Entrepreneurship Guide 101: # Strong Teammates You Should Have For Your Company's Success

By: Claudia Jeffrey

By: Claudia Jeffrey

'Teamwork makes the dream work' is a popular phrase in the business world and has gained a lot of attention from entrepreneurs and leaders. But, this is only valid if you have the right teammates and a dreamlike work environment. In fact, a vision turns into a nightmare if you have a big dream and a bad team.

According to estimates, 23% of small startups fail within the first year. One of the biggest reasons that entrepreneurs experience business failure is that they rely on the wrong people. 

If you are planning to start a business soon, you need good teammates that won't sink your ship.  So, before you begin with your business endeavors, it is important for you to familiarize yourself with the most demanding types of teammates that can push your business to new heights of success.

Ten types of teammates that make a super great team

Modern-day entrepreneurs realize the significance of building a dynamic team with distinct personalities.

Here are ten personality types and qualities of strong teammates that make them outstanding in the workplace:

1.   The Initiator

This employee is very passionate about everything he or she does. They are moved by their own interests and desires. Unlike other employees, this teammate isn't bound to a system of assignment and execution. Instead, this teammate invents his or her own projects without needing any constant supervision and counseling.

2.   The visionary

Visionaries are key personnel in any organization (usually leaders) who constantly analyze the surrounding environment and look into the distant future. They have the ability to visualize the projects as a whole from starting point to end.

These teammates help in building a clear-cut vision and mission for the organization and provide clearly defined targets to other people.

These people can inspire others to excel in their job roles using their healthy amount of experience. They also take responsibility for their actions because they know that their ideas are different, and the other teammates are also taking a chance.

3.   The positive agent

Having this kind of teammate on board is not less than a blessing. Although this individual doesn't work much differently from other people, they carry a positive attitude in every situation, and this is what makes them stand out in the crowd.

They are best known for keeping up the team spirit and always show up with a wide smile. Even in crisis, you'll see calmness on their face. 

4.   The communicator 

This teammate has the innate ability to communicate with others, including other team members, clients, and suppliers. Communication doesn't mean speaking only, but it has a lot to do with listening to others peacefully. When acting as a recipient of information, the communicator actively listens to what others are saying even if it contradicts his or her own ideas.

This individual is highly connected with the whole team and strives to bring everyone one the same page. They initiate discussions with transparent dialogue and make sure that everyone is involved.

 These people can make sure that the team is on track by sharing important ideas and information timely. But, it doesn't mean that they don't like taking people's feedback.

5.   The strategist

The strategist is a teammate who perfectly translates the vision and figures out ways to transform it into reality. This person plots the complete course of action for your project from initiation to end. They take a customer-centric revenue first approach to brainstorm ideas and come up with practical applications of it. There are two important characteristics of strategists.

·       The ability to make strategic decisions and pull them together into an action plan.

·       The ability to comprehend the series of events without being deterred by the biases of people and perceived risks.

6.   The innovator

When you think about an innovator, you may think of someone like Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple Inc., who invented the personal computer with no keyboard and mouse. But the application of this idea is vast.

In the entrepreneurial context, an innovator is a person who is dedicated to finding new ways to do things or simply creative solutions to existing problems. Despite the fact that everything they introduce will not be accepted, their dedication to novelty is what sets them apart as a teammate.

They are famous for challenging the status quo and can help your startup with its cost-effective ideas for doing big things.   

7.   The analyst

No business owner wants a glamorous personality if they are not valuable for the company. An analyst is a person who recognizes problems before anyone else. These are also known as a problem solver. Yes, you heard it right.

They believe that unseen problems can deter project progress and that's why they constantly put their effort into identifying unfavorable situations and factors that can hamper the company's performance. They see a problem at night and solve them by the next morning (this is how they work).

8.   The goal-getter 

The goal-getter is a highly enthusiastic person who thrives on challenges. This teammate performs exceptionally in the sales and marketing departments and shows extraordinary results when it comes to individual or collective goals. These individuals are usually motivated by sales quotas or project deadlines.

Rather than feeling overwhelmed, this teammate is fascinated by a lofty goal, and he will encourage other teammates to get excited similarly.

9.   The voice

The voice is a person who is vocal about his or her opinions and isn't afraid to express them in front of others. Sometimes the opinions could be positive, and sometimes it could be negative, but they're always honest.

