Launching Start-up
How to Build an All-Star
Start-up Team
Hiring the right start-up team is only half the battle. Equally important is developing the team’s dynamic. Start-up founders should focus on quality over quantity. One of the main goals they need to achieve is to connect with people who share their drive and passion.
We've compiled some nuggets of wisdom and best practices on how to select the most qualified team members for your start-up.
Selecting a Cofounder
Should you go alone or look for a cofounder? All entrepreneurs eventually face this question.
Finding the most qualified person can play a crucial role in your start-up's success.
When selecting a cofounder, remember that they should add complementary skills and help keep you focused and motivated. Also, since so few successful companies were founded by a single person, investors generally tend to fund a cofounding team rather than a solo entrepreneur.
The cofounding team will spend a lot of time together, so it's important to have the right chemistry. Think of your partnership as a marriage in the business world.
So, how do you go about it?
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First, identify the gap in your business. Whether it’s in a specific process or an entire business area, associate with someone who brings that expertise to the start-up. Complementing each other is the key to the success. A good example of complementary founders are the founders of Intel, Gordon Moore and Bob Noyce. Moore studied Chemistry, while Noyce had a background in Physics.
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To find a cofounder, start with someone that you already know. Your personal network is a great place to look for potential cofounders. Sometimes, it’s a good idea to partner with someone that you’ve worked with before, as you will be familiar with their work ethic making it easier to build mutual trust and respect.
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Next, share your ideas with that person. Your cofounder should share your passion and commitment to build a disruptive start-up. Building a successful company takes years of commitment, so having a committed cofounder is essential. Google founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, shared a common goal, which was to improve how we search information on the internet. Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and Max Levchin wanted to create a better way to receive payments, which led to the creation of PayPal.
If you find someone who meets all these criteria, you have a strong cofounder.
Here are some other important points to consider:
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Always communicate: start-ups are never easy, so take extra steps to ensure that you and your cofounder know how to resolve conflicts quickly.
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Gain access to market leaders, influencers, and resources. Having a cofounder with an extensive network will only be beneficial for your venture.
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Choose someone local to be involved in the everyday start-up hustle: cofounding a company with someone who is not in close proximity is never an option.
Selecting Your Team Members
Besides choosing the appropriate cofounder, you will definitely need a team of dedicated individuals to manage marketing, operations, and business development. You can start building a team by following these steps:
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First, identify the voids in your start-up and the skill sets needed or required to fill these voids.
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Second, start recruiting team members. Be as specific about the skill sets as possible to ensure that you're hiring the perfect candidates.
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Third, during the interview process, ask candidates about their background. Gather information about the candidates’ daily tasks in their previous employment, specific case studies, and their role in developing a product or service.
Answers to interview questions will help you understand two things:
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Do they possess the appropriate skills and qualifications for your start-up?
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Can they integrate into the culture of the start-up?
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
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Look for strong team members who are problem-solvers and know how to deal with obstacles.
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Hire advisers who can address specific problems, keeping them engaged and motivated from the very beginning. Offer them some equity, demonstrating your respect and trust, as well as helping to raise the value of your company.
What to Avoid When Building Your Team
Sometimes building the right team can be challenging. We may make mistakes during the recruitment process, bringing the wrong people on board.
This can have a detrimental impact on the start-up. Here are some steps you can take to minimize risks:
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Don't be impressed by a title, assuming that a potential hire knows everything. Your start-up and their experience might not go hand in hand.
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Ensure a potential hire sees the big picture. They will not only understand their role in your start-up but also stay involved and excited.
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Build respect amongst all team members, but do not compromise.
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Speak out when something is wrong and discuss these issues. Such a practice will help you avoid major differences or even splits in the future.
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Start-up team members may be spread out all over the globe. As a result, communication is extremely important to keep the team on the same page.
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Start-ups are dynamic and require rapid ways to communicate, so be ready to be flexible and use any tool to keep in touch with your team members.
