--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's better to over-pay for A-level…" description: "\"It's better to over-pay for A-level talent early on, even if you can't afford it. They will drive exponential value and help you win faster.\" — Josh Li..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/josh-linkner-17871_helping_it-s-better-to-over-pay-for-a-level-tale_979996.jpg" --- # It's better to over-pay for A-level talent early on, even… ![“It's better to over-pay for A-level talent early on, even if you can't afford it. They will drive exponential value and help you win faster.” quote by Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/josh-linkner-17871_helping_it-s-better-to-over-pay-for-a-level-tale_979996.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/josh-linkner-17871_helping_it-s-better-to-over-pay-for-a-level-tale_979996.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/josh-linkner-17871_helping_it-s-better-to-over-pay-for-a-level-tale_979996.jpg) > “It's better to over-pay for A-level talent early on, even if you can't afford it. They will drive exponential value and help you win faster.” [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Investing heavily in top talent early, even beyond budget, yields rapid, exponential returns for the organization. **In simple terms:** Hire top talent early, even if costly. Key Takeaway Prioritize high‑impact hires. Themes talent acquisition investment growth Mood strategic forward‑thinking Type business motivational When to use this quote - startup hiring - venture funding rounds - project launches Key Concepts human capital exponential value Questions to Reflect On - What criteria define A‑level talent for your needs? - How can you mitigate financial risk when hiring premium talent? A Different Perspective Risk of cash flow strain if talent underperforms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) ## Related quotes > [I was lucky because I got so successful so early, and when you get successful early, then you can afford to be a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/i-was-lucky-because-i-got-so-successful-so-early-and-when-you-get/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [I am on an elite level of talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-miz/i-am-on-an-elite-level-of-talent/) [The Miz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-miz/) > [One important thing you can do for yourself is to discover your talent early enough and develop it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/one-important-thing-you-can-do-for-yourself-is-to-discover-your/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [You see Boris Becker, Mats Wilander, Nadal, Pete Sampras - they were all great when they were young. As a coach, you can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-gilbert/you-see-boris-becker-mats-wilander-nadal-pete-sampras-they-were-all/) [Brad Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-gilbert/) > [I really believed in my talent very early on, and probably in a psychotic way, to the point where I was, 'Yeah, I'm in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zegler/i-really-believed-in-my-talent-very-early-on-and-probably-in-a/) [Rachel Zegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zegler/) > [In China or in the U.S., the government program takes over promising sporting talent at a very early age and then financially secures their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jwala-gutta/in-china-or-in-the-u-s-the-government-program-takes-over-promising/) [Jwala Gutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jwala-gutta/) > [All singers, no matter how gifted, should always try to go improve. And all students begin in the same place despite the level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-catona/all-singers-no-matter-how-gifted-should-always-try-to-go-improve-and/) Gary Catona > [“The more gifted a man is, the less progress he makes on the spiritual level. Talent is an obstacle to the inner life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/the-more-gifted-a-man-is-the-less-progress-he-makes-on-the-spiritual/) [Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/) > [If anything is evident about people who manage money, it is that the task attracts a very low level of talent, one that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/if-anything-is-evident-about-people-who-manage-money-it-is-that-the/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Bellator is collecting talent, collecting world-level talent all across the board.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benson-henderson/bellator-is-collecting-talent-collecting-world-level-talent-all/) [Benson Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benson-henderson/) > [I don't really understand why we are paid less than the male actors, because we put equal efforts, and recent past has shown that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aditi-rao-hydari/i-don-t-really-understand-why-we-are-paid-less-than-the-male-actors/) [Aditi Rao Hydari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aditi-rao-hydari/) > [All the evidence shows very clearly that if you are a member of a trade union you are likely to get better pay, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-grady/all-the-evidence-shows-very-clearly-that-if-you-are-a-member-of-a/) [Frances O'Grady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-grady/) > [This whole graduating college thing better pay off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-whole-graduating-college-thing-better-pay-off/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I look at scripts as good or bad. If it's bad, it better pay a lot of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hamilton/i-look-at-scripts-as-good-or-bad-if-it-s-bad-it-better-pay-a-lot-of/) [George Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hamilton/) > [It is better to pay and have little than to have much and be in debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/it-is-better-to-pay-and-have-little-than-to-have-much-and-be-in-debt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) ## More by Josh Linkner > [Fear is the single biggest barrier to creativity. Unless we're brave enough to risk looking foolish, we'll inevitably find ourselves sticking to the status…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/fear-is-the-single-biggest-barrier-to-creativity-unless-we-re-brave/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [We