In the course of running operations for multiple growing biomedical enterprises, Octave Bioscience co-founder and COO Melinda Thomas has learned that one of the worst mistakes you can make is to hire too hastily. She urges entrepreneurs to set a high bar as they’re building their teams, even if that means waiting months to fill a key position. It’s worth being patient, she says, because the effects of that decision may last five years or more.