So you started as a solo dev, hacking together your MVP.
Now you’re hiring your second, third, maybe fifth engineer.
Here’s the catch:
If you don’t shift your mindset and workflows, you’re not growing a team — you’re multiplying confusion.
I’ve been the first dev at a startup. I’ve seen teams scale (and unravel).
Here’s what actually works when going from 1 dev to a team — and what to avoid if you don’t want to rewrite your codebase six months from now.
1. 🧠 Your Brain Can’t Be the Source of Truth Anymore
When you’re the only developer, it’s fine if the architecture lives in your head.
But the moment someone else joins, you owe them context, not guesswork.
What to do:
- Write a
README.mdfor your repo — no fluff, just how to run the thing and what each major piece does. - Keep a
docs/architecture.mdto explain key flows (auth, payments, async jobs). - Use comments for decisions, not code explanation. Example:
// HACK: Stripe webhook retries 3 times, so we debounce manually.
This takes 2–3 hours max and saves weeks of onboarding pain.
2. 📦 Break the Monolith (Just a Bit)
No, you don’t need microservices. But you do need separation of concerns.
Why? So new developers can contribute without fearing they’ll break everything.
How:
- Separate frontend and backend (if not already).
- Group files by feature, not type. Example:
features/auth/withauth.controller.js,auth.routes.js,auth.test.js. - Abstract integrations behind services — e.g., a
MailServiceinstead of sprinkling SendGrid calls everywhere.
3. ✅ Git Discipline Isn’t Optional Anymore
You can’t ship from main at 2AM anymore.
People will pull, branch, merge — and step on landmines if you don’t get this right.
Minimum setup:
- Use feature branches.
- Require PR reviews.
- Automate linting/tests in CI.
- Write descriptive commit messages. (“Fix bug” is not a message.)
If you don’t already have a .github/workflows/ci.yml, now’s the time.
4. 🧩 Hire for Fit, Not Just Skill
Founders often rush to hire the “best” dev. But at this stage, you want someone who:
- Is comfortable with ambiguity
- Can build and ship without being spoon-fed
- Knows how to ask smart questions
- Writes code others can read
Interview tip: Give them a vague feature and see how they clarify requirements, not just how they code.
5. 🧭 Start Light Project Management — Seriously
Not Jira. Not Agile Theater.
But you do need some shared rhythm.
Try:
- Weekly planning: What’s shipping this week?
- Daily async check-ins: What did you do, what’s blocked?
- One place for tasks: Linear, Notion, Trello — pick your poison, but make it visible.
Startups die by a thousand Slack messages. Centralize the work.
6. 🧑🏫 You Are Now a Multiplier
Your job is no longer just to build.
It’s to enable others to build.
- Write down what you wish you’d known.
- Review PRs for clarity, not just correctness.
- Pair program when onboarding.
- Encourage questions — and update docs when they ask the same one twice.
Final Thoughts
Scaling from one dev to a team isn’t about adding bodies — it’s about removing blockers.
Be intentional. Document the tribal knowledge. Put some light structure in place.
Otherwise, you’ll wake up in three months with five devs asking,
“Hey, do you know where the logic for this is?”
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