How can you build a startup team that lasts?

As startups are more focused on specified goals rather than catering to large set of requirements, it is difficult to find the correct person who is passionate for that specified goal and is willing to take an extra step to achieve it. People are generally more concerned about there individual goal. While recruiting apart from looking at the technical skills set, startup founders should also try to dig into the mindset of the person and his individual goals. It is important to ascertain that his individual goals are not becoming a challenge in the path for achieving the target set by start up. Thus finding the right people with the right passion willing to take an extra step to achieve the goal for a startup is quite vital in the journey .

Your process starts with the first hire. Before the interview process, figure out what strengths and challenges you bring to the business. What are your values? What is your company's mission statement? During the interview process, dig in to understand how your candidate's values align with yours. Also, learn what your candidate cares about. Is it money, a title, or time with their family? To build a long-term and successful team, you want teammates that are excited about your mission statement. Their drive and values enhance the culture of your business. Remember, you win as a team!

To build a startup team that lasts in Kenya: Cultural Fit: Prioritize candidates who align with your startup's values. Local Talent: Recruit locally to capitalize on local expertise, networks, and understanding of the market. Provide continuous learning and development opportunities. Foster open, transparent communication to build trust, resolve conflicts. Encourage autonomy and ownership among team members Offer competitive salaries and benefits packages. Recognize and reward team members for their achievements and contributions. Flexible Work Environment. Organize team-building activities

Having founded and partnered with startups, I think this is one of the biggest challenges. Most founders are looking for whatever help they can get instead of taking the time to strategically define roles of people who can help push the business forward. What is going to be the most impactful? What is a need vs. a want? What is a 2 year need? Taking time to think through exactly what will make the most difference in your startup's growth is important.

Usually as a start-up the key is to first get product-market fit. so first hires should help with that.Experimentation and marketing team to verify there's a problem being solved.Once done as the company grows,the most common needs are marketing, accounting and finance and operations

You cannot make something special if you look at the problem with the same perspective. You need individuals from different age groups, different nationalities, and different lifetime experiences, and backgrounds. Diversity is the key to all innovation.

A diverse team is better equipped to anticipate and address challenges from multiple angles, leading to more robust decision-making processes and creative solutions. Moreover, diverse teams are inherently more inclusive, which can enhance employee morale, retention, and productivity.

Having different view points can expand the vision and grow the culture. Encouraging people to speak up and be heard allows for the owners vision to be encompassed through employees eyes leading to better productivity. I have learned to hire people who possess strengths that are my weaknesses. When we all work together the company is stronger.

Before hiring anyone there are a few simple and profound steps to take. List out 3 Financial objectives (What you will accomplish, By when and Why) List out 3 core value based qualities or traits of the people that you align to be working with, to accomplish these outcomes. Finally list 3 Priority tasks that directly align with accomplishing your financial objectives. Are these people suited for these tasks. These priorities also play a role in self-assessment and accountability.

The fit is dependent mostly on the founder skillset and the culture he wants to have in the fit can be based on complementary skills that the founder may lack and also to find people who can play the support role to the star players he has

Find people that are driven and focused. Have them demonstrate how they believe and resonate with your organizations core message. Rather than just looking for a paycheck.

Know your strengths and your gaps and hire for the gaps. Also look at the behavior traits for the job and use an assessment in your recruiting to determine fit. I like Predictive Index because it is quick to do and allows you to design a team to suit the business strategy.

Investing in onboarding is crucial for integrating team members into your startup. Beyond training, focus on building trust and engagement. Set clear expectations, offer support, and provide opportunities for growth. Effective onboarding reduces turnover and boosts productivity!

This is important especially if the new team members are coming from bigger companies that already have set structures and systems and therefore need time to adapt to the fluid situation within a startup

Once you have determined your core cultural competencies ie. -integrity - work ethic - mentor others - relentless customer service - compassion - employee or family … - no assholes (that actually is a value in many companies) Put them up on the walls and come back to them. The culture needs to breathe the heart and soul of the leaders and the organization. Determine how exemplifying the culture fits into promotions and bonuses and more. People work for people. Workers touch your customers. They want a good culture and purpose. - Julie S Kantor, CEO Twomentor

Culture set the pace for successive hires and behaviour within the organisation for existing employees.Most start ups recently for example have open spaces for working.This is part of the culture being built

Taking time to define your culture and live by it is important. You can't say you want transparency if you hide everything and make executive calls from behind a computer screen. You can't require collaboration if you aren't listening to other people's ideas. Most founders want to hold tightly to every responsibility and decision in their company, but trusting your team as you develop each person will take you further.

Mentors/advisors are important to ensure that all perspectives have been considered.Sometimes the owner/founder is usually caught up with the day to day activities and might not be able to see some of the challenges faced or how to go about solving them

Constantly checking in on what’s working and not working is key. This allows for flow and continuous improvement toward the vision.

The reality is that you might not want to build a start up team to last depending on the business sector and skill sets availible to you? Why? Because the kinds of skills necessary to get a business up and running, are not necessarily the skills needed for growing and sustaining a business. It might be better to put together a hybrid team that includes some people who are there for the build, some who will remain after, and some who will come on board as the business gets up and running. Lots of benefits here including the fact that you can curate costs, as you are curating your staff, timing the coming and going of staff on a JIT (Just in time) basis. As you grow so grows the business while keeping more of your cash available.

To build a startup team that lasts, prioritize shared vision and values, complementing skills, and clear roles. Foster effective communication, trust, and respect among team members while staying flexible and adaptable. Recognize and appreciate contributions regularly, and invest in team development. By focusing on these principles, you can create a resilient and cohesive team that thrives through challenges and drives long-term success for your startup.

You can't. Find people that have the skills you need now and believe in the vision for tomorrow. Treat them well and pay them well. But keep in mind as people evolve the business needs evolve as well. Your staffing should be fluid. Move people around. Please do not sabotage the business success in the name of loyalty.