don't worry about business plan yet, you will need a vision for the business. Don't hire to many people in the beginning. edit

That is a big question. Here are some very basic guidelines for constructing a team.

Hire to your weaknesses (find people to do the things you do poorly).
Find people who are quick learners.
Also, choose loyal people. Startup is a challenging time.
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Hello, Marcus:

First, have you taken some time to think through and clearly write out what it is that your business is going to do? I agree with Roosevelt. It is important to understand who your prospective customers are going to be, and what is is that you will offer them (your Vision).

Second, do a little bit of math and figure out how much you think you'll sell of your product or service, over the first few months, and over the next couple of years. Is your objective to have several employees or partners? You may not need them if you have a certain type of business (and size of business).

Third, start thinking about a Business Plan. If you are seeking key employees and/or partners, it will help to have a short but clear outline of what you do, how you will do it, what resources (people, partners, funding (dollars from investments and/or loans).

Fourth, you can get a Mentor and free counseling from SCORE in Peoria:
Peoria SCORE
0 mile(s)
100 SW Water St Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce
Peoria, IL 61602
Phone: (309) 676-0755
http://peoria.score.org/chapters/peoria-score

Also, at score.org, you can receive free counseling and run ideas by experienced business professionals free by Email:
http://www.score.org/mentors

Select "Find an Email Mentor" on the right side of the page.

Fifth, come back here to this website and ask for more help or ask specific questions that you might have at any time in your process.

Cordially,
John Walden edit

Planning is everything. Score.org is the best place to start and the business plan section will help you outline what your goals are. Ask you questions you have not thought of. If you want to kick ideas around feel free to contact me. edit

Hello Marcus,

I absolutely agree with all the responses so far. I would also be prepared to put in a lot of time and energy (and perhaps some sweat and a few tears). :) It can be really challenging to get your business up and running. I've found that even with our solid and quite detailed business plan in place, we ran into a host of obstacles, a few of which I don't think any of us could have predicted or prepared for. It takes patience, perseverance, and a good sense of humor to get you through the tough stages.

Best of luck to you! edit

I think it is ridiculous as to how hard it is to try to start a small business today. Everything, including laws, funding and legislation seems to be stacked in favor of big business or existing business.

It used to be that if you had a good idea, you could find a backer who believed in you. You had the idea and did the work while they put up any/all necessary funds. It was mutual respect. Today, I see little respect for those trying to start a small business.

It used to be that private backers actually talked to you as a person, getting to know you, what you can do, what your business plans and goals were, how you would handle situations, etc., and didn't base all on a written business plan or even ask for one right away. Sometimes, backers learned all they needed to know just from a few conversations. To me, talking to the person tells more than reading words.

Sad......The business world has changed. And not for the better. At least for the person trying to start a small business.

Just my thoughts and what I've heard from others I know.





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Hello Marcus, you ask what is needed for a good start up team? Well, you first need a good business plan and unique products and services so your team would be willing to be a part of your team. Its very hard to start a business these days, with the threat of putting up all that money and time, and not knowing if one will succeed. Its excellent that you are entrepreneurial minded, though! I have my own business and am looking for qualified individuals to team up with me. I have a proven and tested training system in place in which we use to train our business partners. We have been using this technique for almost 20 years now. There is no re -inventing of the wheel.Took all the guess work out. We are run very much like a Franchise but eliminate all the pitfalls associated with Franchising. I mean all of them! This would be an excellent opportunity for you. You would learn how to run and operate your own buisness. If you are interested in hearing more, please email me at ..vcvaldo@comcast.net
Regards
Valerie C. Valdo
Unfranchise Business Development Systems edit

For a Startup the initial or core team will be the face of the business. To a great extent the the experience and expertise of the team members will decide the fate of the business. So I believe the most important quality a team member of a start up should posses is the ability to take responsibility and ownership, and treat the business as his or her own.

www.bplanexperts.com edit

The owner of the business needs to take an inventory of the tasks that need to be handled by the team, and what the owner's strengths are, so then what other areas need to be handled by others. For example, often the business owner is the "idea/creative" person; the best thing for the business is for that person to be able to focus on what they are good at with the confidence that the other areas are taken care of--such as a person good at bookkeeping, someone good at marketing and sales. These jobs each take a different type of personality and it is unlikely that the owner will be strong in the creative/idea area and also be good at the practical bookkeeping and financial needs. The CEO can contract a bookkeeper or accountant, and they can contract with a marketing firm or specialist. But for this example, they need to have knowledgable people who understand finances and make sure the income and expenses are in good balance. A business needs an amount of "loose" cash available to purchase raw materials or whatever and keep things moving forward. Many businesses fail even though they are successful because suddenly they find all the cash has been tied up in raw materials or paying bills, and they don't have the cash they need to function (for example process the raw materials into finished product) to bring in more cash. Or they don't have enough cash to meet payroll for employees, or they don't have the cash needed to buy more raw materials and the vendors won't extend their credit any further. Maybe you need to raise your prices in order to have enough money...but that needs to be realized and acted on before everything has come to a grinding stop. Typically one person can handle it all. edit

I second John Walden's advice: Start with a business plan so you really understand your business idea and its potential from the inside out. It could be you'll need no staff at all to start. But you won't know without a business plan. SCORE can help you with that. The LA Chapter I work with offers business plan workshops, and the national site, SCORE.org, has samples and templates to help you get started. I saw in another post that you are active-duty military, so be sure to contact Veteran Fast Launch, too. Best of luck, Marcus. Starting a business and creating jobs is the second most important thing you can do for your country. You're already doing No. 1! edit

One more recommendation: Take a look at Wicked Start. FREE. http://www.wickedstart.com/ten_steps

How it Works video:
    YouTube
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Hey Marcus. i recommend you sit somewhere where there is silence and ponder first. Make sure business is what you want to do. If so, please contact me so we can chat. And all of you, please contact me as well if you would like to invest or simply chat. Partnerup is going to be the mother of Forbes caliber business in the future and I would like to invite anyone interested to add me so we can chat. edit