Hey, people! Gua is back. Today I want to discuss the question that Dealan once asked me: “How to build a dream team so that your startup would blow the market?” Many of us look up to startup founders and totally forget that under every facade of success there’s a whole group of people building a company brick by brick. I was so lucky to find Evrik, Chip Polina and Meta L for our dream team! Let me show you how to dig out such diamonds for your startup.
Diversity is the key to creativity. Imagine a team composed of same-thinking people — what a bore! To move your business on, you need to detect growth points and bottlenecks, observing your startup from multipleangles. That’s why you need different people in your crew. Here are the roles needed for creating a well-balanced team.
The Dreamer
Teamwork is always fueled by motivation, enthusiasm, and inspiration. The Dreamer is a person who never gives up despite the doubts of others. They are always at the frontline, generating and experimenting with crazy ideas. You may think that the Dreamer’s role belongs to project founders, but these can also be HR experts and any other team member. The main Dreamer in my gang is Evrik — I love his inspiring ideas and endless optimism!
The Visionary
Like an oracle, the Visionary should clearly define the issues in a startup and possible solutions. Every company hits the rocks from time to time. This is when the Visionary will step up, analyze the problem from different angles and set a new course for development.
The Action taker
Being the Action taker boils down to doing, not just planning. To ensure that tasks get started and finished, this role requires management knowledge and project-related expertise. Dealan is a typical Action taker: he makes decisions without hesitation and doesn’t let my teammates chicken out — time is money!
The Innovator
This role boils down to turning the ordinary into something exceptional. It should be someone who bursts with out-of-the-box ideas and likes experimenting. Innovators should be creative, have excellent taste, and have an eye for growth and inventions.
The Taskmaker
This function complements the Action taker, but Taskmakers are responsible for planning and distribution, as well as giving out tasks keeping tabs on the speed and quality of their completion. Thanks to Taskmarkers, a company keeps advancing through its roadmap milestones, and our crew is not an exception. Chip Polina puts a rocket up our asses when we start procrastinating or losing our focus on daily agenda.
The Mediator
Networking is essential for any startup! Mediators build connections with clients, investors, and advisors, enabling efficient dialogue and productive collaboration. Dealan’s ability to get investors to talk makes him reach bla-bla-blasting results :)
Ideally, you need to combine all of these individuals in your team, working side by side like gear wheels in a clock. “How the heck am I supposed to search for them?” — you may ask. Your journey starts right here.
When you have the vision of the project, it’s time to start searching for the right people. Don’t try to do everything on your own — it will only lead to quick burnout, so make sure to delegate as much as you can. Here are the steps that should be taken for building your dream team.
1. Determine positions
Make up the structure of your company first. If there are several founders, they may decide to head the sales, management, or technology departments, among other positions. Once these roles are distributed, you should decide on positions in the startup’s departments. Prioritize these roles when choosing candidates, and look for individuals with distinctive skills.
2. Select the type of employment
When working with various experts, you may want to use a combination of various employment types. For instance, while programmers work full-time, designers may prefer a part-time schedule. At certain moments, you will need advisors’ and attorneys’ help — think of the format of your collaboration.
You might also be able to employ highly skilled individuals on a contract basis. As opposed to taking the risk of a full-time employee who might not deliver required results, it is a safer option.
3. Search for candidates
When on the lookout for candidates, pick the ones who:
- have knowledge in fields other team members lack
- are recommended by people who you know and trust
- can start working with a limited wage or in exchange for a startup share
- like your startup and are devoted to the ideas you promote
If you manage to find specialists who fit the criteria above, you stand much higher chances of creating a killing team.
4. Get ready for the hiring process
When you’ve picked the most suitable people. It is time to initiate the hiring procedure, which starts with an interview. Here are some things to think about in advance:
- Prepare the list of questions. They may be from different categories, such as factchecking, creative thinking, problem-solving, behavioral, etc
- Think of test tasks that might be performed to reveal the candidate’s competence and personal traits
- Take notes of nonverbal behavior when interviewing people — their gestures and intonation can tell you more than words
Do not forget to run a background check on the prospective employee after the interview. If you don’t find anything suspicious, go ahead and hire the person. To smoothly onboard newcomers, start with smaller tasks and move up to bigger ones. You can assess the necessary abilities, expertise, and communication this way.
5. Organize onboarding and post-hire support
Consider the scenario where the applicant passed your exams and joined your dream team. Does that imply that everything is finished? Actually, no. Help people become a part of your company — assess their performance, organize face-to-face conversations, ask what they like and whether something makes them feel uncomfortable, and so on. Besides that, you should have plans in place for job growth, promotion, and training.
Here are a few more things to keep in mind when you’re hiring people:
- Reassess your team as necessary. Keep moniroting your company’s development once you have your team in place and understand how to work together effectively. Consider adding someone if you discover that your company lacks a certain skill set or viewpoint.
- Become a ringleader. Being aware of the unique characteristics and goals of your team members will help you guide them more skillfully. Being a ringmaster means being in charge of that. Make sure that everyone on stage collaborates to produce a smooth performance and there’s no misunderstanding between colleagues.
- Avoid sameness in your team. We have already mentioned that it’s important to have people with different skills and traits — this is how you can create a well-balanced company. If everyone works in the same way, it kills creativity and does not allow you to assess situations from different angles. Say ‘Yes’ to diversity in your team and make sure people are free to express their opinions and ideas.
You cannot build a corporation like Bluelight alone — the more like-minded peers surround you, the higher your chance of creating a startup that rocks the market. So make sure to hire bright-eyed and bushy-tailed people who will be devoted to your idea, not just salary. Good luck, future business sharks!
P.S. Know what… just listen to your heart — it will help you locate your soulmate colleagues, even if you meet them in a bar or a nightclub.
