Five Tips for Building an Entrepreneurial Team

Team building for successful entrepreneurship. It may just be an idea, but if you take the time to surround yourself or your business with the right people you may have the next big break. If you are an entrepreneur, it is almost vital to the success of your start-up business or idea to put a supportive and innovative team behind you. Putting in place a versatile, creative and cohesive team will ensure that you have the support and skill sets needed to expand the idea and the business.

Creating a solid team on first thought, doesn't seem like too challenging of a task. Often, we think to put a group of like-minded individuals together with a get-the-job done attitude we will have success. However, forming a team doesn't guarantee performance and old-school team management can send your team or your idea down a path of failure. So, how does one create an innovative, cohesive group of co-workers-these five tips can help make your job a bit easier.

1. Keep it small. Designer, Jeff Gotheld, shared in an inUseExp talk, you should put together a two-pizza team. Meaning if you need more than two pizzas to feed the group, you may be too big. Using this structure allows team members to work together closely and to really get to know one another. (Gotheld, 2014) The team needs to be cohesive. They should want to spend time together and can edit each other without being offensive but for the good of forwarding the task.
2. Ask or demand self-sufficiency. Always hire really smart people. (Robbins, 2006) The team should be tasked with an assignment and then allowed to develop methods, use resources and manage time on their own accord.
3. Remain flexible. Teams that have flexibility and freedom to experiment and try new ideas before creating the final product can likely be more successful because they are working with less constraints to have the ability to refine and enhance each trial run.
4. Depend on your network. Finding the perfect teammate isn't always easy. Networking is a time-honored way to find new hires. Let your professional and personal networks know what kind of person you're looking for. Then get one-on-one introductions, and take the candidate to lunch to test the chemistry. (Robbins, 2006)
5. Interview for Trust. Assigning tasks to new hires can be a challenge. It can feel that you clearly state expectations and instructions, but are you able to let go and trust your new teammate? The answer is YES!  You must be able to trust your teammates and allow them to navigate the job to the best of their ability.  Some topics to consider.

• Make sure your candidate really knows the job
• Interview for chemistry
• Talk to people from your candidate's former company
• Look for evidence of learning ability (Robbins, 2006)

Being an entrepreneur can be challenging but the best way to reach success is to put together a strong, viable, creative team that has a diverse set of skills and strengths that can enhance your business.Keep it small, self-sufficient, flexible, cohesive and trustworthy.

Resources

inUseExp. "Building Successful In-House Innovation Teams - Jeff Gothelf, Neo." YouTube, YouTube, 4 Apr. 2014.

Robbins, Stever. "Build Your Management Team." Entrepreneur, 10 Feb. 2006.