losing them ▸ The two mistakes both founders would refuse to repeat🏆 Run an agency with a culture worth recognizing? Apply for our official agency culture recognition program at https://agencyworkplaces.com/nomination-formGuests: Natasha and Sam, Co-Founders of The Viral Group Host: Wesley Hoang, COO at Agency Workplaces

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Natasha & Sam: How To Hire A-Players When You Are Bootstrapped | Agency Culture Conversations Ep. 7

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This episode is 56 minutes long.

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This episode was published on June 12, 2026.

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In 2022, Natasha and Sam were a marketing pro and a college sophomore who started a conversation at a family reunion. Three years later, The Viral Group is a 24-person global influencer marketing agency. In this episode, the two co-founders sit down...

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