Within the first year of running your business, decisions about who you bring on board can affect your business’ path and growth. Whether hiring employee number two or building a small team from scratch, getting it right matters. Hybrid and remote-first teams are also now the norm, which makes hiring the right people even more crucial.
In this article, the experts at Quality Company Formations guide you through what makes a great business team and strategies to attract strong team players.
Why does building a strong business team matter?
When starting a business, you might focus on developing your product or establishing a solid customer base. Building a team for your business is equally important, though. From the beginning, you’ll want people around you who believe in the same vision. These early hires are essential for advocating for your brand and shaping your company’s DNA.
A collaborative, tight-knit team can be highly effective, whereas a disjointed, unmotivated one can cause your company to derail. Building a strong business team is about fostering communication, productivity, and resilience. Steve Jobs once said, “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.”
What makes a successful business team?
The cornerstones of a successful business team often centre around these five pillars.
- A shared vision
When everyone is on the same page, you can trust that their efforts align, and they share a common goal. It’s not about thinking in the same way; it’s about understanding why they do what they do within your business. When hiring, ask questions to understand the candidate’s reasons for wanting to join your company and what motivates them – this can provide insight into their values.
- Clear roles and responsibilities
Having unclear swim lanes is often the root of a lack of accountability. When building a team, ensure everyone has a clear remit and knows what they’re responsible for. As a founder, create unambiguous job descriptions that go beyond a list of tasks.
Consider drawing up a RACI chart; this helps establish who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed for tasks within your team. It helps create a clear pathway for communication and encourages accountability and informed decision-making. In a remote setup, documentation of this is essential.
- Effective communication
Communication isn’t limited to your business’ tools, like Slack or Teams. Think about how people communicate with each other in terms of tone and style, how feedback is solicited and provided, and how to encourage clarity in communication.
If you’re building a remote team, research how to virtually create proximity and a human connection. Encourage video calls to build rapport alongside sending email agendas and meeting notes to promote accountability.
- Trust and transparency
As a leader and business owner, you must engender trust over time. You can do so by being transparent about decisions, owning mistakes, and acknowledging and celebrating successes.
Focus on encouraging an open, honest working environment where your employees are not afraid to voice their thoughts, ideas, and opinions. A high-performing team is one in which everyone is safe to speak up and feels heard.
- Performance culture
Set clear expectations and create a framework for reflection and professional development. Don’t fall into the trap of micromanaging. When building a business team from scratch, focus on developing a culture where feedback is normal, people revisit their goals, and everyone is accountable for deliverables and results.
Consider implementing bi-weekly, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly check-ins and project wash-ups or retrospectives to celebrate wins and discuss areas for improvement.
How to build a successful team from scratch
Starting from zero is both exciting and daunting. Here’s how to navigate the early stages of hiring people for your business:
- Define your company culture – what do you want your workplace to feel like? Actions, not words, shape your business culture. Think about how you want people to treat each other, communicate, and make decisions.
- Hire for skills gaps – what’s required to grow your business? This helps you prioritise hiring based on genuine needs.
- Look for team players – prioritise finding candidates with adaptability and experience collaborating cross-functionally. Ask behavioural interview questions like: “Tell me about a time you supported a colleague outside your role.”
- Focus on diversity and inclusion – a diverse team brings fresh ideas and better problem-solving. Diversity extends beyond demographics, so look for people who can contribute new perspectives.
- Create a structured onboarding process – outline goals, set up regular check-ins, and give new hires a clear roadmap.
Characteristics of successful business teams
When you’ve built your business team, understand how to cultivate it and how it can drive your company forward. Look for the following traits within your team and try to encourage these strengths.
- Adaptability – change is continuous in a company’s early stages. Encourage a culture of learning and recognise employees who experiment and adapt.
- Collaboration – invest in tools that support collaboration, such as shared workspaces, cloud storage, and project management software.
- Emotional intelligence (EQ) – high-EQ teams often communicate more effectively, resolve issues faster, and keep morale high. Look for candidates who are self-aware, empathetic, and resilient.
- Problem-solving – hire people who are naturally curious, show initiative, and can think critically.
- Transparency – involve team members in decision-making and share both successes and learnings.
Mistakes to avoid when building a business team
Several business owners rush the hiring process due to the need for resources and urgency to scale. The wrong hire can cost you more and cause further disruption, so take your time. Use structured interviews, ask for references, and implement task-based stages to assess skillsets.
Another common pitfall is thinking that experience matters most. Mindset and values are just as important. For example, a high performer from a large corporate firm may not thrive in your fast-paced startup.
Finally, as mentioned earlier, unclear roles are a common mistake when building a business team. Undefined swim lanes lead to confusion, frustration, and inefficiencies. Remember to hold 1:1s to track progress and document job descriptions and your RACI matrix.
Start building a strong team for your business today
From hiring decisions to cultivating a healthy and high-performing culture, how you build your business team matters. As your small business scales, you’ll need to empower your team, foster cross-functional collaboration, integrate new tools, and keep your team aligned.
If you haven’t yet registered your company, now is a good time to lay a solid foundation by working with a trusted company formation agent. When you’re ready to take the next steps – whether scaling your business or streamlining day-to-day operations – contact the experts at Quality Company Formations, who will be happy to help.