5 Tips for Building a Successful Management Team

Scaling your startup in the right way and with the right people is certainly key to your success.

When you begin building a startup team, it’s about finding people with the right skills. But you also want to find people who will work well together and complement one another.

You have the unique opportunity of creating your team from the ground up. You get to choose the skillsets, the personalities, and the right mix of people who can work as a true team, collaborating to scale your startup.

To help you, check out these five tips for building a successful management team.

#1: Make a Plan

It’s not enough to say, “I need a chief financial officer, sales director, marketing director, and human resources director.”

You want to look at each position individually and as it fits in the whole picture.

Make sure you have thorough job descriptions, and you actually need each person.

You don’t want to hire just to have a bunch of well-qualified bodies in your conference room.

Do your due diligence, interview people, have others meet them. Then, when considering your top candidates, think about how well they’ll gel with one another.

#2: Have a Solid Mission and Vision

When hiring and after, you want to be able to clearly convey your mission and vision. What’s the purpose of your startup, and why should your management team care.

They need to know where you came from, where you’re going, and how you’re going to get there.

In addition, once they start, they need clear and measurable goals. Don’t hire a new staff if you don’t already have goals and measurement tools in place.

Ultimately, you want your new team to know what success looks like for your startup. If they’re continually spinning their wheels, they’re going to get frustrated.

#3: Create a Positive Company Culture

Your team and your startup will have better success if everyone knows your startup’s values. For example, do you value hard work as well as family time? Or, do you expect 60 hour work weeks?

You want to make sure you have a say in your company culture, or your first hires will set it for you. If you haven’t hired well, you may be in trouble.

To get everyone on the right course, make your company culture known from the start.

#4: Be a Great Communicator

You want to be the best boss you can be as this is key to building a successful management team.

Lead by example with open communication and kindness.

Be the first person to notice something that’s going right. Ensure that your team sees you working as a team player, so they’ll follow suit.

Address conflicts quickly and with empathy. It’s up to you to set the tone for communication as well as conflict resolution.

#5: Celebrate Success and Failure

To build a strong team, be sure and recognize people when they’ve met a milestone and seen success.

Try to recognize everyone at one time or another so each team member feels respected.

Conversely, if your team fails at something, try to turn it into a positive learning experience. This lets them know you still value them, and it’s time to turn the situation around.

Never highlight individual failures in front of the team.

Final Thoughts

One of the top 20 reasons startups fail is they didn’t choose the right team.

Your team starts with you, and it’s up to you to choose, build, and grow a team that will excel in unison.


Make sure that you pick a group of people that not only complements one another, but also complements your skill set. Don’t hire a bunch of people just like you.

Diverse hiring is key to building a successful management team and one that can grow with you into the future.

Finally, when you have secured the proper team, make sure to create a company culture that supports them. Offer an open door policy and ongoing leadership training and skills workshops.

Treat your new management team well, and they’ll be more productive, loyal employees.

Are you a new startup ready to succeed? Are you looking to get your new business off the ground and watch it rise to success? We are here for you. We can help answer your questions and guide you through the process. Outsource your HR duties, finances, payroll and more to us. Contact Escalon today to get started.