Top 5 Pillars to Build a Winning Startup Team

Having a great team is essential to any startup, regardless of how strong or ambitious your strategies are. If you are playing solo and going against a group of determined individuals, you are more likely to miss out on various opportunities and a chance to upscale your company. 

However, statistics point out that 60% of startups fail to take off because of a poorly constituted company. This means that building a successful team is more than just getting people with the right set of skills together. You need passionate individuals that are motivated and creative enough to scale your business to greater heights. 

With such a group, you have already won half the battle. But how do you build a winning startup team? How will you be certain that you have assembled the right team? Here are 5 steps to follow when building your startup dream team.

Your Startup is only as Good as your Team

It is paramount to note that when hiring new members to join your venture, they will not just become employees ? they are the business. Look for individuals with different backgrounds and skillsets. 

Ensure that they are aware of the roles you wish to assign to them, to prevent you from seeking such services elsewhere. Take a look at these keys to building a winning startup team.

Start with yourself

Although this might sound cliche, the success of any startup will start with you. You ought to be fully prepared to don a leader’s hat and be ready to make critical decisions. Understand that everyone else will be looking up to you, and so, you have to understand the nitty-gritty of the business you wish to venture into.

Since you will be the leader, you ought to analyze yourself; your strengths, your weaknesses, and what you will be bringing to the table. Since you will be getting a team with the right skill set, your knowledge doesn’t have to be that technical. Soft skills will, however, be an added advantage before you build your company. 

...And the co-founder(s)

As a rule of thumb for many startups, the first thing to do is to get a co-founder. It might not be necessary, but it is quite essential if you wish to get a helping hand from someone with a similar vision. 

Identify the key positions

Once the top brass has been sorted out, it is time to search for the technical rungs for the startup. The first step to undertake is to identify the void in your company, depending on what you are all about. There three basic positions that matter in any startup:

• An innovator who helps to come up with new ideas for your products or services
• A designer who manages the face of your products 
• An executor who ensures that more people know about your product.

These three roles will help you to be as specific as possible when scouting for employees. When shortlisting the candidates, ask yourself if they possess the necessary skills or tools for the success of your startup. Furthermore, find out how passionate they are towards such a job setup. 

Have clear rules of the road

As you begin working with your new startup team, it is essential to have a set of acceptable workplace rules, values, and other cultural guardrails. Doing so ensures that everyone knows not only how to relate with each other but also molding their attitude towards the company.

As a leader, you do not necessarily have to come up with the cultural values to be followed by the team. At times, you can decide to take the laissez-faire approach and let the teamwork their own way out. 

The most important thing is for your team to cultivate their own culture and stick to it. This sets the ground for company traditions, which will be associated with your venture, even by the outsiders. The bottom line is to have a startup team in which everybody rows in the same direction. If you are all not sailing on the same boat, then it will become a hindrance to the success of the company. 

Read the full story at https://blog.seekify.com/top-5-pillars-to-build-a-winning-startup-team/