Business Leader Ben Askins of Gaia: Scaling and exiting with a healthy company culture
Feb 24, 2026
Ben Askins, co-founder of Gaia and serial entrepreneur who built and exited a digital marketing agency, discusses hiring practices and interview tasks that reveal real talent. He talks about building diverse leadership, keeping culture healthy, preparing a company for sale, and launching green tech products like carbon accounting and nature-finance marketplaces.
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Give Paid Casework To Finalist Candidates
- Test candidates with real role-specific tasks and compensate finalists for their work to reveal capability and reduce hiring mistakes.
- For senior hires Ben shares guarded P&Ls and client lists and asks for a strategy plus team growth plan to evaluate fit.
Performance And Culture Are Separate Axes
- High performers can still be toxic cultural fits; performance and cultural fit are separate hiring axes.
- Ben finds firing people who are great at their role but damage team morale is one of the hardest but necessary leadership decisions.
Schedule Frequent 1:1s And 360 Feedback
- Run regular feedback and one-to-ones: fortnightly 1:1s, quarterly deeper chats, and an annual review.
- Ben recommends direct 360 feedback and asking your team what you can do to help, rather than over-relying on personality tests.