How do you keep your startup team growing?

In a world where purpose often outweighs paychecks, making your startup's cause the heartbeat of your organization is crucial. I found that embedding our cause into every aspect of our work didn't just attract talent; it ignited passion. My lesson-learnt: Treat your cause as the story that every team member is part (and proud) of telling. This narrative approach transforms daily tasks into chapters of a larger mission, making every effort feel significant and every success, a shared triumph. Capture that narrative. Share it. Celebrate it. It will become the collective memory of your nascent business.

Well by experience once you train the team with your skills and work tasks early in the morning same time and well organized they tend to absorve the way. We started in July and only now we can see that they are able to organize, delegate and respect the process if is done in 60 days.

Building the A team for your startup is the most crucial thing. Your team should be as enthusiastic as you are. Defining the vision and mission of the company, defining the core value that your company provides which brings change in the customers life and training them to be the best they can is the first step each startup should take. Invest lot of time in training and building culture that will pay up in long term and will also build loyalty amongst employees.

Core values are your moral compass, guiding decision-making, shaping culture, and attracting aligned talent. They create a cohesive work environment, whether dealing with peers, subordinates, or bosses. Top Three Core Values: Integrity: Rooted in family values and life experiences, it's about consistency in actions and principles. Innovation: A constant mental state that fuels growth and keeps you competitive. Customer-Centricity: A servitude mindset fulfills customer needs and instills humility, propelling you beyond physical limits. Regularly measure these values; they're your ethical guideposts, helping you navigate professional and personal complexities.

As a founder, I foster our team's growth by setting clear goals and embracing change. We cultivate a learning culture, celebrate successes, and learn from failures. Innovation and exploration are key, as we encourage our team to experiment and stay inspired on our startup journey.

In a startup it's important to cultivate not only hard skills (technical skills) in the team, but also soft skills - which lead to agility, engagement, ownership, communication, prioritization. Most of the times a startup has not someone, who can provide mentoring and training in both technical skills and soft skills. A good way how to overcome this is to have a mixed team of internal members willing to learn, and an external team of skilled professionals which can show the process and other important things needed, by working together. We did this for many startups, and it always helped the internal team to become more professional and skilled.

I have tried to build a team that share my core values such as putting the client's need at the top of the pyramid while maintaining ethical practices, where the shared vision and mission is complemented by each other's skills with frank and open lines of communication. I prefer to put others need ahead of my own recognizing their contribution towards long term goals and success and to allow everyone to flourish by investing enough time in skill development. Varying perspectives are welcome but once a consensus is formed on the way forward, the focus is to accomplish the goal or outcome becomes paramount.

Scaling a startup team through strategic investment in training is pivotal for long-term success. This investment need not always be monetary; it can involve providing invaluable resources, tools, constructive feedback, and tailored training programs aligned with the brand's mission. By nurturing skills and fostering professional growth, a startup empowers its team members to align their individual aspirations with the company's objectives. This not only enhances expertise but also fosters a cohesive work environment where everyone shares a unified vision. Such investments in continuous learning cultivate innovation and adaptability, making the team resilient in the face of challenges.

By investing in learning and development, you're enriching the knowledge ecosystem of your team. You're helping them acquire the skills necessary to tackle the ever-evolving business world challenges. Innovation becomes a natural byproduct when your team is constantly learning and developing. They start thinking outside the box, developing new ideas, and finding creative solutions to problems. In the competitive world of startups, your ability to retain and attract top talent can make or break your success. When you invest in your team's growth, you're demonstrating your commitment to their professional development. This keeps your current talent engaged and makes your startup an attractive destination for future stars.

Investing in Learning and Development is the only way to acquire skills. Startups are not established corporates to clearly define the role and have an identified resource for every role. In a startup, everybody does multiple jobs. In such an environment, to cross-train, to upskill, to acquire a new skill we have to invest in training workshops. This is primarily because a startup may not be able to invest in a skilled resource from the market. The workshop will cost less. Moreover, our existing associates will feel valued and it will be easy to retain them in the team and they can form part of the core team. When you have the core team intact, you can work wonders.

