A single mediocre hire in the first five will often in fact kill a startup.
If you compromise and hire someone mediocre you will always regret it.
Great execution towards a terrible idea will get you nowhere.
As you grow, it feels hopelessly corporate but it really is worth putting in place these compensation bands.
The single word that matters most I think to keep the company productive as it grows is alignment.
At the beginning, you should only hire when you have a desperate need to.