This teammate plays a very important role in your team because you can always count on him or her when it comes to taking truthful and direct feedback from an outsider perspective. The best thing about them is that their habit of expressing and encourage others to be open, cultivating an environment of trust and discussion.

10.  The backup

This teammate doesn't feel confined to his or her cubicle and gets their hands dirty if the need arises. They are labeled as a lifesaver for your company because they go out of ways to help people even if they are from a different department.

They do this because they have a strong sense of commitment to the organization. They would love to take extra work from other teams so that nobody gets overloaded with work.

Why you need strong teammates for your startup

You work with a bunch of people for a good reason – to help you succeed and provide support when needed. Here are six qualities of a great teammate. Do your people possess any or a few of them?

1.   They are not selfish

Good teammates put their company interest first before their own. They do whatever it takes to help the company succeed.

2.   They always lead by example

Good teammates foster a healthy environment by setting an example. They have leadership qualities that inspire others. They improve themselves so that others will follow in their footsteps.

3.   They take responsibility for their actions

Committed individuals always take responsibility for their behavior and actions. If you see that any teammate is not performing up to the mark, don't be afraid to confront them and help them get back on their track.

4.   They foster a respectful environment

No matter how much talented your teammates are, if they don't respect other people around them, you don't need them. A good teammate is the one who respects everyone regardless of their level and position in the organization.

5.   They are honest and humble

Great relationships are built on honesty and trust. A good teammate is the one you can trust and rely on during ups and downs. For instance, academic writing startups focus on hiring people who respond humbly to anxious students who request to write my essay for me.

6.       They are optimistic

At their infancy stage, startups face a lot of troubles and barriers. A good teammate doesn't complain about what's not going well. Instead, they look on the positive side and strive for better.

Know the dangers of hiring the wrong people 

Good teams are made up of different personalities, but it doesn't mean that every personality should have a place in your team.

Avoid people who have a negative mindset because they always find a problem in every situation.  These people are always on the lookout for flaws in others and in the company.

Secondly, some people are extremely impatient and always do things in a hurry. Note that doing things quickly and doing things hastily are two different things with different consequences.

Conclusion

Great teams are built with personalities, not only with skills. If your team doesn't already comprise of teammates who embody these traits, get some of them as soon as possible. These qualities are essential for improving performance on individual and group levels.

If your teammates exhibit these traits, reward them whenever you can. Remember that things are much easier when you have the right people with you on board.

Most Virgin Entrepreneurs Need Help In These Areas

It can be a daunting experience setting up your very first business. It is also likely to be one of the most exciting times of your life. There is so much that you will be focused on and trying to get right, and however you approach it, you are bound to need a little help here and there. There is nothing wrong with that. After all, it is true for everyone, and so there’s no shame in it. But let’s look now at some of the areas that most first-time entrepreneurs need help in, to give you some idea of where you are.

Top entrepreneurial mistakes

Pic Credit - CCO License

IT

It is often the case that you will need help where you are weak. Most people, for instance, are not well-versed in all things technological, and so this is one area where they generally need a little help to get things going. If you think you might need help, you will want to think about going to the right people to make sure you get it right. Using a decent managed services team like www.thinktechnologiesgroup.com is often the best way to go - that way, you can just leave it all in their hands.

Marketing

The world of marketing is one that changes profoundly with each passing season, let alone with years. It is a full-time occupation just keeping up with the changes in the cultural winds, so it’s hardly surprising that most business owners don’t have the time to look into this stuff themselves. See www.mplans.com/articles/ for advice on marketing to get you started.

If you are going to try and run your business as successful as possible, then you need to make sure that you are getting some help with your marketing. With that kind of help onboard, you will be able to lead your business to the kind of success that you really want for it

woman-in-black-coat-1181346.jpg

Pic Credit - CCO License

Sales

Some people seem to be born natural salespeople. If you happen to be someone who can sell anything to anyone, then you will be able to use those skills in your new business - although even then you might want to find someone to help you. But most people are not such individuals, and they will need to find true salespeople to help them get their sales off the ground and their products shifted. It’s definitely wise to look out for such people early on so that you can have a much better chance of selling as many products as possible as soon as possible.

Office Design

If you have ever helped to design an office before, you will know that there are so many things involved that you need to consider. In truth, this too is something that is best left to the professionals, as they are much more likely to be able to do your team justice. You need a working space that your team can enjoy, and that means having a keen sense of what works and what doesn’t. With this kind of help, your business is going to be much better off indeed.

