Hardcore startups. Part 2: How to assemble a dream team

Looking back, I understand that in 5 years I have assembled a team 3 times ...
In the previous article I told how many were “NO” and “YES” on the way to the realization of a dream, how many times I had to collect and disband the team, what difficulties I encountered, how many mistakes I made. I want to devote this part of the chronicle to my team. For those who have not read the first part of a hardcore start-up : I am a businessman with an idea and little experience with programmers who wanted to try their luck in a tech start-up.

# 1 Team in a team

Working in the e-commerce business for the sale of climate technology (air conditioners, heaters, etc.), I gathered the first team of IT-guys. This business required to have a small staff of programmers to support online stores. Under the pretext of forming an IT department, I decided to increase the staff in order to build a team for my new startup in the future. My idea failed, because any new beginning requires complete immersion and dedication: “Chasing two hares you won't catch a single one” (Publie Sire, Roman poet).
But most importantly, at the moment I found a partner and a friend. With him, we still burn with a dream to change the world.
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# 2 Alone in the field is not a warrior

The period came when I felt like a beast driven into a cage. I rushed from corner to corner, every day I came up with new ideas and plans. I did not understand what to do at the moment. There was only one awareness: the storm would stop, dawn would come, and I would have to continue to row to my dream.
“One is not a warrior in the field” , so I tried to keep in touch and not lose important and valuable people around me. I always kept in my notes a list of those people with whom I can realize my dream.

# 3 And where is TK?

The second time, my partner and I gathered in the apartment rented for our startup project. We naively believed that ideas were enough for a start - all that remains is to assemble a team. Collected. Come work. And those words sounded: “Where is TK?”.
TK was not, and we had to disband the team, because we could not load people with work. Then, for two months, almost every day, my partner and I stayed in the office after midnight. Thought through the logic of the resource, technical requirements, interface. I drew prototypes of pages on sheets of paper (my art education was very useful here), and my friend transferred everything to a computer and worked on it.

# 4 “Roll your lip”

The third composition - this is the team that we gathered bit by bit. Our first interview showed that many guys immediately put serious conditions:

• high, no less than market salary
• have a share of the company from the start,
• have the authority to manage the team,
• be able to set your own rules of the game.

When I asked one of these interlocutors: “What are you willing to sacrifice to get all this?” - he did not understand me. I tried to describe the worst possible version of events. We are a startup, and often do not know what will happen tomorrow. I asked:

• “Are you ready NOT to get the desired salary at the start?”,
• “Are you ready to wait a few months?”,
• “Are you ready to sleep in the office if an emergency happens or if a deadline rises?”,
• “Are you ready to change and grow?”.

I received a negative response.

# 5 What is the beginning, is the end

We were preparing to accept new employees, and by this time we had formed our values, mission and vision among the leaders of the startup. The person decides whether to remain in the new place of work on the first day. Next month, he watches what is possible and what is not. Mostly people copy our behavior. And when they come, we should not doubt anything and clearly stand on our values.

# 6 One team, one vision and one goals

Gathering a group of people does not mean being one team. Therefore, we organized a joint trip to get to know each other better, to immerse ourselves in the project and the vision. We needed a team of leaders who shared the vision and were ready to fulfill their dreams. I wanted to make everyone live with the project.

# 7 Culture to sweat and smell

Culture is formed at the stage of the company's formation, and if we let it go of itself, then it will be too late to change something. New employees will look at you and will do as you do. 90 percent of the guys who dream of working in a startup do not realize that this is hard labor.
In a startup, you should be able to step over your laziness and do what you might not like. Today, most programmers are grown in greenhouse conditions, where there are a lot of free cookies and buns, and this is not in a startup and will not be for a long time. You must explain to everyone that there comes a period when life is divided into two components: work and sleep. And you have to sweat in order to teach by example how to sweat each of the team, otherwise he will teach the others to sunbathe.

# 8 Immersion in the idea

The first week I gave to the disclosure of our ideas, so that my third team ignited it. I drew a lot of diagrams on the blackboard and asked everyone to explain in their own words how he understands the project and its scope of work. It was very important for me that everyone saw and kept the picture of the project entirely in his head, and did not dwell only on his local tasks. I wanted to achieve a vision of one common goal, an idea, a dream.

# 9 Atmosphere of Kings

We tried to create an atmosphere at home, where you always want to come back again and again. To do this, we rented an apartment - the best option for a small team. We created an atmosphere where a person can be himself, knowing that he is accepted and supported. This is a family that values ​​us and that we trust.

# 10 Course Changes

A constant uncertainty is inherent in a startup: it’s like cycling, when you have to constantly maneuver, and not roll along a prepared route in advance. I saw that for many of the guys from the team, any changes or course changes were painful. They began to think that we were leading them by the nose. Most people are accustomed to traditional business, in which everything can be planned, and abrupt changes in rates occur every five years and only during global crises. We must understand that change is for the best, and it means progress. Being open to change is one of the main lessons both in the life of a startup and in personal life. If we persist and “stick” in our original designs or ideas, this will inevitably lead to the withering and death of the project.

