Are you in my head or something? :)
I agree 100% with everything you wrote.
It was very difficult to explain my concept in one minute - it took 42 takes, and I still feel like I left out something important.
My application felt robotic and very technical, which is not at all like me. I tried to have more of myself come through where I could.
There was so much I wanted to say about my passion for people, and how I want to create a fun, interesting, and contemporary work environment that fosters innovation and creativity.
I want to be challenged, work with experienced people, and learn everything I can about running the best business possible.
I am also confident of my skills and drive, and getting this company up and running is my life goal. All of my other goals and ideas revolve around it (except for breathing, etc).
I completely agree, and that is why we will have a completely web based system so that I can hire contractors all over the U.S. and let my normally onsite employees work from home a day or two a week. Instead of me saying, "Work at home tomorrow", they will choose the day and I will OK it. Obtaining input from employees makes them feel valued and important. Besides, I trust that they will know when it's OK to work at home.
I also plan to ASK each person what a good reward would be (everybody is different), and make sure to thank them. I understand that it's their job, but it goes a long way to boosting everyone's morale and productivity by saying you appreciate them.
A friend's boss wanted to buy her a small token of appreciation for successfully completing a huge project, and my friend jokingly said she wanted a Hummer. The boss bought her one - a diecast collectible H2, and 6 years later my friend still says that was the best gift she's ever gotten :)
Besides, Google is creeping me out with the "targeted ads" thing.