Building a tech startup team from the ground up
Building a start-up; or a new product costs a lot of time, energy and resources. Most startups need to be efficient with their budget and use what they have. Every decision made by the founders has a direct impact on whether the company will still exist next month or how successful the product will be.
If possible, include your team members as needed. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is hiring people with similar skills just because they're close friends of yours.
Follow this guide to optimally staff your tech startup team with the right members.
The base
Operations and sales
It's more of a co-founder role, but it doesn't have to be that way. This role keeps everything running and dives deep into the matter to find out who the customer is and how best to reach them. You pitch, network and represent the startup.
This function must be passionate about what it is doing and burn for the idea. She must have an entrepreneurial spirit and be willing to go all-in if necessary.
The best places to meet these people are startup communities in your city. Go to events, visit forums or search for them in your personal network.
However, as you continue to grow, you should split the role between two people: One should also focus on the business from an operational perspective and one should focus on the business from a growth perspective.
Technology Lead
This role is often taken on by a co-founder. If you're starting up in tech without a tech lead, you need to find someone as soon as possible.
This person focuses on what the product needs to look like in the end and how to get there. The technology lead is responsible for the product roadmap, forms a capable team that provides ideal support for the product and plays a key role in the product. The more development and tech skills that person has, the better. You therefore want a visionary with great implementation skills.
The gray area
Design & UX
The world of ugly technologies is far behind us. In 2019, products need to be both functional and sexy. A designer is essential to find out what makes products successful from a psychological point of view. This knowledge is essential to make products as user-friendly as possible.
This role can quickly be seen as redundant and even "fun". However, founders have to avoid costly mistakes right from the start, especially in product development. You may be able to master the first development steps without a designer in the early phase, but the sooner you have one on the team, the better.
If possible, recruit someone who already shines with experience in your niche. If not, narrow it down to the specific type of design and UX elements you need for your business.
Full stack developer
When you start a technology company, you want a developer who can do most of the work themselves. While this goes against the HR rule of thumb of hiring specific talent for specific roles, if this is a bootstrapped startup then you definitely want a full-stack developer who is both front-end savvy , as well as backend has.
If you are working on a mobile application, look for a developer who knows both Android and iOS. If you have enough time to find and recruit such a universal developer, it will save you an additional salary and hours of headaches in the long run.
You can often find (or be one yourself) a tech co-founder who knows enough about coding to get the project off the ground. When you combine the skills of your tech lead with a designer, you can go a long way pretty quickly without having to hire an additional developer.
For future thinkers
Marketing Specialist
Marketing is always a difficult function. A product can easily be built without a marketer putting their hands on it. The only problem is that most products don't sell, no matter how great they are.
Before you put together a marketing team, take a closer look at your product’s target audience, customer acquisition costs, and the customer journey itself. The money is thrown out the window faster than you think. However, a single person doing all of the public relations, advertising, and content is well worth a salary.
Product manager
Product managers play an important role: They support the CTO or technology lead so that they can concentrate on the overall picture, the "big picture". Product managers are not only a great way to stay organized and effective, but also to optimize your products to the last detail.
At the beginning you can probably do without this role. Like mini-CTOs, product managers often only work for a specific product line. Before you fill this role, in a one-product organization, product management is fulfilled by the tech lead, designer, and developer.
Customer service
Depending on your target market and customers, you may never need a customer service representative. For highly interactive customer relationships, the operator remains the primary point of contact for questions throughout the buying cycle.
However, if you have a very fast buying cycle, a customer service representative will help you handle the daily emails and inquiries. This role is easy to fill and requires less specialization. With this support, the company can better concentrate on acquiring new customers and looking after existing customers.
Human Relations
The big spongy letters: "HR". HR management can initially be managed by an internal operations manager. However, the line is very thin and can be crossed quickly. One day the tasks still seem very manageable, another day you already completely lose control. A strong HR manager is a rather rare find in the startup sector. Try connecting with HR managers who are already active in the startup community. If they are already interested in the startup scene, they might be willing to take the leap into something new.
Build a successful team
It doesn't matter whether you recruit for all roles or only for a few selected ones. You have to find colleagues who fit your team. It's not just about hard facts, but, as you know, especially about soft facts. Working in a startup differs significantly from a regular job in an established corporate. Regardless of the job title, look for someone who is up for a challenge, who can collaborate with all team members and will do whatever it takes to get the job done.
