Being a startup business is no easy task and something you certainly wouldn’t want to do alone. As they say, no man is an island.
Finding people with the necessary skills and knowledge to take your business to the top is simple. However, finding the right people is a different matter.
How Important is it for you to have the right people for your startup team?
Investors prefer a startup with a strong team
Investors tend to favour a startup with a team over a sole proprietorship. A startup with a strong team means that you have people that can help you return their investment.
They want a strong team that can react to changes and provide the startup with a competitive advantage. The success of a startup is mainly decided by its team, and even the best concept might fail if it is not delivered by a team with the right abilities.
A team can help you establish the groundwork for your startup
To bring your vision to fruition, you need a team. You can’t do it all alone as much as you might want to.
Your team is ultimately responsible for breaking down your vision into smaller team objectives and ensuring that the targets are met, thus they play a key role in making your vision a reality.
They help in the formation of your company’s culture
Being in a team that has your back, has the same passion and hunger for success, will motivate and push you harder than anyone else.
It is important to surround yourself with people who not only have the skills but also have the heart and the passion to see your startup grow and succeed.
A team — whether you have a team of freelancers or an in-house team — who can understand and successfully manage diverse aspects of a business are important, and this can only be achieved when people with different skills work together to fulfil the startup’s long-term goals.
And having a team can only mean that you get to do more and focus more on your business core.
Being a startup is difficult enough, but being a startup in the midst of a pandemic is even more difficult. Not only for you but also for the rest of your team.
Here’s how you can motivate your team through tough times:
Offer flexibility in their work setup
The pandemic has had negative effects on almost everyone. And a normal office setup may not still be viable. Let them have the option of working remotely.
Flexibility includes recognizing that your team has personal duties outside of work and supporting them in fitting their jobs around it as much as feasible. This goes beyond the three weeks of paid vacation and a few days of working from home.
Have clear and constant communication
Without constant communication, you won’t be able to learn about your team members’ ideas, sentiments, or concerns. Use every chance to connect with them, and you’ll learn hundreds of new methods to efficiently manage your tasks.
Communicate with your team members and relay clearly what your goals for your startup are. It can get your team excited about the goals you set and set the right energy to accomplish each goal or task.
With that in mind, make sure that you also show that you care about them. Communication doesn’t need to always be all about your startup but a way to also show care and appreciation for your team members.
Appreciate their efforts
Everyone likes to be appreciated once in a while, and your team is no exception.
Make sure to express your gratitude and be precise in your appreciation when they accomplish targets, put in extra effort, or do an excellent job.
Aside from saying “good job,” it doesn’t hurt to show your thanks by giving them extra paid time off or a gesture of appreciation. Also, let them know and understand what they achieved, so they may continue to excel at that particular task.
Provide Growth and development opportunities
When team members are learning and improving their abilities, they feel more valuable. You should provide opportunities for growth and development to your team to encourage and inspire them to accomplish great results.
Providing opportunities for their development by webinars, seminars or even sending a simple audiobook that you think they can use to improve their skills, can be enough. Your team will appreciate the fact that you want them to grow as your startup grows too.
Make room for creative freedom.
One way to demotivate your team is to restrict their creativity. Give your team time to prove their ingenuity by letting them solve problems and complete challenges with their own ideas.
It is important to give your team creative freedom as it encourages them to think out of the box. And it can have a great impact on your startup as it might just be the breakthrough that your business needs.
There is no doubt about the role people play in your startup. A solid team that has the necessary skills that got your back is a treasure that you — as a startup, should never take for granted.
With the current situation, it is already tough for businesses to thrive, and motivation is a fundamental element of every workplace, and you should strive to keep your team members motivated and inspired. You’ll be certain to get the outcomes you want if you do it this way.
Yes, money is essential, but it’s even more important to look forward to getting to work every day, seeing your teammates, and finding ways to make someone else’s life a bit easier with your goods or services.
