The business idea and the decision to start up is just the small, first step. You face many challenges right from the start. One of the first will be to make a decision about the framework in which you want to start your company and whether you can bring a team to your side. Then you have two problems:
- How do you find people to start something?
- How do you make sure that the team is right in itself so that it doesn’t fail?
In this article we deal with problem number 1. We give you the most important information about why you should choose to start a team and where you can find a suitable team for your start-up.
Why you should choose to Startup a Team
You can start alone or in a team. But startups are according to the German Startup Monitor,
most commonly founded in a team: One of the reasons for this is that you need specialists. In the case of digitization projects, these are, for example, developers, salespeople and strategists. You can quickly reach three to five people who have to work together in a team.
At the same time, however, according to CBInsights, the team is one of the most common reasons for start-ups to fail. The situation seems tricky, but there are approaches that make starting a team much easier.
Team Formation: Advantages and Disadvantages
Co-founders bring numerous advantages, the three most important are:
- If tasks, competencies and responsibilities are spread over several shoulders, each one can work even better and do more.
- A team of several founders usually includes experts from different areas, so you don’t have to bring all the know-how yourself.
- Motivation and inspiration are higher in the team than when you have to do everything on your own.
The disadvantages of starting a team should still be considered. The three most serious problems could be the following:
- The differences of opinion could be too great when different characters meet.
Decisions can no longer be made on their own, but must be discussed, so that processes could be protracted. - It may happen that not everyone in the team identifies with the company as much as you do and therefore invests less passion in the projects, so that the foundation ultimately fails.
Despite everything, you shouldn’t let the disadvantages deter you from starting a team. Because if you already know them and have informed yourself about them, you can take precautions when looking for a co-founder, so that there may be no problems at all.
How to find suitable Co-Founders
Patience and care are required when looking for suitable co-founders. After all, their skills and personality are crucial for the success of your start-up. There is a lot to consider, but it can make sense to ask experienced founders for tips before you start looking for a co-founder.
That is why we spoke to Moritz Meidert, the managing director of Gründerschiff, who shared some experience with us when we asked.
Our question: What advices can you give young founders in general when looking for a team?
Moritz Meidert: It is particularly important that you carefully consider what role they play and what skills you should have before you look for team members. And the more they identify with the company, the more they will invest. A shared passion for the company is also an advantage when it comes to working together.
Our question: And where can young people interested in starting a business find such like-minded people?
Moritz Meidert: That can be very different. Often reasons already known from university or even from school together, because their skills complement each other and you already have a common, personal basis. If no one in the circle of acquaintances corresponds to the ideas, you can easily get to know like-minded people at events such as trade fairs, start-up nights or even fuck-up nights.
our question: But then there is still the danger that the people there are not qualified enough and after a while they might turn out to be unsuitable, right?
Moritz Meidert: Of course, there is this risk. But here, for example, the Tech Startup School can help. There, the teams are assembled from pre-qualified participants so that a well-fitting and innovative team with sufficient know-how can develop. So after eight weeks of cooperation, you can be quite sure that you have found a suitable team.
Are you curious?
At the Tech Startup School, you are not only supported in team building by bringing together people with the required know-how and the necessary will for reasons, but you are also supported in all steps of the foundation.