These few list of things I found out working in a startup and on a startup. Employers:

  1. Great team does not necessarily have all star players. A team in itself can become all star if it gels well together.
  2. Don’t hire some one just to fill up that vacancy, not at least for first 10 hires. Fill it up when you get good fit only. 
  3. Be HR manager for first few months or a couple of years. Your team is your best asset and you need to be involved in building it.
  4. Your culture, attitude and personality is going to be reflected in attitude and personality of your company. Be sure what you are projecting.
  5. Be transparent to initial hires. Don’t be afraid to even share critical data like business deals or financials. 
  6. Use equity to your advantage. Don’t be greedy on that front. Your equity will be worth something only if you succeed and for that you need great people.
  7. Intervene right away if you see minor cracks in the team. Don’t wait too long for the matter to be strightended out on it’s own. 
  8. Don’t create hierarchy too soon. First few years should be directly you and your team. Use this time to grooms few people to become mid-management people and intrapreneurs if you like that word.
  9. Be social and let your employees have some social life. Its not very productive to work 24 by 7. Take 2 day vacation once in a while and encourage your team to take it too.
  10. Don’t go too much on brand of top institutions like IIT’s and IIM’s. Make sure person also has ability and right attitude to work in the team that is already there.
  11. Is you see someone not performing, fire them. Don’t keep giving them second and third chances. This attitude is very contiguous. 
Employee:
  1. Make sure you meet the team of startup before joining in. Make sure you can work with all of them. One person in startup I was working with left job as he could not understand accent of the other guy and hence lot of misunderstandings.
  2. Make sure you are coming with right kind of attitude. Dont bring politics to the team. Startup team is going to be your extended family, so think long and hard before joining in.
  3. Don’t join a startup just coz they are working on the next big thing or technologies are great and all that. Team and your role in the team is going to be important and decide based on that and that only.
  4. Make sure startup you work with offers you detail career path and make sure it matches with your own career path.
  5. Be vocal if you see a problem once you join the team. Even if its not really your concern or direct responsibility. In startup everything is your responsibility. 
  6. Make sure you put up your hand and take up challenges. Doesn’t matter if you succeed in them or not but will matter the most for your future.
  7. Don’t join startup just because working in them is cool and chances of getting rich. Think whether you can really take up that kind of responsibility and give commitment and then only take that offer.

PS: Dont know why numbered lists are not working on the blog and too little time to dig into it. Any solutions?