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As your start-up grows, it will go through different growth phases. Learn to identify these phases, so that you’ll find the right person to take on new tasks.
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You might have the next million-dollar idea, but if your team dynamic is weak, your start-up will be ruined.
Remember, you’re in control, so take charge and build an all-star start-up team
Where Does Start-up
Funding Come From?
Building and running a successful company requires considerable funds. Each start-up will need computers, employees, and office space, so all start-up founders have to figure out where to get funding. There are several types of funding, each of which has its advantages and disadvantages:
Self-funding (Bootstrapping)
Most entrepreneurs self-fund their ventures, either through personal savings or side income.
Advantage: You have autonomy and don’t have to give up a stake in your company.
Disadvantage: You’re limited to your personal funds, which could prevent you from growing as fast as you need to.
Personal networks
Turning to family and friends for funds is a common way to raise initial capital for your start-up.
Advantage: It can be easy to persuade people whom you know to invest money in your project.
Disadvantage: Your personal relations can be sabotaged if your start-up fails or doesn’t perform as expected.
Crowdfunding
Fundraising platforms have transformed the start-up scene and are now an extremely popular fundraising option.
Advantages: A good crowdfunding campaign is also a public relations strategy. Participants can share your campaign on social media, improving audience awareness. Another good idea is to use the crowdfunding process to get feedback from consumers on your product or service.
Disadvantages: Crowdfunding has low entry barriers, meaning that nearly every start-up can qualify for launching a crowdfunding campaign. Consequently, it is challenging to stand out from all other businesses and persuade potential investors of your project’s value. In addition, both your corporate and personal privacy will be limited, compromising the future of your venture.
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Grants
You can apply to a number of different bodies, such as governmental, nonprofit, or others, provided that your venture will benefit the community.
Advantage: Securing a grant can contribute to your company’s public image via media coverage, public events, or word-of-mouth.
Disadvantage: It is challenging to apply for a grant, let alone secure it, as there are many regulatory and legal pitfalls. It is, therefore, possible that your investment in time, effort and money will never pay off.
Loans
You can approach a financial institution or local development agency to apply for a loan. However, you will need to prove the viability of your project by presenting a coherent and realistic business plan, financial statements, and other pieces of documentation.
Advantage: You do not have to give up control or a stake in the business.
Disadvantages: Finding a willing lender with suitable terms may be time-consuming. In addition, you will have to incur interest payments.
Angel Investors
These are individuals who invest or lend some of their personal wealth—usually between $25,000 and $1.5 million.
Advantages: Because anyone who makes $200,000 a year or has $1 million in assets can qualify to become an angel, you may have an easier time finding one than getting an appointment with a venture capital firm. And your angel may encourage their friends to join them; websites, such as Ravikant’s AngelList, formalize this effect.
Disadvantage: The network of angel investors is very broad, and it can be difficult for start-up founders to find the right person to help them launch the venture.
Accelerators
Accelerators provide non-cash support to early-stage companies through different resources such as office spaces, classes, and a network of contacts.
Advantage: Similar to friends in your freshman dorm, your accelerator classmates will be your peers as long as your business is operating.
Disadvantage: It is crucial to select carefully the accelerator you want to work with. Since there are many of them, you should do thorough research to understand which one will best accelerate your start-up’s growth.
Venture Capital
Despite the widespread perception that a start-up concept quickly becomes a Venture Capital firm, this is far from the truth. Venture capitalists tend to invest in more mature businesses rather than early-stage companies.
Advantage: In addition to cash, a good venture capital firm will provide advice, guidance, and introductions to other powerful people in your industry.
Disadvantages: It is extremely hard to secure investment from a VC fund. In addition, the VC of your choice might simply not be the right one. You need to know if the investors have strong operational experience or if they can connect you with those who do. Feedback from other founders who were funded by the firm would also be valuable.