So, you’ve started your very own business. It’s making a decent out of money even though it’s still only small and you want to expand. Either by growing beyond the four walls of your home office and into a real office space or into a much bigger corporate space. Whatever is the case, you will need employees and other staff members in place in order to make this growth feasible. After all, Rome was not either built in a day nor by one person alone.
For this reason, you will need to fill a number of roles in your startup. Some of which may be more obvious than others to a first-time entrepreneur and business owner. So, here are a few which might be in your best interest to fill as soon as possible:
The Leader
This is you or maybe it’s not you. It depends on whether or not you feel you can lead your startup idea to greatness, or if you would prefer to give the reins to someone else. In a startup, you need to establish yourself as the natural leader and you may also need to convince everyone else about the viability of your business. After all, if you don’t believe in your dream then you will be very hard-pressed to get anyone else to do so either.
A successful startup needs a strong leader and CEO at its heart, so this is where you will need to cement yourself. If you don’t, then your startup could start off with a weaker than average footing as a result (or even total failure in some cases).
Directors
Other than your own leadership there needs to be a clear set of directors within your growing startup. A full set of dedicated, knowledgeable leaders is the best way you can boost your business in its early days and therefore you need a set of strong directors to back you up in this. People who know how to manage teams, know your specific industry inside out and ultimately share your specific dream.
This can be one or more people, but ultimately he/she/they need to be your right hand when it comes to running your business. Choosing your board of directors can be difficult, but ultimately it can be very rewarding for your business.
Sales
As a startup, there is one thing that you need to be doing above anything else: selling. In order to do this as effectively as possible, you need an all-around hustler on board. Someone who gets your business and therefore knows how to sell it well. This is the person you will charge with the responsibility of building revenue and driving your business forward.
Marketing
If your business is unknown then one of the key steps you need to take is changing that fact. Simply creating a business and putting it out there isn’t enough in the modern age, you need to make yourself stand out. Otherwise, no matter how good your product, there is a very real chance you will be overlooked. This is where a great marketing person needs to come into the picture.
Your marketer needs to be marketing savvy, but also have an understanding of your industry. They will be in charge of your website, your social media and the materials which you put forward to the world. Marketing is something which if your business is short of it then you will see the impact in terms of fewer sales and consumer awareness.
Newbies
Obviously, everyone in your business can’t be established and great at their jobs already. In some ways, it can pay to have a few less experienced people on staff. For one, you can obviously save money and pay them less, but for another, they can bring a lot of new ideas to your business. If innovation is how you want to base your startup then new blood is the best way to do it.
At the end of the day, your business can’t be made up of not only leaders and senior members of staff. It would not be feasible in the short term let alone long term. As, if everyone is on top then no one is. Hiring more junior members of staff also gives your startup the opportunity to grow its own identity. As you can train this staff in your culture, attitude and the exact way you want to run your business.
Overall, it is vital that you set up your startup for success from day one. And this means ensuring that you establish the right roles. You also need to ensure you have strong, ironclad, employee contracts which protect both you and your startup, as well as the employee themselves. You will need to invest in the services of corporate solicitors to ensure this, but you will undoubtedly thank yourself for it in the long term (as employer/employee lawsuits can be extremely messy).
No matter your vision you will need a team in place who can help to make it a reality. So, choose wisely and you will be setting your startup to great success from day one. Without these vital staff members, you may never be able to achieve the proper level of success that you desire.