How to Build a Startup Team

The most important members of your team are the founders. You and your co-founder have to settle on how decisions will be made within the startup. Then you should identify the positions needed to complete your team. Write down the job titles, job requirements, and qualifications and experience required in the incoming team members.

When starting out, you may not have to hire full-time employees. You could have consultants at the beginning and then moving them to full-time employees.  If the founders have a good professional background, it will not be difficult finding good advisors.

Decide what type of work is expected from each team member, who provides backup for whom, how many hours are expected from each person, how flexible the schedule is, milestones each person has to reach, salary requirements or time commitments before quitting, and vacation days.

After the resume review and interview, do some fact-checking and background checks on the potential employees.  Have formal employment contracts signed before they begin work.

Discuss important topics during weekly meetings.  Share learning insights via email or social media.   Have a weekly social activity like going out for drinks.  Have a monthly review defining what the company should start, stop or continue doing, and what the top three priorities are for the next month.

The main goals of a startup team are to get funding, build the product/service, build the business model, define the market, promote the business, get customers, generate revenues, and add more team members.