Building a team for a start-up business

Building a team is an incredibly exciting time, but it can also be daunting. Hiring the right staff with an enthusiastic can do attitude, who have the correct skills to produce results and that buy into your company ethos can make or break your business, so where do you start?

In Part 1 of a 4-Part Series on Start-Ups, King Recruit explores all of the elements of building, growing and driving your team to success.

Click the link to view part 2 of the series: Creating a Successful Team

Click the link to view part 3 of the series: When to Hire 

Click the link to view part 4 of the series: Keys to Thrive in your Start-Up

In the video below, Helen explores the different elements of building, growing and driving your team to success

Outline the goals

Ask yourself what the purpose of the team is; what is the outcome you want to achieve? What are the company goals and vision? You need to be clear on this, to achieve positive and collaborative team work; you will need to set the foundations.

Identify what kind of support you need

To build the right team, you firstly need to understand what skills are required to make your company not only survive but thrive. What areas are potentially deficient of experience and abilities? What skills are fundamentally lacking that would help you get your start-up off the ground? Be as specific as you can be to ensure that you are hiring candidates that can make the most impact. Look for applicants who are self-starters, those that flourish on problem solving, are flexible, don’t shy away from facing obstacles and can adapt with the ever changing needs and challenges of a start-up business.

It is worth remembering that the start-up phase of your business is temporary, so you need to build a team with your long term vision in mind. Focus on candidates that have complementary expertise and who can perform their tasks and more, in the long run.

Develop a recruitment strategy

It will allow for a much slicker process if you put in place a recruitment strategy considering what skills you need in the business. Create a job description and person specification and identify where you are going to advertise the role. Use your network, it’s likely that you will have built a network of connections throughout your career and prior to starting up your business, so utilise it. Referrals and recommendations can be a very effective way to find game changing talent. Use your social media channels; spread the word via friends, relatives and previous colleagues.

The interview process

Always do some fact finding and a background check on the candidate. Have a clear vision of what you want to learn about the person and what key messages you want to get across about the business and the vision. Make it a conversation in a relaxed environment. The best way to get to know a candidate is by actively listening to them and by showing a genuine interest in what is important to them. You will learn a lot about their character and their motivators. Make it a positive experience, you are selling yourself and the company as much as they are selling themselves to you, so enjoy the process and help them to leave feeling optimistic and engaged.

Once you have recruited, remember that your staff are a representation of your business. They will become your brand ambassadors, your word of mouth, your reputation, so invest in them and they can help to build your business.

Consider outsourcing

Using a freelancer can be one of the best ways to start quickly. If you are on a budget and can’t afford a full or part time paid employee, working with a freelancer can provide flexibility, specialist expertise in precisely the field you are looking for, fewer responsibilities on you and with a reduced risk to your business. It may not be a long term option, but certainly something to contemplate when you are first starting up if funds are limited.

Find a recruitment or search partner

It can be tough finding the right team, especially for a start-up as the risks are greater for candidates. Time limitation is often a barrier for start-ups so the cost of teaming up with a search partner could well be worth the gains you are likely to encounter when presented with CV’s for candidates who could really help to push your business in the right direction. A recruitment partner that has industry knowledge, a bank of strong candidates who are the right fit for your business coupled with a streamlined hiring process and helping you to prepare for interviews, can be just the helping hand you need at such a crucial time.

About Us

We have supported many start-up companies over the years and learnt a lot so if we can help you in any way, please get in touch; we would love to hear from you. You can call us on 01392 790725 or email enquiries@kingrecruit.com.

King Recruit helps businesses to expand by finding game-changing talent. With our partner-led approach and expertise in all aspects of talent strategy and hiring – across the South West.

King Recruit joined forces with James Caan CBE and award-winning investment firm Recruitment Entrepreneur in July 2021. Recruitment Entrepreneur is one of the most successful private equity investors in start-up to scale up recruitment businesses.

If you’d like to get in contact with our Founder and Managing Director, Helen Plumridge – you can contact Helen at helen@kingrecruit.com | 07808 537696