7 Tips To help You Pick The Right Startup Team
The quickest way to kill a startup is to make the wrong hiring decisions. So pick your teammates carefully, because you’ll be in for a long and bumpy ride. Finding people you can trust in business is essential to your success. A lot of businesses fail within the first few years of operation, and one of the largest factors of failure is undoubtedly the infighting and multiple directions pulling apart the company’s foundation. This can be eliminated by choosing the right startup team before you put your plans in motion
Know your own set of skills
The team’s role is basically to compliment, that is your team should make up for the skills you are lacking as an entrepreneur/founder. Take some time to figure out exactly what you need and what types of qualities you look for in a person. In other words, if you are good at web designing and bad at marketing, choose people who can fill the marketing job. In the same way, if you are good at the business side but can’t put together a decent website hire a technical and internet savvy individuals.
Play the Scout and leverage your network
Meeting a lot of people will increase your chances of finding the right one. You need to go where the talent is in order to find the best and brightest. Go to social networking communities, networking events, job fairs, business events, workshops and more. Ask your friends and peers if they know anyone that may be interested. Ask to be introduced. Word spreads. Your network can help you find the right people.
Qualifications do matter but find passion
It’s not enough to have smart and qualified people; they need to have lots of passion for your business and/industry. Find someone with whom you can make a meaningful connection, someone with enthusiasm and believes in your business idea
Go for team players
A team player understands what his role is in the business and performs it well to compliment the efforts of the entire team. A team player doesn’t necessarily mean a person who prefers working with a team. Rather it refers to an individual who regardless of his working style – whether he like to work with a team or work on his own – goes along well with others, at least professionally, to achieve your goals a s a business.
Think of diversity
Diversity gives your team, and consequently your business, the teeth it needs to breakthrough in the industry. If each member has a specific function to do, the business is likely to move forward. Make sure your people know what their functions are and where they stand in business to encourage accountability.
Think through the worst case scenarios.
People’s attitude changes a lot during situations of extreme distress or especially when money gets in the way. For example, imagine you launched a product into the market and the user adoption turned out to be much lower than expected. The entire world began to doubt your business model and your execution capabilities. It is up to you and your team to re-think the entire strategy for the company. Pretty stressful, don’t you think? How would your startup team react in such a situation? Would they quit and get another job somewhere or would they fight on your side until the bitter end?
Get involved in their lives
You will need to make yourself part of their lives as well. Once you form a team, you are in partnership and your partner’s input is just as important as yours. These team members are more than simple employees or partners, they are your equals. You will have to know what they want and how they feel about the ideas that emerge as the project develops
Category: BLOG, HUMAN RESOURCES, RUNNING A BUSINESS, STARTUPS
