Nowadays, with the availability of technical solutions, building a startup has become much easier. It also faces the challenge of market saturation and harsh competition in many sectors. However, teamwork is still a key factor as 20 years ago.
I learned a lot from my mistakes as a novice entrepreneur, especially about team management. To keep this post brief, I will summarize them in 8 important points. We will discuss them in two main headings as Wrong team member choices I made during the last 5 years. Also, as an inexperienced team leader, I managed my team not ideally but actually worse. Nevertheless, on the way, I learned a lot.
Congratulations! As this blog follows the brevity principle(quality of being brief), you are at the second level!😊
1. Wrong Team Member Choices
1.1 Members do not have a startup mindset🧠
Startupers are crazy. Yes, they are. However, it does not mean they make stupid decisions. They love risk. For some people, it is not a healthy condition and requires a high level of stress resistance. The majority of people can start a traditional business. Startuppers aim differently. There could be amazing and nightmare times. It is a long journey, maybe a year or 2, 5 even more. That requires being ready for high growth and going on when everything is disappointing. And when getting rich, staying humble. That is not everyone’s piece of cake.
1.2 Members have different values🎭
As we discussed in the last post, in the lack of predefined values, firstly, team co-founders should understand what they want, why it is important, what are the red areas and rules to follow. All these require time to find answers and move forward. In most cases, in the early stages, especially co-founders do not get a salary. They should find the money just to survive. So, if there are financial and company share arguments from the beginning, It is good to apart the ways.
1.3 Mismatching characteristic qualities 📛
Personality matters a lot. In a team, if just one member is rude or careless, it will definitely affect the performance of the whole team. Some people like offensive jokes. That’s normal. But others do not. If, after discussions, the situation goes on, the technique is already here, hire fast, fire fast. All in all, it would be better to get the right people, as we’ll discuss in the next chapters. No need for firing because getting them is expensive.
1.4 Not having a technical co-founder⚙️
Technical startups are like a puzzle, and without a tech co-founder, there is just a picture of the final view. As a business leader, you should have sales abilities, which is the most important part of being an entrepreneur, selling products to customers, shares to investors, and ideas to team members. Necessary point: Co-founders should know how to build solutions and what they are doing. If there are no experienced builders in the team, failure is probably in the door💀
Wow, you are at the third level. Let’s play a game!😉 I bet you will read till the end.🌠 The show must go on!🤩
2. Mismanagement
2.1 Not asking the right questions ❓
If you are building a startup, you should be extra careful than normal business. It requires some key characteristics, qualities, and a startup mindset. What did I do? In my first startup, I only asked about technical skills and what they are able to do within a specific time range. THAT IS TOTALLY WRONG. You should ask for those details as well. However, the main point is who you are going to work with. Building a core startup team is like a marriage🧑❤️👩 If you fail, there will definitely be divorce, and possibly you will pay mental and monetary alimony.
2.2 Being Chief Everything Officer🤹🏼♂️
I was a perfectionist. Now I am a bit less. Micromanagement kills creativity. If you deal with coding, design, business, and marketing, additionally heavily focusing on all of them probably, you will burn out. Team members feel discouraged and only wait for what you are going to say to do. They can not make decisions on their behalf. They can not make mistakes. They can not learn. Without progress, the job is boring, and no reason to stay in the team. You are not a leader, just a person who dictates what to do.
“If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.”
― Confucius
Likely you are not the smartest person, but you think you are, and even if it is so, that is awful. You should collect all the pieces of the puzzle and give freedom to team members. Controlling activities and monitoring teams is not bad. Frequency, tone, openness, approach style, and reasoning are necessary. If the team feels proud when you enter the room if they like to spend time with you and share their ideas freely. Congrats, now you are a charismatic leader. Also, freedom does not mean laziness. It requires a balance, and you should find that on the way.
2.3 Could not explain values🤔
I know you do not want to load a lot of information from the beginning to upcoming team members. Talking about many details may affect the person hesitant to join the startup. However, if you do not talk about this, it will hurt more later. You should not talk about all the needed elements at once. Just take a week or two. Spend time with that person. Play games, go to the theatre, events, parties, whatever you both prefer. Build emotional relations. Remember, the startup is like a marriage👰🏼🤵🏻 I personally do not believe choosing friends is not good for a startup. Actually, in my current view, you need to know the person well before starting a long journey. Also, a key point: Give space to your colleagues to share their values and see if it is a match in your dating app or not.😂
2.4 Being only work focused😪
Yes, work, work, and more work are required in a startup to bring value. Also, you should remember, without prizes brain will stop functioning: It requires Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins(DOSE) to be motivated and feel happy. You should add this DOSE to your daily meals. If your team does not enjoy what they are involved in, the problem may be related to the fact the environment is not friendly enough. Some together trips, feasts, games, present sharing, birthday celebrations, and other activities can strengthen team relations. Building a startup should be fun. As a first rule, if you want to change the world, and make it a better place, start with yourself and your team. Give each other joy!
Actually, the blog post is ended. However, I want to give some advice to future Hasan, they are personal, but it is good to remember:
Do not take free raiders to the team❌
Come together with good people✅
Do not work with afraid people❌
Work with “Yes, let’s build it” people✅
Do not work with only money-motivated people❌
Work with people who share values and feel an emotional connection with the solution✅
Yes, that was all for today’s post. Thanks for reading! I recommend new startup builders or on-the-way entrepreneurs subscribe to the newsletter below to get more insights on startups, art, and tech:
Congratulations! You nailed it! I wish you a wonderful day🌻
