Top 3 objections, addressed directly
Take the three objections a senior candidate is already thinking and answer them before they have to ask, which builds trust faster than avoiding them.
Lenny's recruiting framework recommends founders name the hard questions themselves before the candidate has to ask.
- The real objection, stated in the candidate's own likely words
- A direct, specific answer, not a deflection
- At least one objection about risk (runway, market, team gap)
- Softball objections nobody would actually raise
- Answers that are just reassurance without a fact behind them
- Founder picks only easy objections to look transparent while avoiding the real one
- Answers rely on future promises instead of current facts
- Skipping the runway/risk objection because it's uncomfortable; senior candidates assume it exists and notice if it's missing
- · Did you name the objection you're most afraid of, not just the easy ones?
- · Does each answer contain a fact, not just a feeling?
Objection: '[likely candidate concern].' Answer: [specific fact-based response]. Repeat for 3.
"We know you might have questions, but trust us, we're confident it'll all work out."
"Objection: 'Only 12 people, is there even a real engineering culture here?' Answer: we run weekly design reviews and a documented on-call rotation across 9 engineers today. Objection: 'What's the runway?' Answer: 22 months at current burn, with a Series A conversation started this month. Objection: 'Why hasn't this role been filled yet?' Answer: we ran a narrow search for 4 months looking only for people with prior payroll infrastructure experience."
Nimbus example: three real objections including the uncomfortable runway question, each answered with a specific fact.
Quick quiz
1. Why should founders name the hardest objection themselves?
- ○ It's required by law
- ✓ It builds trust faster than waiting for the candidate to raise it
- ○ It makes the deck longer
- ○ It's not necessary if the company is strong
Lenny's recruiting framework notes that naming hard truths first builds more trust than appearing to avoid them.
2. What's wrong with an answer like 'trust us, it'll work out'?
- ○ It's too short
- ✓ It contains no verifiable fact
- ○ It's too long
- ○ Nothing, it's a fine answer
A credible objection answer needs a specific fact behind it, not just reassurance.