While having a unique and strong business idea is one half of the job, the other is gathering the best possible start-up team that you can. There is, of course, a variety of reasons behind this, one of them being the fact that, while investors want to know what original concepts you have to bring to the table, they also want to see what kind of team you have put together and how well it works. It should go without saying that you should be after quality not quantity. You want the best people to come together to share the very same vision and drive.
In this article, we are going to discuss 3 secrets to building an all-star start-up team. However, before we dive into the subject, let’s start with some of the legal basics you need to take care of when starting a business.
The Legal Basics
There are a variety of aspects that you need to cover before starting a business. One of them is the basic plan of deciding what kind of property you are going to use as your HQ. Usually you are going to need to acquire an office space, which is something that you want to do with the help of legal experts. There are a variety of issues regarding this step, such as strategic, regulatory, and contractual issues. You want to be 100% sure about what you are getting, before you decide to commit to it.
There is, of course, also the aspect of understanding the business laws related to the country where you start your business. If you are starting up in Australia, for example, you would want to look for legal advice from experts, such as Northern Beaches solicitors, in order to make sure that you’ve got every step right. This includes starting up and structuring, covering all the legal basics, and, in terms of building your all-star team, learning all that is necessary about the Employment Law and employee agreements.
#1 – Choose Your Team Members Carefully
First of all, it is crucial that you determine the positions that your start-up is going to need filled, and then carefully choose the people that you are going to employ. Your initial step is to find out what kind of skill sets are needed for your business to work. The only real road to expansion is a team made out of people who find the needed skill sets and are truly committed to the cause. After that, you should move on to the recruitment process.
Your interview process needs to be carefully crafted, so that your questions enable you to fully comprehend the potential employee’s background. Learn all that you can about what they do on a daily basis, how they react in particular situations, and what they know about product or service creation. By doing this, you will be able to find out whether they have what it takes to make your start-up work, and whether they are going to participate in creating the kind of company culture that you are after.
#2 – Build a Powerful Business Culture
Generally, start-ups don’t have a background that they can show off in order to attract potential employees. In other words, people that you are interviewing are going to be treading new waters just like you. This is why it is crucial that you start building a powerful business culture right away, with the emphasis on the fact that your team is going to play a major role in forming it.
This means that you are going to have to do all that is in your power to be the stepping-stone for your team members to reach success. You need to connect with them, even beyond the borders of what a business relationship means. Happy hours, events, and conference calls with team members working from remote locations are certain steps that you have to take in order to truly strengthen your team, and make everyone “part of the family”. Your business culture has to revolve around bonding, and making sure that everyone knows that their opinion is valued and that they can contribute to the whole process. Be the reason your team members find the desire to grow.
#3 – Look for Adaptable Candidates
You must not forget that finding the people for a start-up isn’t the same as hiring someone for a regular job. A potential start-up team member needs to have a certain set of traits, which will enable the business to expand, and help build the business culture on all levels. You need to be aware of that fact right away because your business plan and the way that the company ends up working are going to be different from other companies. Everyone who makes up the organization affects vision so the one thing you can be sure of in a start-up is change.
One of the very important traits that a potential team member needs to have is adaptability. As your company grows, it is bound to change its direction and renew itself in a variety of ways, both small and big. Every employee, then, needs to be capable of adapting to changes, because this is the time when it is the most important to have a dedicated and top-notch team. The last thing that you want is people deserting their positions because they don’t like the path that your business has taken.
In order to find such employees, the best idea is to test their ability to adapt during the very interview. Change the plans for the interview that you have originally set up just when the applicants arrive. You can have them talk to someone who they weren’t prepared for, or change various aspects and constraints of the process. Then, all you have to do is watch how they react. If they accept the change and rise up to the challenge, then they are the kind of people that you are after.
In Summary
Hiring people for a start-up is different from doing so for a regular job. This is because you need a strong and committed team that is going to stay determined and be there as your business expands and changes along the way. You must carefully pick your employees, make sure that they are adaptable to changes, and that you can build a powerful business culture together.
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