Mastering the 'Or' over 'And' — Strategy in startups is less about 'and' and more about 'or.' It's a game of choices, where selecting one path often means forgoing another. As a swiss citizen I'd compare it to being a mountaineer and having to chose a single route to the summit, every decision to pursue a goal is also a decision against alternative paths. This focus is crucial; resources are limited, and dilution of effort can be the downfall of a promising venture. My experience has taught me the hard edge of strategy—making hard choices, committing to them, and acting decisively has been foundational in navigating the treacherous yet exhilarating terrain of startup growth.

Goal-setting starts with you: Are your goals realistic, achievable, and clearly milestone-driven? Goals focus, motivate, serve as performance yardsticks, and act as rewards. SMART Framework: Aim for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound goals. Team Involvement: Secure team buy-in for collective ownership. Periodic Reviews: Regularly assess goals for real-time adjustments. By adhering to these principles, you cultivate a dynamic, focused, and accountable team in a trusted environment, well-equipped for evolving business landscapes.

How do I best organize my team for growth? This is a question that an entrepreneur deal with very often and it’s usually accompanied by one or more of these symptoms. Difficulty parallelising effort (e.g. adding multiple teams or people). Cultural problems whilst growing (e.g. teams disliking new structures, staff churning). Unhealthy frictions between sales and product (e.g. bickering, blaming, slow conversions). Unhealthy competition between teams. Lack of ownership within teams. A product failing to delight..

The best way to grow your team is not by hiring but by onboarding. Onboard your team members for life as every team member is a mouthpiece for your brand. Hiring is temporary onboarding is for life. Another critical point is to invest in them, both for their personal and professional growth. Learning and development is important and should encompass soft skills as well. A company which constitutes leaders across the board and echelons is very strong.

Once the employees are trained enough to understand the vision and mission of the company they should be given a definitive set of KRA which will draw their line of action. With definitive KRA will come measurable KPIs this will show the performance of that employee and when measure all KRAs and KPIs together it will give a picture of how well the company has achieved the goal and where they are good and where they will have to work more. Again training and direction fixing will play important role.

Celebrating even small wins is very important. It boosts the confidence of the team. Learning from failures is the only way to grow. Startups do many things on a trial-and-error basis. The lessons from failures will form part of the core culture of the team. The team that learns together will stay together.

Team bonding is the most crucial thing for any startup. Celebrate and appreciate team members everytime they do something good or achieve their goals or whatever the reason. Stand with them when they feel low and give them sense of belonging that you are there for them. Off-site, town halls etc are good way to improve team bonding and evolve company culture. Have a very open relationship with everyone. You should be accessible by to all when it comes to sharing something.

Make sure you hire people from different backgrounds and experiences from different fields so you gain multiple perspectives. Avoid hiring people who think the same way. It's easy to fall in the trap of group think, because entrepreneurs tend to hire people similar in style and approach to them and when people start thinking the same they are no longer thinking...

Celebrating success and failures is part of the larger frame of growing your team - I am referring to work culture. Founders have to be very conscious of what people practices, procedures, rules and expectations are set. Every organization has its own culture - some are planned, and most are unplanned and unintended. The key is to ensure that we build a culture around the EVPs and org values that drive people to achieve performance and goals in a safe, inspiring environment.

Acknowledging both successes and failures is crucial for building a resilient and confident team. It's about fostering a results-driven culture that values growth and accountability. Celebrating achievements boosts motivation and camaraderie, while addressing failures head-on demonstrates courage and ambition. This balanced approach strengthens your startup's foundation, ensuring it's prepared to tackle future challenges with determination and grit.

In the world of startups, the team you build can make or break your venture. While skills and experience are crucial, consider the power of shared values and the ability to learn and adapt. Hire for fit and potential, and you're not just growing your team; you're nurturing the roots of success for your startup. It's like selecting the right seeds and soil for a thriving garden; each new addition should help your startup bloom and flourish in the right direction.