can no longer rely on the rules of the past to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/we-can-no-longer-rely-on-the-rules-of-the-past-to-win/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [Separate out the creative act from the act of editing and execution. Make it a two-step process. First, let ideas flow and encourage EVERY…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/separate-out-the-creative-act-from-the-act-of-editing-and-execution/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [People who behave rarely make history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/people-who-behave-rarely-make-history/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [Creativity is not a talent; It is a skill. A talent is something you are born with. A skill is something you learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/creativity-is-not-a-talent-it-is-a-skill-a-talent-is-something-you/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [You don't often see the words "Discipline" and "Dreaming" in the same sentence. But I believe this duality is critically important to win in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/you-don-t-often-see-the-words-discipline-and-dreaming-in-the-same/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [Most think as an OR. This OR that. The most successful among us think as an AND. This AND that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/most-think-as-an-or-this-or-that-the-most-successful-among-us-think/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [Institutions too often focus their energy preserving the problem to which they are a solution than to innovate their way to success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/institutions-too-often-focus-their-energy-preserving-the-problem-to/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [Fear is the single biggest blocker of creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/fear-is-the-single-biggest-blocker-of-creativity/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [There's an old saying - you'll never hit a target you can't see. Defining a Creative Challenge is an important step in focusing your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/there-s-an-old-saying-you-ll-never-hit-a-target-you-can-t-see/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [Innovation is a subset of creativity. Innovation often deals with product launches and is often relegated to the C-suite or to heads of R&D…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/innovation-is-a-subset-of-creativity-innovation-often-deals-with/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [Curiosity is a key building block. The more curious you are, the more creativity you will unleash. A great way to do that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/curiosity-is-a-key-building-block-the-more-curious-you-are-the-more/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [Business today is all about improvisation, which is the essence of jazz. Perhaps in the past we could just follow the operating manual and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/business-today-is-all-about-improvisation-which-is-the-essence-of/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [Anyone can notice wrong answers. It takes the creative person to notice the wrong questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/anyone-can-notice-wrong-answers-it-takes-the-creative-person-to/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [One idea can be transformative. One idea can change your career, your life, your community, your family, and even the world. I truly believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/one-idea-can-be-transformative-one-idea-can-change-your-career-your/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) [Explore all 36 Josh Linkner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) ## More Helping quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-only-significance-of-life-consists-in-helping-to-establish-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [“We will all, at some point in our lives, fall. Every single one of us. We shouldn't spend our time trying to avoid falling.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/we-will-all-at-some-point-in-our-lives-fall-every-single-one-of-us-we/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [You need to remind people that you vote, you matter, and that they can't succeed without your help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-need-to-remind-people-that-you-vote-you-matter-and-that-they-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [We did an episode where she goes out to get a job and she gets fired because she's not good. They hire a babysitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/we-did-an-episode-where-she-goes-out-to-get-a-job-and-she-gets-fired/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) Browse all 17,861 Helping quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's better to over-pay for A-level talent early on, even if you can't afford it. They will drive exponential value and help you win faster.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Josh Linkner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/it-s-better-to-over-pay-for-a-level-talent-early-on-even-if-you-can-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Helping" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/it-s-better-to-over-pay-for-a-level-talent-early-on-even-if-you-can-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/josh-linkner-17871_helping_it-s-better-to-over-pay-for-a-level-tale_979996.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/josh-linkner-17871_helping_it-s-better-to-over-pay-for-a-level-tale_979996.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/josh-linkner-17871_helping_it-s-better-to-over-pay-for-a-level-tale_979996.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's better to over-pay for A-level talent early on, even if you can't afford it. They will drive…” — Josh Linkner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Josh Linkner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's better to over-pay for A-level...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/it-s-better-to-over-pay-for-a-level-talent-early-on-even-if-you-can-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/it-s-better-to-over-pay-for-a-level-talent-early-on-even-if-you-can-t/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```