At a VC, deals are literally the business.

But Rachel Townend's philosophy? People first, always.

As Chief of Staff and General Partner at Illuminate Financial - employee #1, 12 years, fourth fund, Rachel's watched what happens when founders get this right versus wrong.

Her take: Without the right people in the right seats, you can't do deals. It's a multiplier effect. Good people attract good people. Get the first hires wrong and everything compounds negatively.

This episode breaks down how to build a people-first culture from day one, why frameworks matter more than you think, and how Illuminate does things differently from typical finance culture.

You'll hear about sharing carry with everyone (not just deal makers), building a culture that scales, the performance and behaviour framework, and why starting early beats retrofitting later.

Rachel also covers the zero-based org chart exercise, why onboarding gets skipped, and what founders need to carve out time for today.

One action: Listen to the end for Rachel's specific advice.

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