Why You Need to Launch ​Your​ ​Brand​ ​Before​ ​Your​ ​Product

By: Rebecca Britton and Rachel Kassinger

In today’s digital age, we dare to say that launching a product is harder now than ever before. Though there are perks to having everything we need at our fingertips—for instance, connecting with customers directly and the ability to reach thousands of people with one click—there are also downfalls.

Attention spans are shorter than ever and information overload has taken its toll on brand loyalty. Gone are the days of finalizing a product, issuing a press release when it's ready, and waiting for orders to come in. Now a launch has to be much more strategic and requires planning months before the product is actually ready.

As a startup in the extremely saturated bra industry, we were determined to build awareness prior to launching. If people get to know you, your brand and the product, they’ll be more inclined to try it once it's ready. Here are the steps we recommend to build hype about your brand.

Market research

You can’t market a product without knowing who your customer is. It’s easy to get trapped in a “my product is for everyone!” mindset, but fight it. If you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll appeal to no one, so it’s crucial to zero in on a demographic. There are a few ways to go about this:

1. Read reviews of similar products to determine what people like and don’t like about your competitors. Another great (and free) tool is social media. Go to your competitor's posts and look at who is commenting. This served two purposes for us: it confirmed that other people saw the problem we were trying to solve and gave us an idea of who our customers are.

2. Online survey - This approach is a little more black and white. Create your own survey using one of the thousands of websites like Survata. It’s quick, easy, and straightforward.

Mark your territory

Buy your website domain and create your social media handles so nobody takes them. Domains are incredibly easy to buy and most cost less than $20/year, so it’s worth the small price to secure it. In addition, most business accounts on social media can be hidden until you’re ready to publish them.

Identify your brand and message

We aren’t going to lie, this is the hardest part because it drives every single thing you do from this moment forward (no pressure). Knowing your target market and researching what they’re drawn to help drive this, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of your own personal taste. Don’t base your brand solely on what you think people might like. You have to genuinely like what you’re putting out there, otherwise, people see right through it.

A few questions to ask yourself to get the ball rolling:

1. How do you want your brand perceived? If you need help, make a list of other brands you’re drawn to and why (it can be unrelated to your industry). This will determine the standard you set for other companies and clarify how you want your own brand to be positioned.

2. What is your voice or tone? This question can be intimidating but it’s to determine
your brand’s personality, which will likely be a reflection of your own.

3. Who is your community? This doesn't only include your customer but you’re entire
audience (potential partners, other brands you associate with). Think of the type of
people you want to follow you on Instagram, for example.

Again, it’s easy to fall on the “anyone and everyone” mindset but the same rule applies to business as it does in life: you are who you associate with so find like-minded people and develop a strategy to attract them.

Next, determine your aesthetic and visual identity. Make a good and bad mood board.
Instagram and Pinterest are great tools for this. Find posts that inspire you and make a brand book.

We were emotionally attached to the color mint (see blog post), hence our logo, and
initially thought our aesthetic should incorporate other pastels. However, individually we are more drawn to neutral (almost drab) colors which became very evident after making our brand-book. The” positive” mood board consisted of a lot of grays, blacks, and whites with an accent of mint but overall it was very minimal; and our “negative” mood board was Lily Pulitzer. Throughout this process, your answers to the above questions and the brand identity may change a little and that’s OK (the joy of being in the “development stage”).

Start building content

One of the benefits (and frustrations) of pre-launch is it can be a waiting game so use the free time to your advantage and start building content. Now that you know your brand, constantly looking for social media opportunities. You should also make your website live and begin blogging.

Not only is this a great way to let potential customers get to know you and learn about your product, but it also puts you ahead of the SEO game, so Google can find your site. Make sure to use resources like Google Keyword Planner to find good, searchable terms and incorporate them into your blog. Your homepage should have a short form to capture e-mail addresses from those who want to be kept up to date on your launch. You’ll hear time and time again how important building an e-mail list is, and some services, like MailChimp, have a free option for up to 2000 contacts.

Toast Champagne and GO!

Bottom line: pre-launch is the time for preparation but don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get it right immediately. You’re in the beginning, and let's be honest, nobody knows who you are yet so if it changes over time, no big deal. Put yourself out there and roll with the punches.

Have fun and CONGRATS!