Leadership & Team

Building A
Strong Team

A few weeks ago a client flew to my office to learn how to grow his offline business using online branding. We spent 2 days mapping out a clear plan of action for him and his team, and after we were done, we discussed a neat little success trick he used to build a team of people who helped him grow a billion dollar brand.

Here it is - enjoy this video where Mark Victor Hansen (author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books) and I talk about building a strong team...

Here's the chart Mark was referring to during the interview...

Related Reading Empowering Your Team To Drink From The Fountain of Unending Drive → Related Reading Game Day For Business Growth →
Chris Guerriero Entrepreneur, investor, and business advisor. Founder of Club 28, a private advisory program for growth-stage CEOs and founders.
Common Questions

Frequently Asked
Questions

How do you hire good employees for a small business when you can't compete with big company salaries?

Salary is rarely the primary reason someone joins a small business. People want clarity of mission, a sense that their work matters, and a leader worth following. If you can offer those things clearly in the hiring process, you attract people who are motivated by growth and ownership rather than just compensation. Your ability to build a strong team comes down to how compelling you make the vision, not just what you put in the offer letter.

What is the most important thing to look for when hiring for a small or growing business?

People who are growth-oriented and who have built something, even informally. Online branding and business growth require people who take initiative and can execute without a manual. Ask about problems they've solved without being asked to, challenges they've pushed through when it would have been easier to quit, and how they've built skills on their own. Those answers tell you more than any credential.

How do you build a team that can grow an offline business using online branding?

Map out a clear plan of action first, then hire to the plan. Most founders make the mistake of hiring generalists and hoping they figure it out. The better approach is to define exactly what functions your growth requires, from content to conversion to customer follow-up, and then find people who have demonstrated capability in those specific areas. A clear plan also makes onboarding faster and expectations unambiguous.

How many people do you actually need to build a strong team for a small business?

Fewer than most founders think. A small number of the right people dramatically outperforms a large team of mediocre ones. I've seen businesses with three or four well-placed people outgrow competitors with twenty. The question isn't how many people you need - it's whether the people you have are genuinely the right fit for their roles. One bad hire in a key seat costs more than it appears on the surface.

What role does the founder play in building a strong team, and when should that role change?

Early on, the founder is the culture. How you hire, how you communicate, how you handle setbacks - that all sets the tone. But the role has to evolve. At some point the founder's job is to develop leaders, not just perform leadership. That transition is where most small business teams break down. Building a strong team means training the people around you to hold the standard without you in the room.

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