RE: What it takes to be an Entrepreneur - Doing my part - Clayford08's Opinion Corner
Absolutely agree with networking being number 1.
And you need people who are determined to walk the walk with you through all the hardships of starting up.
I've gone to all networking events I could. Whether it be conferences, cocktails, mixer-events, alumni conferences etc. I always had a simple rule in mind for 2 things I wanted to know about each person I got to know:
- What gets them up in the morning / What change to they want to be in the world / What gets them motivated.
- What unique problem-solving skill do they bring to the table / what responsibility are they capable of taking on.
If I know the answers to those 2, then I know if they are the right person to join me, or someone who's asking me for recommendations. 1. Are their interests and motivations aligned with solving the problem my StartUp wants to solve (i.e can I count on them to put their best in to the startup without additional incentives) and 2. do they provide the complementary skill that I need.
Because the product or service developed, and the business model used, will be subject to several iterations and pivots throughout the process, the team is what needs to be left standing. So take your time to get to know the right people before beginning the journey :)
It sounds like you've got some experience in this department. What business are you currently running?
Not hands on myself. I am yet to start a business myself but intend to do so at one point, which is why I keep note of the people I meet who could potentially be relevant early stage co-founders or co-workers. Some of my best friends are entrepreneurs however and so I've been continuously speaking with them, and both seen and heared the challenges and success stories there.
But I've always attended every StartUp Weekend, LEAN StartUp workshop etc that I could. And in my work starting an incubator I was working with a lot of people who were experienced with VC investments and selecting StartUps for incubation centre spots etc. All of whom focused on what they saw in the team before thinking about the quality of the idea itself. Because as I said, how the idea plays out in practice will most likely change, but the team needs to be the right people to make it work in the end.