Experts are great when you have a well defined problem and need a quick solution. Which is why I like union journeyman electricians. But not so hot with ill-defined problems you tend to find in start up companies. Experts tend to be very deep in their field but not very wide. The classic "if all you have is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail".
Experienced people are much better at ill defined problems. They have a large tool kit of pre-made partial solutions from which they can build a custom solution. In the food world Sandra Lee prepares fantastic meals, but not from scratch. She calls it " semi-homemade cooking". I never realized Bisquick was so versatile.
It's very frustrating to deal with both ends of the spectrum in a startup: On one hand you have the talented "build everything from scratch", which constantly re-invents the wheel and takes forever, and on the other side you have the "experts" who have one solution for everything. Finding that experienced middle is a task in itself.
But once you find them, keep them close and keep them happy.
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