6 Tips for Assembling a Dream Team for Your Business

When it comes to building a team, everyone knows the saying “teamwork makes the dream work”. But how exactly do you put together a strong team? Especially one that can meet and exceed all of your wildest dreams? 

There is so much more that goes into building a successful team than just finding the right people with the right skills. So, if you’re ready to call Assemble! to a fantastic team, here are 6 effective tips that will help you find, onboard, and work with the team of your dreams.

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Write a Detailed Job Description

It all begins with the job description! The best job descriptions are clear and informative, setting the tone for all work that will be completed down the line. In the beginning stages of building your team, you should be crystal clear on what you’ll expect from each team member. This should then be reflected in the job description.

To help you figure out what you’re looking for help with, start by creating a list of tasks that you complete on the regular! Be sure to make note of recurring tasks that you find yourself doing monthly, weekly, or even daily. Decide which out of these tasks you don’t particularly enjoy and would want to delegate, then find team members who can get the job done. The goal here isn’t to find a carbon copy of yourself. Instead, make sure your team members complement the skills you already have. 

The quickest and easiest way to find your perfect teammate is to let the job description filter them out. You can do so by including a relevant task list, your anticipated budget, and the skills they will need to excel. 

Right now, it’s important to remember that experience and values are two distinct things to consider. Are you looking for someone who vibes with your company culture (more on this in a minute) or are you solely open to applicants with the relevant experience? Once you figure this out, you’ll be able to nail down your budget even further. Someone coming in with more experience will require a higher rate of pay, while someone who comes in with less experience will start at a lower pay rate and require more training.

Find Diverse Candidates for Your Team

Once you have your job description posted, it’s time to find unique candidates. These candidates should have their own special skill sets and experience. Be careful not to hire two of the same person! (Imagine if there were two Hulks in the Avengers instead of just one 😳) This can cut down on creative energy in your space and leave you missing out on some incredible talent. Instead, you should focus on what each person has to offer. This way, you can see how each person will fit into your business to handle the types of tasks that you need taken off your hands!

The best team members will always be the ones who possess strengths that differ from yours. In fact, the best use of your budget is to have a diversified team. Here are some benefits we’ve found from having a team with a diversified skillset: 

• Discover unique solutions you wouldn’t have otherwise thought about
• Make more substantial business decisions (leading to a higher ROI)
• Increase your creativity and team morale
• Offer a better product or service to your clients
• Helps the business run even when you’re not there!

Arguably, that last point is the most important. As the head honcho in your biz, you deserve to kick your feet up every now and then! Having the right team will allow you to step away from the business and enjoy your life outside of work.

Narrow Down the Qualities That You’re Looking For

The list of qualities that you’re looking for in a good candidate may vary from another business owner’s. However, it’s important for you to really give this some thought. What do you value most in a team member? Doubt has no room in business decisions. So, if you don’t feel like someone is the right hire or isn’t meeting your quality standard, always listen to your gut. 

You want to hire team members who will work with your business long-term. To accomplish this, you need to be sure that the person you hire knocks things out of the park from the get-go. However, if you’re unsure whether they’ll be able to handle any of your essential tasks – such as communication with clients, staying organized within your systems, or meeting deadlines, it’s time to move on to the next candidate.

Wasting time and energy on the wrong person will never be worth it! Plus, it will only cost you money in the long run. It’s more sustainable to hire someone with drive and a work ethic that complements your own. This way, you know that you can train them precisely in your processes and workflows.

Understanding your standards of success from the start will further guide you in this process.

Create a New Team Member Onboarding Checklist

Yay! You’ve hired someone! Now it’s time to get the onboarding process started! Admittedly, it can be overwhelming to welcome a new team member (no matter how excited you are to have found the perfect match!). So, when integrating a new team member, make sure you have the smoothest transition possible by PREPARING.

The best way to start the onboarding process? Make use of a project management tool like ClickUp (our fave!). By doing so, you’re creating an informative space where your new hire can find all they need to know in order to do the job right. With a tool like ClickUp, you’ll be able to set up tasks within a specific timeline for the entire onboarding process. 

When we’re onboarding a new team member, we always have them go through the following tasks:

1. Sign Contract – Your collaboration isn’t official until a contract is signed!
2. Read through the Team Welcome Document – A team member welcome document should include everything your new team member will need to know about working with you and your business including your expectations of them, your business hours, tools and applications they’ll need, communication guidelines, any recurring meetings with you, payment and invoicing schedules, and their next steps. 
3. Read through the “About Your Role” Document –This should be personalized for each new team member to give them the exact scope of what they’ll be doing for you. 
4. Complete the Onboarding Questionnaire – This is your chance to collect any information you’ll need from your new team member such as the basics (their name, contact information, and bank info for direct deposit) as well as any questions you might want to ask about their work styles and preferences. (Tip: Set this all up in a ClickUp form so you have all of your team’s information in one place!)
5. Set Up Necessary Apps and Tools – Here is where you’ll make sure your teammate is given access to anything necessary to functioning within your business such as your Slack channel for communication, any workspaces they’ll need access to for tasks, and tools they’ll need to complete tasks efficiently (such as 1Password, Grammarly, Loom, and Google Drive). 
6. Create Their First Tasks and Accompanying SOPs – It’s finally time to delegate some tasks! Create a list of tasks and assign them to your new team member. Don’t forget to create thorough SOPs that they will be able to follow so they know exactly how you need and want tasks to be completed. 

How to Foster Team Culture

Building a team culture isn’t reserved for just the corporate world. As a business owner, it’s also your job to foster the right environment (even virtually!). Knowing what your business stands for and the values that matter most to you will influence how your team operates. 

Any group of people put together will inevitably form some type of group culture. However, what you want to avoid is a culture forming that doesn’t reflect your business at all. To help you out, try this exercise about learning your business values. Here are a few questions to reflect on:

• What is your mission statement? 
• What do you want your business to be known for (by potential clients and competitors)?
• How do you want your team members to feel on a daily basis?
• What haven’t you liked about other businesses or past work experiences?

From there, you can better understand how to foster a team culture that makes you proud. Once you know your values, you’ll also learn how to better respect your team members’ boundaries and help them feel ready to better participate in their roles.

Be Open to Questions from Your Team

Finally, it’s on to the questions stage. Every new hire is bound to have questions (no matter how great an onboarding process you have!). So, be sure to let them know that you’re open to helping and guiding them. This will not only ensure you maintain a healthy work culture, but tasks are more likely to be completed by team members according to your business standards. 

Even more, your new hire may also have some ideas that YOU can implement! Being open to ideas from your team is key to business growth. Allowing input from other people enables you to expand your knowledge and skills. 

And, above all else, whether it’s through chat or video call, let your team members know that your door is always open!

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Are you ready to start creating your dream team? If you’re not and you’re feeling confused about taking the necessary steps to build out your team, why not start small? Many business owners love adding Virtual Assistants (aka VAs) to their team as a first hire. A VA can help you with a variety of different roles, from general VAs who can help you with admin tasks or more specialized VAs for tasks such as content writing & repurposing, graphic design, systems & tech, or even community management.

To help you out, we’ve created a hiring guide just for you! Download the guide to Preparing to Outsource and learn how to know if you’re ready to hire, what to do in preparation, and what the exact steps are to choose a VA that will grow alongside you.