As I talked about in my last post, I believe people are the absolute biggest factor on if a startup will succeed. Not the idea. Not the market. Not the competition. It’s about the people on the team.
I’ve been talking to a handful of folks who are looking to work with me. As I meet with them and speak with them, I find myself repeating the same things.
Skill sets and talents aside, these are the types of people i’m looking to work with…
People Who Want To Win
I grew up playing sports and in a house of four boys. I’ve always had to fight for that last slice of pizza. I’m competitive. I hate to lose and I love to win. Simple as that. Everyone on my team must have this attitude. I want people who are driven to succeed. People who are motivated and hungry. People who strive for excellence. People who push to be the best.
People Who Get What They Want
I want people who are used to getting what they want in life. People who take the bull by the horns and kick the crap out of it. This is the first thing I ask of candidates. I want examples of when they got what they wanted… whether in work, school, dating or other. I want scrappy hustlers who simply find a way to succeed. It doesn’t matter how big or small the task, these types of people deliver. They refuse to lose. Startups are hard. We get knocked down. We get discouraged. We get beat up. I need to know that my team will stand with me and keep at it until we collectively get what we want: victory.
People Who I Can Trust
It’s critical that the team be completely open, honest and transparent with each other. We have integrity. No secrets. No politics. No drama. We’re an elite squad of special forces who move swiftly as a cohesive unit and we always have each other’s back. We inspire, support, teach and train each other. We don’t care who gets the credit, as long as the team wins.
People Who Aren’t A-holes
I want people who aren’t jerks. We will spend more time together in a given day than we will with our loved ones. It’s a “No Douchebag” zone. Life is simply too short to be working with these types of people. No matter how amazingly brilliant these people might be, they are not worth keeping around.
People Who Are Curious
I want people who are constantly learning and growing. They like to challenge themselves. They like to improve themselves. They are spontaneous. They explore and discover. I want people who are willing to try something completely new and adventurous, even if it means looking silly or being embarrassed. I want people who are not afraid to fail.
People Who Work Hard
I want people who are productive. They get an insane amount of stuff done in a short amount of time. It’s not about hours or time. It’s about being smart, organized, and disciplined. They are ruthless in their prioritization. They don’t make excuses and they always deliver when they say they will.
People Who Are Passionate
I want people who are passionate about what they do. When you talk to them, you can feel their fire. It’s contagious. They’re bouncing off walls. They’re so high energy that you wonder if they aren’t a little ill. They’re happy with who they are and what they do. They love life and they love challenges.
People With Imagination
I want to work with people who dream big. They imagine themselves doing great things and building amazing products. As entrepreneurs, it’s normal to be a little bit delusional. Our sense of reality is distorted. If we knew how hard the path, we wouldn’t begin. I wanna work with people who imagine doing the impossible. They see it in their mind and they believe they can do it.
Conclusion
I’m fine running solo for as long as necessary. I won’t rush the people decisions — they are everything. :)
If you think you meet the criteria above, let’s talk.