“What Makes a Successful Startup Team?” As Shared By Twaambo Kapilikisha

BongoHive hosted Twaambo Kapilikisha to talk about what makes a successful startup team and here are some interesting points of introspection for any founder that she raised: 

-Figure out your values and culture.

– Have clearly communicated values and a culture to match to make a team feel like they belong and therefore be more successful.

– Hire the right people – it’s not always about qualifications.

– Don’t hire mediocre people – how about working with them on a small project first?

“The greatest thing is not to gauge the competency of the individual but whether they are well suited for a startup environment.” – Sam Altman

– Can they stand the pressure? Or are they used to just showing up to work? Can they weather the storm with you?

– You have to be willing to diversify your job role as you go because there will be so many duties that go outside your scope of work. Can the people you hire do the same? As a startup owner you will need people that get things done.

Questions to ask as a startup owner about your team:

– Are they smart

– Are they willing to learn?

– Do you want to spend a lot of time around them, would you hang out with this person socially?

– Do they get things done?

– Are they good at communicating?

– Would you still work with them if your roles were reversed?

– If you have a great team and want to keep them motivated, think of offering equity. The sense of ownership helps to improve their performance. If the company does well, they know they do well too. This is a great question to check your ego.

– Strengthen your internal relationships. Offer a space where someone can disagree with you, and a space where you offer praise freely.

You can get more business advice from Twaambo here and here.  Watch the entire webinar here.