Not only hire for fit and potential but, most importantly, Hire for "need" and "long term". The lay-offs in a start-up are a result of unplanned and unthoughtful hiring. Start-ups have to draw more checkpoints before announcing hiring plans. It must think of roles and vacancies from a need and long-term perspective. Companies must consider hiring from UpWork or engaging freelancers on contract if the need is for a specific project or duration. Build your core team as if they will run the business in your absence - someone whom you can trust with key responsibilities in your absence. This is vital as you scale up. When start-ups grow, the founders must (where possible) promote their team members rather than hire new employees.

While hiring for fit and potential is important, it's equally crucial to consider diversity and complementary skills. Bringing in team members with diverse backgrounds and experiences can introduce fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to your startup. Sometimes, candidates who don't seem like an immediate cultural fit might challenge the status quo in ways that drive growth and adaptation. It's about striking a balance between cultural alignment and the potential for disruption, as this can lead to a more dynamic and forward-thinking team.

Building a startup team from scratch is a phenomenal task. Attitude should be the number one qualifier. Cultural fit and potential are very important. Startups don't have the resources to make a wrong hire.

Feedback is often so crucial that even leaders overlook its importance. If you have goals and a mission, how do you gauge progress? Is your compass aligned with your team's? Regular Feedback Loops: Establish consistent feedback mechanisms and set them in the calendar. Make it a point that these sessions are non-negotiable and should not be moved or canceled. This sets the tone and priority for the team. Encourage Constructive Feedback: Promote an environment where feedback is constructive, respectful, and timely. This fosters open communication and continuous improvement. By institutionalizing feedback, you not only measure where you stand in achieving milestones but also create a culture that values growth and adaptability.

Cultivating a growth mindset in the startup environment A growth mindset is a fundamental aspect of personal growth in the startup world. By adopting a growth mindset, individuals can embrace challenges, learn from failure, and continuously develop their skills and knowledge. Here are a few strategies for cultivating a growth mindset in the startup environment: Embrace challenges Learn from failure Focus on the process Cultivate a learning mindset Surround yourself with supportive people In summary, cultivating a growth mindset is essential for personal growth in the startup environment. By embracing it, you can create an environment that encourages continuous growth and development.

When recruiting, founders/founding-team start with a resource based view (i.e., what does a candidate bring to the table? -  skills, expertise, experience, qualifications, etc.). But that is never enough. What else matters? How about questions like: "What do we know about how "X" (a candidate) goes about getting results?"'; "What do we know about X's motivations - and their origins?"; "What do we know about the values and beliefs of X?"; "What can we say about the X's mindset towards developing oneself holistically?"; "How well will "X' fit into our culture and value system?" These questions can help figuring out the "fit". All of the above can also help in the self-development of the members of the top team - and coaches can help.

Growing a startup team goes beyond just adding numbers. To truly nurture and expand a robust team, it's vital to prioritize individuals who are connected more to the vision than to the paycheck. This alignment with the mission breeds genuine passion and commitment. When team members believe in the bigger picture, they not only stick around longer but also bring their best selves, fostering innovation and resilience. As you look to expand your team, seek those who resonate with your startup's purpose. A team grown around a shared dream, rather than just financial rewards, sets the foundation for sustained success and growth.

When I think of growing a team in a startup, I automatically think about the skillset and problem solving ability of employees. At a startup, the idea should always be to have a lean team solving problems and automating most of the processes so that you don't have to hire in big numbers. I let my team's solve problems by themselves. I gave them space and the time to learn and grow. If we keep on interfering and micromanaging them, they will always be dependent on you. But if you let them explore and be creative, in my experience, they have always been able to come to a solution themselves. All that is left is to refine the solution then.

A startup team must trust and help each other as they have multiple hats on their head. They must bond in, learn and work towards one goal and that's when the right growth happens! Giving the team time and space where they can collaborate, do their work with a clear vision, put in their efforts and ideas, where their achievements ~ mini or major ~ are celebrated, they get insights on what went wrong when they miss out, they get to do things as per their skillset, learn new ones and most important they are considered human and not a machine!