As a startup your team is your best asset. I’ll show you what your startup team needs to have to cultivate success and attract investors.

Sadly, as many know,90% of startups fail.

In light of this sobering statistic, it’s evident that choosing your startup team will be one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make.

You need to identify a solid team (the best of the best), hire them and then utilize their talents as best you can.

This may seem a lot to take in, but don’t worry you’re in the right place. We’ve plenty of hints and tips to help you through this tricky process.

So, without further ado let’s dive on in.

1. Outstandingly Talented Individuals

Usually, each member of a startup team plays a crucial role in the day to day functioning of the company.

As this is often the case, you need a team who understands your vision and who are committed to getting your business where it needs to be.

As such, you’ll (probably) need a team of people who excel in the following skills:

• Online marketing
• Sales
• Customer interaction (to be fair, the whole team needs to adopt a ‘customer first’ mentality)
• Management
• Organizational and admin skills.

Also, because startup teams are typically small, you’ll need to find individuals willing to learn and take on the responsibilities of their fellow team members.

This is imperative in case someone goes off sick, or hands in their notice.

Having a team who have a working knowledge of their colleagues’ responsibilities helps to ensure a smooth’ ‘limbo’ period until the team dynamic is back up and running normally.

Also while we’re on the subject of skill sets, you may have noticed that I especially labored over sterling customer service.

This is because every member of your team will probably come into contact with potential clients and customers.

You wouldn’t want to lose out on potential business because the person dealing with the client didn’t know how to handle them- what a waste!

2. Respect (From Both Sides)

It’s essential you show respect to your team, and in return, they show you respect. Without this, your startup team is doomed to fail.

One of the easiest ways to achieve this is to find common ground. It doesn’t matter if you’re entirely different people, with unique backgrounds and skill sets- you have to relate to your employees.

Arguably, this is the only way to foster and develop team spirit, which directly impacts on the productivity of your team and the way you communicate with one another.

You’ll also find the more your employees respect you, the harder they’ll work for you. Eventually, they’ll want to share in your success and be proud of their work.

This is the ideal situation, so do what you can to make it happen!

Plus, it’s imperative that your employees feel they can speak amongst one another and to you. This is the only way to nip problems in the bud before they become a bigger deal.

While we’re on the topic of communication, it’s essential we go over this in a tad more detail.

This is because, effective communication is imperative to the success of any startup, even more so as your company grows.

The larger your business gets, the easier information gets lost, which results in your employee’s efforts doubling up. Consequently, your employees waste their time and your money.

So do yourself a favor and make sure your staff understands the importance of excellent communication. They need to stick to whatever methods you have in place to aid this.

For example, syncing your work using a dedicated app. Or, using the group chat software, or whatever methods you already have in place.

3. Vast Experience

It doesn’t take a genius to fathom that employees who have extensive experience in their industry, are worth having on your team.

Their knowledge should make them well equipt to handle all manner of situations in a calm and collected fashion.

It’s essential you have at least a few experienced people on your team so they can depart their knowledge onto the newbies. This is a straightforward way of building and developing a strong startup team.

4. Flexibility

Flexibility in all manner of departments is an essential trait for anyone looking to work for a startup company.

Firstly, you need to be open to learning new things continually. Obviously, the extent to which this is necessary will vary depending on the industry you’re practicing in.

However, business is always evolving. So you need a team who’s prepared to change with the times.

Whether this is trialing a new marketing method, improving your customer outreach program, or testing a fresh employee reward scheme- you get the drift, change is inevitable, so your team needs to embrace this. Nay, welcome it!

Furthermore, flexibility extends to the willingness to put in the hours and the hard graft to smash your company goals.

Really and truly you need a team player, who’s willing to venture outside of their comfort zone for the good of the company.

5. Middle-Term View

Let me briefly explain what I mean by the ‘middle-term‘ view.

As previously alluded to, most startups begin their existence with a clear end goal. This is fabulous for keeping employees motivated in the early days of the company.

However, eventually, your business will grow. When that happens, you’ll need extra resources so you can keep moving forward and growing at a sustainable rate.

This is where the ‘middle-term’ view comes into its own.

This refers to the mindset your employees need as your grow. They need to envision the end goal, yet understand what has to be done to get there eventually.

So, try to hire workers who understand this concept.

Did You Enjoy These Tips on Putting Together the Ideal Startup Team?

If you enjoyed this article, we’re sure you’ll love our ‘startup’ blog. Over there you’ll find plenty of resources that focus on everything from goal setting to brand development.

Alternatively, please feel free to reach out and contact me. I’m more than happy to answer any questions you might have on this topic and help to steer you in the right direction!