Which role is the most critical to hire initially for a Startup?

Recruitment can be one of the most challenging aspects for a startup company. To pick out the most critical role to hire would be difficult. This is because the base staff itself would be few in number; as there are several areas to keep afloat right from day one – managerial, marketing, accounting, technical etc. – choosing one particular role as critical may just not be feasible.

Of course one would need the promoters who come up with the idea of a startup company. There should be at least 2-4 promoters to make the initial thrust, as one person might not be able to bear the moral weight of starting a company; and more than 4 people could lead to disagreements, or worse still faction forming. Within the group of 4 promoters at least one should have the adequate technical knowledge as we now live in a high tech world.

Once the founder group is in place the next step would be to hire the right people. At times the founders themselves might try and take on several roles to save money on salaries. But this does not always work out for the best. It can prove overwhelming and extremely difficult to manage multiple roles and could adversely affect a startup which needs all care and caution in its initial stages. No doubt there are outside professionals like business advisers, lawyers and administrative assistants who one could use on a case by case basis, but when it comes to hiring staff a strong support system from within the company is required.

When a startup wants exposure and requires product liaison with other companies it needs a person to take on Administrative duties. This position more often than not is the Office Manager who will handle duties such as contacting distributors, dealing with the media etc. Any company, big or small needs a Finance man. Funds at all levels need to be managed - both incoming and outgoing. An Accountant or Bookkeeper would handle such finance work as well as set budgets and sales goals. The next important step for a startup to take would be marketing. A marketing plan is required to test the product, identify the target market and take care of sales. Finally it is success in marketing that will generate income for the startup.

So if one had to pinpoint the most critical role to hire for a startup there is no easy way. As mentioned above all are key roles and one’s performance would overlap with another. A business has to operate on several fronts and unless all the fronts are manned by trained people, the business itself would soon run into problems.  So care should be taken to hire the right people – at least the nuclear group – who will put the business on its feet.  It will be easier to convey a clear vision of the goals and objectives the company would like to achieve initially, to a small group who will understand the crucial role each of them has to play.

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Article contributed by Startup Jobs Asia's Team, IJ.

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