None of us can be great at everything, and even if we were we don’t have the time to DO everything!
While fulfilling and empowering, building a business can be stressful and lonely. With so many balls to juggle it is nigh on impossible to do everything well when you’re on your own. Having someone who understands what you’re going through and can act as a sounding board is invaluable during the dark days when everything seems to be going wrong. But finding that individual isn’t easy and requires effort and a little soul searching.
Working with first time entrepreneurs and early stage startups one of the most frequent things I hear is “I need a tech co-founder”. There appear to be a lot of people with big ideas but not enough of them have the skills to make them happen. However it doesn’t just stop at a technical skills gap. Other skills such as marketing, customer service, admin, HR etc. are also important aspects of running a business. But they may not be things you are good at or even interested in.
We all know that ideas are cheap and that true value only comes from the great execution of that idea (whether it’s revolutionary or not). You can’t do everything on your own and so building a team, which includes finding a trusted co-founder, will be key to your future success. However, how do you gather the right people around you to make your vision become a reality?
Know your strengths
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All of us have talents. They may be well developed or still to mature but there are things each of us are naturally good at. Trying to find what these things are is key to knowing who you can work with best. Think about the times when you’ve felt in flow. Analyse the activities, jobs and hobbies you’ve enjoyed pursuing and see if you can identify a pattern or common theme.
Ignite your passion
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What things make you angry? What things do you obsess about? In the words of Drew Houston what is your tennis ball? This last metaphor relates to watching a dog obsessively chase a tennis ball for hours on end. What things would you pursue in a similar fashion. Your passion is the thing that you believe in most. It’s the topic or activity that you derive most joy and fulfillment from. This is your super power.
Be true to your values
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There are guiding principles that you have been living by for the whole of your life. There are things (fueled by your passion) that provide your inner compass. You may not have looked at this compass much but if you reflect on the big decisions you’ve made in your life you should be able to find the pattern in how you came to those decisions. This will lead you to discovering your true values. Try to put them down in words and think about what you hold most dear in the world. Work out what is important to you and what is actually irrelevant?
Map out your organisation
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This is boring! But it’s worthwhile for identifying what parts of the business you can bring most value to. It also helps you identify all the skills and tasks required to pushing your business forward. You can also start identifying which strengths and passions are needed to execute those jobs in the best way possible. For instance a sales role will be most suited to someone who has a passion for meeting new people and has strengths in empathy. A programming role will be for someone who loves to build new things and has a strong logical and methodical mind.
Fill the gaps
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What you are looking to do is build a balanced team filled with people that have complementary skills and passions as well as common values. By having a team with aligned values you’ll create greater momentum to push towards your vision, while a diversity of skills and passions will promote debate, creativity and innovation.
Get out of the building
Your co-founder and killer team won’t just land in your lap. It will take a combination of effort and luck. You need to be out and about meeting people (and not just on social media). You need to be going to events, meetups and even nights on the too. Luck doesn’t just happen to people it’s created by placing yourself in situations where luck can do it’s magic.
What to do…
In order to create anything scalable, sustainable and valuable you will need help. Whether you’re starting to build a team or just looking for that invaluable business partner if you don’t know yourself how can you begin to work out who you can work with best?
- Know your strengths
- Ignite your passion
- Be true to your values
- Map out your organisation
- Fill the gaps
- Get out of the building
- Go forth and conquer!
Get Inspired
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At the Happy Startup School we’re organising an event that is aimed to facilitate the collision of like minded people with diverse skills and backgrounds. If you’re looking for inspiration, want to find meaning through entrepreneurship, and perhaps discover people who could help you along your journey then sign up now!
Image Credits
http://www.sisterrazziphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/dog.jpg
https://medium.com/spook-studio/start-with-values-not-your-idea-2089880e9db7
http://rmtworek.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/VC-Round.png
http://badmouth.net/wp-content/uploads/2003/11/a-team.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YdPcWRYmxs&list=UUjBkuGg6i4mXJM-CeFUAgeQ