The brainy bunch

T&D editor-in-chief Pat Galagan interviewed dot.com CEO Kim Fisher, whose S an Francisco-based startup, AudioBasket.com, employs mostly young, techno-s avvy workers. Fisher's retention strategy: a solid business plan; a friendl y, hardworking culture; and a nurturing leadership style. In the venture's first 10 months, the headcount has swelled from three to 4 0, and no one has jumped ship. Fisher calls her approach to building a tale nt pool "nerdworking." AudioBasket's founders tapped people they'd known in school, and those recruits widened the nerd net to friends and acquaintanc es in other high-tech companies. In fact, when AudioBasket employees bring in a prospect, they earn points in a lottery for a three-day getaway. If th e prospect is hired, the person who did the recruiting gets 500 shares of s tock. Galagan describes the environment in the warehouse office: Bikes propped ev erywhere, two computers to a desk, no dress code, unless it's headsets. "Ou r culture is down-to-earth," says Fisher. That doesn't mean that AudioBasket's employees don't work hard. There are l ong hours and short deadlines. And there's a lot of "matrixing"-employees m ust play multiple roles. For instance, every employee has been trained form ally on how to make a pitch to venture capitalists-the VCs, as they're refe rred to. But despite all that (or perhaps because of it), the AudioBasket f amily is fired up about making the firm a success. "We've created jobs to build on," says Fisher. Says one employee, "New idea s are welcome and taken seriously."