Key People Every Startup Needs to Have on the Team

As opposed to corporate settings, startup companies tend to create a more relaxed atmosphere where every idea matters and where individual employees can develop at their own pace. Surprisingly enough, it seems that most startups have problems finding people who’d perfectly fit such a setting.

In relation to this, earlier studies have shown that more than 40% of new hires fail to rise to the occasion and either give up or end up sacked within the first 18 months.  This means that managers and the whole HR department have quite a task when it comes to determining new ways of choosing the right candidates, who will be able to both contribute and stick around long enough. If they fail to make good judgments and end up hiring unqualified and poorly driven candidates, problems such as decreased productivity and low staff morale might occur.

Suffice to say, this may poorly reflect on your clients, causing your company to generate negative reputation, which is why assembling a great team is critical for startup success.

In order to assemble the perfect team of just the right players we all covet, entrepreneurs need to think outside the box and pay attention to the candidates’ drive, in addition to some conventional skills and features that tend to be overlooked in a potential hire.

Bernd Schoner Ph.D, the author of “The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide”, focuses on six key personalities which are essential for the winning team.

The Genius

“I think it’s commonly accepted in a tech startup that you better have someone with technical knowledge. You want to have someone who is able to lead the technical agenda of the team,” says Schoner. This basically means you simply need that funny-looking geek who will know virtually everything related to the technical aspects of your company. Geeks around the world, unite!

The Leader

Although you are assembling a team that is supposed to function as a homogenous organism, this organism needs a heart. Your team needs a captain calling all the shots. Shoner warns that “It can get very tricky if there are five opinions and all have equal weight,” implying that someone simply has to be there to have the final word. This, of course, needs to be someone with the right experience, knowledge and charisma transferable to all other team members.

The Industry Mag

Sure, we all want cool and creative IT guys on our team, but your lineup will significantly benefit from a person who knows the industry, (and those guys can be quite cool, too). This is mostly because market research and communication with the audience, influencers and partners may eventually turn out to carry the most weight when it comes to the company development.

The Sales Animal

Just like with the previous person, salesmen are also paramount. Even though young technologists often tend to overlook this, you need a “person who knows not just the technology, but also knows how to sell it to a customer”. Although the actual creators of the idea need to have all the credits for the innovation, their product or project is practically worthless if there’s nobody to engage a consumer with a good talk.

The Superstar

This guy is part CEO, part the tech genius. The Superstar should be your all-around person everyone could trust and be able to rely on. “That’s the guy to build your marketing strategy around. He’s the guy you want to send to conferences and industry meetings,” Schoner says.

The Financial Guru

Once you start making some serious dough, it is crucial to have someone who will be able to keep track of all the money going in and out of your business. After all, numbers do matter, so it makes sense to have someone on your team to handle it properly.

Now that you have the basics on who are the key people you need for your startup company, it is time to start looking for them. Searching online using social networks can be rather helpful, especially if you take into account the increased popularity (and efficiency!) of LinkedIn. This professional network, as well as the right Google search, may help you come across those eager and driven candidates who are looking for an opportunity just like yours to excel.