# 11 Deal yourself, giant

This item is just for me. I thought that I already knew everything and passed a lot or read a lot in books. I had time to prepare for 5 years, including studying on the Executive MBA program. I was very self-assured, but the startup moderated my ardor. The experience of a top manager played a cruel joke with me as soon as the money appeared. I used to think globally and grow quickly. I quickly blew out the state. At this point, the time was ticking, the cost of salary grew, and the budget was reduced.
In a startup, you need to start with a small, even a very small team and very carefully approach any growth. A startup is a short race. Here you need to allocate time and resources as accurately as possible. It's like a Formula 1 race, where every second on the pitstop can be decisive.

# 12 Firing Tips:

People who do not invest and do not support the atmosphere in the team, who by their actions destroy it, should be immediately removed, like a tumor. If you do not quickly dismiss a problem employee, someone who is valuable and important to the team and project may leave.

# 13 Restart - storm like sweep

When you fly in a balloon, when there is little fuel left and you have not yet reached your goal, you are forced to drop ballast. Someone, especially impressionable, gives vent to emotions and jumps himself out of the basket. At the training it is easy to drop the ballast, but when this moment comes into your real life it becomes very difficult. At this moment you have so much fatigue that you cannot always include logic, and it is especially difficult when it comes to real people, making a choice is not at all easy.
I realized that the storms in our lives are needed, even mandatory. For a year and a half, 30 percent of the original dream team remained. With each step around you, fewer and fewer people come around when you approach a dream.

# 14 Be a man

For more than ten years I have been running at a maximum, and in this race I have never slowed down. At some moments you just want to disappear, but no: you continue to do what you did. When you reach your limits, you look at your offspring with the eyes of faith, the result of your efforts, and you realize that the time of birth is near. Sometimes at this time, the body and the brain protest. Due to my weakness, in one of those moments I turned to the guys. He sincerely shared his feelings and thoughts, sought their understanding.
The main problem at that time was the lack of money and time, I asked everyone to switch to a 12-hour working day in order to quickly come up with the launch of MVP . I also assured everyone that we will not pay for all the processing hours at the moment, but we will summarize them and multiply by 10 times when we receive investments! I was very surprised by the reaction of the team. Almost everyone was interested only in 100% of the RFP today, and not to work for the future, investing overtime.
As a result, after a while, part of the team dropped out. People do not want to know what is happening with the leader and what he is going through. They want to see you only strong. They want to feel solid ground under their feet, daily. If you are burdened with worries and a burden of problems, it is better to move away for a day, but in no case do not share it with the team. As a rule, everyone thinks only about himself and his personal security and this is his right.

# 15 “Beware, the doors are closing, the next station ... very far”

A startup is a high-speed train for a long distance. Inside this train time freezes. 1 year goes for 5 years in real life experience. It is difficult for people to boil in one car for a long time, about which no one knows: they quickly burn out if you don’t start on time or suffer a launch. They simply boil in it, if you do not promote and do not participate in public events where people can recharge. They may believe in the idea and all that, but they need confirmation from the side. Therefore, you need to be prepared that some people will come, others will go out at stops. Do not think that everyone will be able to get to the final one. And you should not convince yourself and them of this, as it is an illusion. Everyone has their own route. They must come, do their work on a stretch of path and exit. I call them - companions, and some have their side effects - it's snoring or even more fun. There are still hares. This is a special category: they constantly look out the window, i.e. to the side. No matter how much you motivate them and dance around them, as soon as the controller enters, the hares will evaporate from your life. Only units will be able to reach the final one.

# 16 Know yourself through choice

The mission to change the world only works for Americans or fools like us. When I told all the guys at the beginning of the journey that there might be months without a salary, they did not hear me. No one even thought it was possible, and everyone said, “Yes, I agree,” just to take it into the project. Most people do not know their true motivation and, as a rule, it is money, fame and power. True motivation can be learned only when you put people before a choice.
Another part of the team said “yes”, realizing the consequences. These are dedicated people. Their vision and motivation is completely different.

# 17 “Money-money-rubbish”

After talking with an experienced investor, it became clear to us with a partner that we are overpaying to many of the guys in the team at least two or even three times. When we assembled the team, I told everyone about the risks, but mine and their perception were different. Now I understand for sure that it was necessary to find guys who are also looking for a workplace and understand that this is a great opportunity and no less a huge risk. This is very important: to speak and prescribe the conditions immediately, "on the shore."
When I decided to allocate a pool of 5 percent for the team and announced this, there was no reaction. They are not particularly pleased. Since most of all they were interested in the monthly market earnings. I regretted not having learned about it at the start of the project.
During the year I managed to “merge” a huge amount of money for wages, although for the money I could have already released a project. In order to attract talents and not break the budget, it is necessary to look for ambitious guys, eager and eager to do something great and change the world. You will understand this at first sight, and do not think that you will shake them and inspire them in the process.

Ask me!

Should I start a startup at all? I will answer: “Yes! But it is not for everyone! ”.
My concept of life is this phrase:
“To risk is to lose a foothold for a moment. Not risking means losing yourself. ”
(Soren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher).

PS Continue to follow your dream ... and our updates: the story of the valley of death, the idea, the product and the strategy are ahead of you!



Hardcore startups. Part 1: How to make your dream come true