Entrepreneurs need help to launch successful businesses. If you want to grow your business, you can’t go at it alone. The smartest people form teams right away, but often they look to hire or bring on team members based on the positions they need to fill (i.e. marketing, business development) instead of thinking through the types of people they need to really make their idea happen. In the early startup stages, the types of people we surround ourselves with is more crucial than what they do in the company.
Sam Altman, former president of Y Combinator, once said, “You need someone that behaves like James Bond more than you need someone that is an expert in some particular domain.”
Today, we’re going to take a look at the types of people you need to have on your team. Your startup will have a greater chance of survival if your team embodies these characteristics. So, sit back and take a look at your team through the lens of these badass movie heroines.
THE EXECUTOR — You need someone who gets it done and with precision. In the hit film, “Kill Bill,” assassin Beatrix Kiddo is in it to win it. She knows what needs to be done, who she needs to see and gets it done by any means necessary. We’re all guilty of letting tasks fall through the cracks. However, there has to be someone on your team who can deliver like nobody’s business time and time again. Whether it’s project management, delivering your startup pitch or tracking down an investor, the executor is the go-to person who finishes with excellence.
HOW TO USE THEM … Executors make great:
- Project Leaders
- Business Partnership Managers
- Event Planners
- COOs
- Product Makers
- Sales Lead Generators
THE INNOVATOR — Where would Black Panther be without his trusted sister Shuri? She spent her time innovating and dreaming up things the king would need before he even realized he needed it. Who on your squad is looking out for where the organization can go next? Sure, most of your team has to keep their feet on the ground and carry out the day to day functions, but someone has got to be looking where the competition hasn’t even dreamed of going to yet and you have to give them the space to do it.
HOW TO USE THEM … Innovators make great:
- Designers
- Developers
- Marketers
- Customer Experience Managers
- IT Specialists
- Chief Product Officers
THE RIDE OR DIER — There comes a point when things get a little dirty in startup land. There’s reiterations of products or services, deadlines to meet and broken morales that need to be put back together when failures come knocking. Every startup squad as got to have a Letty Ortiz, someone who is Fast & Furious and rides for the team when the going gets tough. You always need someone who can scare the everliving shit out of the opposition women entrepreneurs face when we have to advocate for what we need and want.
HOW TO USE THEM … Ride or Diers make great:
- CFOs
- Investor Relations
- Sales Closers
- Advisors
- Negotiators
- Accounts Receivable Persons
THE MASTERMIND — Every ship needs a captain. A visionary who knows how to make the whole team move in unison with the long-term goal in mind. They don’t get sidetracked by shiny new objects or deterred when there’s a hole in the road. They build a bridge and move the entire team over, one by one if they have to, so no woman or priority is left behind. Veronica Rawlings in the film “Widows” knew how to get team buy-in. She knew what needed to happen and how to motivate her team to take care of the details while she kept sight of the bigger picture.
HOW TO USE THEM … Masterminds make great:
- CEOs
- Company Spokespersons
- CMOs
- Pitch Deliverers
- Media Contacts
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