Minimum viable team
At the very beginning, at the idea stage, when the founder is not yet a founder, but only a person who came up with a brilliant idea, the whole team is himself. At this stage, this may be enough, because now the goal of a future startup is to test its idea for viability (conduct initial market research, describe the characteristics of a product that will bring value to users, communicate with these very future users). If the founder copes with these tasks, then he can be called a minimum viable team.
This is how it is customary to call a team that is able to convey the minimum value to the user of its product by solving his problem. A prerequisite is the sale of the value or the promise of delivery of that value when the product is created.
Naturally, no one person is able to do everything on their own, especially if they plan to launch a startup.
"Hipster, Hacker, Hustler"
The "Hipster, Hacker, Hustler" or "3H" theory, pioneered by AKQA CTO Rei Inamoto, describes the kind of people a company needs to succeed. Ray identifies 3 types of roles, which, being in your team, together and create a kind of formula for success. It is these 3 roles that must be on a minimum viable team in order to interest the investor, move forward to success and grow actively.
The hipster
A hipster is a person who in some incredible way already knows today what the audience needs tomorrow, is able to “ride trends”, clothe the dreams of other team members in something similar to the company's mission and formulate the value that will be embedded in the product. even if he was just born on a napkin in a cafe. Moreover, a hipster can also shape an idea into a slogan or image that is understandable not only for techies, but also for future consumers. A hipster does not just generate ideas into the void, he knows exactly who and why it will be useful to acquire it.
Moving away from the abstract speculations about expensive coffee and strange musical tastes that are attributed to hipsters, with some degree of convention, one can equate their role with the role of a visionary, including from design, and often from marketing.
As a hipster, the most common example is Jony Ive, Apple's longtime head designer for many years, the man who made Apple products the way the world knows them.
The hustler
Perhaps all you knew about Hustler before your startup present was that there is such a magazine. Excellent! Then you know that almost nothing is forbidden for a hustler. On the way to sales, of course, what did you think about?
He has just enough charm that he is enough to throw up any competitor with envy. His network of contacts is enough to sell your product to roughly ... your entire target audience, and then suggest going to a related market. This is assuming you have a separate business card budget for your Hustler.
The hustler will become your key to the market, or rather, he will hack the market for you, sometimes climbing through the window if the door is locked.
As an example of Hustler, Western experts cite Sheryl Sandberg.
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Facebook, Sherrill Sandberg is both a business tycoon and an inspiring figure for young women. Starting her career as a graduate of the Faculty of Economics (Harvard), Cheryl quickly climbed the career ladder and earned places in prestigious institutions such as the US Treasury and Google. In late 2007, Cheryl met Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg at a Christmas party and was soon offered the position of the company's chief operating officer. How do you like these communication skills?
The hacker
If you went to a technical college or worked in a technology company, then you can well imagine guys in a hoodie at a computer. Ok! You know everything about hackers that filmmakers attribute to them. In reality, the main thing to know about hackers is that they are able to make the scribbles on napkins that Hipster threw into reality. And, yes, often for this you have to sit at the computer for hours, and the hoodie has nothing to do with it.
These guys usually speak their own language, some words in which you will be familiar. Although no, they won't.
These guys and girls must be protected, they are your secret weapon. Seriously, the competition will lure them away while you walk away for a cup of coffee. You will have no problem motivating them, they are genetically programmed to make the world a better technical world.
However, there are risks. It is important to keep a close eye on the hacker's product vision. The understanding of the ideal product from a technical point of view may differ from that of the consumer. Except for those cases when the consumers are the same technologists as themselves.
I’m almost sure that you, like me, will call Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, the man who, along with Steve Jobs, started the first company with a capitalization exceeding a trillion dollars, as an example of a Hacker. At the same time, Steve often remained in the shadows, becoming, however, a multimillionaire. I wonder if he's wearing a hoodie?
Who else?
Sometimes the role of "analyst" is added to this trinity. Of course, management based on numbers is much more likely to lead to success, but my own experience suggests that Hipster is not just in the know about fashion trends, it is precisely the result of analyzing the market, the competitive environment, modern technological trends and more. Therefore, the role of the analyst can be distinguished if you do not have a real Hipster.
Instead of a conclusion
Now that “Hipster, Hacker, Hustler” is on board, you can go to investors with a much higher chance of success, I remind you to tell them about my team: “We have all the necessary people, when you meet, you will not have doubts that we will reach the goal. "