Starting up your start up team

As a startup or small business one of the biggest steps you will take is starting to invest in employing staff.  Suddenly you’re moving from being the one person doing it all and making every decision to sharing that with other people.

Many of the companies we work with use their loans to bring on board new people who can really help to grow and expand their business. But whether you are looking to invest in an apprentice or a senior manager, for any SME recruitment it is as much about attitude as aptitude. You need people who will grow and learn with you but who will also muck in and stick with you through good times and bad. So what do you need to look for in your first few hires? 

Attitude - You know your business inside out and you may have to be prepared to train someone to get them to the level of expertise that you need. If you find someone who is ambitious, keen to learn and committed to making a success of the business, you’re onto a winner!

A team player – in a small business you might be in a business suit pitching to clients one day and in your jeans cleaning the office the next. Investing in a new member of staff is a major step for a small business and everyone needs to be happy to pitch in to get the job done, regardless of whether it is in the job description! 

Going the extra mile – sleepwalking through the day or just filling in the hours until 5 o’clock doesn't really fit with the ideal of a small business employee.  Suggesting new ways of doing things, being creative and researching ideas on your own are all ways that show that a member of staff is really committed to their future with you and your business. 

Entrepreneurial spirit – people attracted to working within a small business may well want to be their own boss one day.  Welcome and relish that because they will want to put in and learn as much as they can from their time from you.