Launching innovative project - it is a very easy matter.This is a nervous and requires enormous efforts that are not even dreamed of a worker from a quiet and cozy corporate world.Did not want to offend the professionals in corporations, they are very good people, but it is.Therefore, each founder must pick up a team that with him can go through all the difficulties, troubles and failures.And failures are, very much.Even the incredibly intelligent and hardworking professional can not start a startup alone.Single Founder - is one of the 18 reasons for the failure of start-ups, which calls in his article Paul Graham, the founder of the most successful business accelerator Silicon Valley.
But, on the other hand, the project is at an early stage can not afford to have a really great team.Therefore, we must find a balance between the recruitment of the right people and saving resources.
First of all, before we start listing all necessary or useless for the innovative project staff, I would like to convey one idea.The founder of the project will be required to do everything.Absolutely everything: he will have to pry into the work of each of its employees, because no one knows how to do startups.Even if these people are engaged in their profession is not the first year.Especially if this is the case.Because the process of work in a stable company and in a startup are different as the sky and water.The color is similar, but is made up of very different things.So the founders, please leave hope that you hire an experienced marketer, and you no longer have to deal with marketing and sales.It is fantastic.
So who is the founder of the need first of all?Let's consider the classical correct the situation when the founder of a startup is a young engineer or scientist.Which is good in his work, but not very well versed in the business.Whom he can hire?
1) Marketing
One of the most common items in the list of plans for the employment of young innovators."We are hiring marketing and it will make us a great marketing" - that can often hear from innovators in response to a question about plans to enter the market.Why it does not work - in Russia is simply no good professionals to promote innovation.Our market marketing has grown mainly from western branches of marketing agencies, which were launched in Russia.They work with great brands like Coca-Cola or Mercedes.Of course, not all the experts to build a career in these agencies, but it left an imprint on the entire market.Even the best experts from the industrial market will not be able to do anything for the project is just beginning.Not because they're bad professionals there.Because the purpose of the companies in which they used to work, and start-up goals are very different.In addition, these people are used to getting a lot of money, which you are unlikely to be able to pay them.You can lure the shares in the project, but think again, is it worth it?
second way, how often arrive startups with marketing - is hiring a person without any experience.Often, this student of marketing and journalism, which falls on writing texts and chat with the press.This method is better than the previous one only by the fact that it requires a much lower cost.First, a man learned in the books, and good if on a really good book, because he often has to evaluate them not.Second, the sheer lack of understanding of what to do and foolish action most likely to harm rather than benefit.
Summing up, we can say that the marketing or PR is needed only when the founders themselves had a clear idea of what he will do, and they just do not have enough hands.In this case, it can work well both.But with one condition - the man must love your project, your team, and be ready to learn or relearn.This also applies to the green student and veteran pros, because both of them will have to be retrained.
In all other cases, forget about marketing is not worth it.But it is better just to have in mind other than a specialist or a freelancer who can do odd jobs and advise founders in case of lack of competence.
2) Engineers
In the same category they add.Development of a new technology often can not afford the author of the original idea.In such cases, we have to hire people more experienced in the subject area.Lure to the project can be two things.First, an interesting topic for research.People who love their work, are always the best engineers, and they are truly fanatical, so that you can go to the project at a lower salary (within reason), just because they like what you're doing.But in this case, does offer a valuable fraction person to hold, will be superfluous.Share in the project and future income - this is just the second motivation.Incidentally, in the Silicon Valley engineers are very well aware of the benefits their business and often go to work in a start because of the share.
build relationships with them, in practice quite difficult.First of all, because really good engineers - people really appreciate yourself.And to take instructions from a person with less experience, they are not ready.And it is inevitable, because the vision of the project is only at the founding head and if they fail to convey to his team, then the project can be safely buried.
3) Managers
most controversial topic.Do we need geniuses managers?Everyone watched the movie and remember how Steve Jobs has dismissed them as hired John Sculley.In addition, the role of management in innovative companies are very ambiguous.Someone says that such people still useless, somebody thinks that without a professional businessman none innovator will not achieve anything.
In fact, there is quite clearly a study that is called the Startup Genome (first part) and which states that the ratio of engineers \ managers of successful teams are very different from the specificity of a startup.To clarify this issue in detail, you need to rewrite all of the research, so please just read the study itself.His Russian translation is on the site http://freshle.com.
In addition, there is quite an obvious solution to this dispute.In the first stage startups I have to do everything himself.Because he has a vision and at a time when the most important thing is to develop a product and find the first customers, then no one will be able to replace the founder.But in the life of every company sooner or later there comes a time when it grows so that business processes are beginning to slow the progress, it is necessary to build communication between the different departments, to plan its expansion in new markets.In short, optimize and scale processes.And then it should appear a man who knows how to do it professionally - manager.By the way, Steve Jobs was behind this and hired John Sculley.And he coped with its task, as Apple has shown good growth in the first period after the dismissal of Steve Jobs.But the hired manager could not cope with the role of visionary - to lead the company further into the future.
And early on the process control should remain in the hands of the founder.A navigate the business world to help a good investor or mentor.
general sense of all the above is that the founder has to hire a person only when clearly understands what purpose he should achieve.Otherwise, you can easily be in a situation where an employee tells you "I do not understand what you need from me."So Cook is active in the first alone, and then later to seek a professional who will be able to do it effectively.
