We build the psychological infrastructure that turns a founding team with a product into a company whose mission, strategy, and talent are aligned.
A small founding team can run on trust, informal communication, and shared context. We help you turn that foundation into a scalable culture, team, and go-to-market plan by identifying norms, clarifying expectations, outlining and filling workflow and talent gaps, training managers and leaders, and building the HR infrastructure—job descriptions, onboarding, performance management, and more. We work at every level, from high-level mission statements and quarterly workforce planning to detailed job descriptions and performance review templates.
That means connecting your mission, strategy, and values to the everyday systems that determine how people are hired, managed, developed, evaluated, and rewarded.
Roles and Hiring
- Workforce planning connected to your product and growth plans
- Job design, role scorecards, and job descriptions
- Structured, inclusive candidate assessment and selection processes
- Interview guides and decision criteria your team can reuse
Onboarding and Performance
- Onboarding and 30-60-90-day plans
- Clear success measures connected to each role
- Practical feedback and performance-evaluation processes
- Growth expectations that can evolve as the company changes
Management and Culture
- Decision rights, operating norms, and management practices
- A compensation philosophy aligned with your values and stage
- Manager training that helps new managers coordinate effectively
- Executive coaching to help founders develop their leadership style and skills
Strategy and Execution
When product, customer, or go-to-market questions are entangled with hiring and organizational questions, we address both. QLL advises on customer identification, go-to-market strategy, pitch development, and product or service testing.
How We Work
1. Diagnose
We draw out your expertise, speak with the people involved, examine existing documents and processes, and identify the actual gaps that underlie existing challenges.
2. Design
We make assumptions and trade-offs explicit, then develop bespoke solutions from first principles instead of imposing a generic HR template.
3. Implement
We produce the real documents and processes with you, work alongside your team, and manage specialist partners such as recruiters when needed.
4. Equip and hand over
We train internal owners, explain how the pieces connect, and leave your team with scalable systems it can operate and adapt.
About QLL
Quality of Life Laboratory is a think tank and consultancy led by Dr. Orin Davis, a Self-Actualization Engineer who earned the first doctorate in positive psychology. He has worked across more than a dozen industries and with more than 100 startups, and has served as a founder, early-stage employee, C-level leader, and member of several startup boards (2 exits). His work combines original research, human capital expertise, and hands-on consulting.
Need to figure out the next steps for moving your company forward?
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qllab.org · linkedin.com/in/davisoc