Edvin Vosylius on How Startups Should Recruit, Build and Retain a World-Class Sales Team

When you talk to Edvin Vosylius, CEO and founder of Hemes, you understand immediately that this is someone who has lived the entire sales ladder. Sixteen years in sales, seven companies, from merchandiser to Chief Sales Officer, and finally running his own sales recruitment firm. And his message for founders is sharp enough to cut through all the hiring noise.

“At the early stage your assumptions are not going to work. You need people who can create processes, solve problems and adapt fast.”

This episode of Startup Sales Talks by GrowTech dives into a topic founders always underestimate recruiting and building the sales team that will carry the company from zero to the first real revenue milestone.

Let us walk through the core ideas with Edvin’s own words guiding the story.

Why early stage hiring is harder than founders think

Edvin has built teams at Deeper, WoraPay, Favro and others. Across industries, channels changed, but the pattern stayed the same

sales is always the same cake, the ingredients just change.

His main warning to founders

“If you need your first sales hire, forget the perfect candidate from the big brand. They usually fail in early stage because no one tells them what to do.”

Startups need people who can

• operate with zero support
• build their own structure
• pivot when experiments break
• create clarity from chaos

And if founders expect that corporate experience alone will guarantee results, Edvin is blunt

it will not.

The fastest way to hire well

focus your time

Many founders squeeze hiring into late evenings and scattered hours. Edvin believes that is a mistake.

“If you need to build the main team, dedicate days to it. Not thirty minutes per day. Focus brings results.”

The playbook he recommends

• tell your entire network you are hiring
• spend a block of time doing only interviews and outreach
• talk with recruiters even if you do not plan to hire one
• sanity check your expectations with people who know the talent market

There is a reason he insists on it

some founder expectations are simply impossible.

“If you expect a French speaking AE with SaaS experience, perfect motivation and low salary in Vilnius, that is a dream. There are maybe two of them.”

Experience versus passion

who should a startup choose

Edvin has a clear rule

in the very first hire, lean toward experience.

But once the core is built, passion wins every time.

“It is easier to slow down someone than speed them up.”

Candidates who show hunger, ideas, curiosity and a willingness to fight through obstacles consistently outperform people who simply accumulate years.

How to retain a high-performing sales team

Retention is where most startups collapse. Edvin offers two principles that shaped his leadership style for years.

1 Recognition, always visible

“If someone brings a good idea, I praise them in standups and all-hands. If someone fails, I mention it honestly. The team must see both.”

People stay where their work is noticed.

They also stay where expectations are clear.

2 Separate the person from the professional

This comes from Edvin’s time in Scandinavia.

“At work I can be strict. I push hard. I demand results. But outside work we are people. I like you as a person even if I do not like you as an SDR.”

That clarity removes emotional confusion and creates trust.

Why founders should still sell instead of hiding behind dashboards

Some managers believe sales leaders should only “strategize.” Edvin thinks that is nonsense.

“You need to be a playing coach. You jump on calls. You close deals. You show how it is done. Otherwise you lose respect.”

For startups, this is not optional the entire company learns by watching the founder and early sales leader in action. Leading from the sidelines kills credibility.

Remote teams are powerful but only at the right stage

Edvin has run teams both fully in-office and fully distributed. His conclusion is balanced.

“Remote is perfect when you have processes. At early stage it can be hard because you are held together by passion and uncertainty.”

Remote works best when

• expectations are defined
• accountability is built into the system
• recognition systems exist
• communication rituals are stable

But once it works, the benefits are massive

no talent borders, lower cost, better life balance for the team.

Recruiting tricks that actually work

Edvin does not believe in gimmicks. But he does believe in understanding psychology and motivation.

“I ask candidates what they would do if they had no restrictions in life. Many say they would never work in sales. Then why apply to sales”

This instantly filters people who want the job versus people who want the salary.

He also uses collaborative interviews, persona tests, and sometimes unconventional prompts to see how candidates respond under unexpected pressure.

But he is clear

what works for one founder might fail for another.

“The best candidate for me can be the worst candidate for you. Recruitment is not universal. It must match the founder.”

The only real edge early-stage startups have

When competing against giant employers with big salaries and shiny offices, Edvin believes founders must lean into the one advantage they truly have.

“People join early stage because of the founder’s belief and vision. Not the snacks. Not the office. At the start, passion is your only currency.”

If you communicate why the company matters and why this mission is worth suffering for, the right people will join you.

Why mentorship creates unfair advantages

Edvin has been both mentor and mentee for years. His view is practical.

“You talk to someone who already made the same mistakes. They help you separate illusions from reality.”

He uses mentorship to calibrate decisions, reduce blind spots and expand his thinking. His rule

mentors should not give answers, they should help you see.

And mentoring others also creates deep new relationships that would never appear otherwise.

“Mentorship gives you access to people who would never become your friends in normal life. It is a shortcut to wisdom.”

The habits that keep him sharp

Two habits define his personal growth:

Daily written goals

identity before action

“If you keep writing a goal you never act on, you catch yourself lying to yourself. Then you must choose start or change the goal.”

Audible at double speed

Edvin listens to two books every year without fail

Winner’s Dream (Bill McDermott) and The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger).

They reconnect him to ambition, discipline and resilience.

Final thought

startups do not need superstars, they need builders

If there is one line that captures Edvin’s philosophy, it is this

“You need people who can create solutions, not people who wait for instructions.”

Startups win by hiring people who build, adjust, question and iterate.

Not people who wait for a playbook.

And if founders want to build that kind of team, Edvin’s final piece of advice applies to everything recruitment, leadership, management and growth

“Be honest. Be human. Be demanding. And remember that people join because of you.”