Playing to your strengths

The article on forming a winning team asked important questions that help co founders and team members get to know each other better and understand their strength and weaknesses. It gave me opportunity to do some introspection which is very important for the success of a start-up.

§  What motivates you to launch a social venture?

The prospect of bridging a social need which exists in society excites me. I wish to be an agent of change and to improve standard of living for those around me.

§  If you had 100 points, how would you divide your ambitions among: (a) positive social impact; (b) recognition and/or respect; (c) fortune; (d) day to day fun

Positive social impact and recognition are extremely important to me. I would award each of the two 40 points. Fortune will be 15 points and fun will be 5 because I think that if I am making an impact and getting recognized for it than fun will be inherent in that combination rather than being mutually exclusive.

§  What is more important to you in the first 2-3 years: reaching more beneficiaries with your product/service, or increasing profits (for nonprofits, to be put back into the company)?

It is important to generate volumes as through reaching more people will give more market insight which will help you improve your model and product. However, I would also prioritize reinvesting profits back in the business as this will help accelerate the growth of the company after 2-3 years of operations.

§  On a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a risk taker are you, with 10 being extreme risk taker, and 1 being completely risk averse?

I would rate myself 7 on risk taking. I am generally an optimistic person and tend to think that things will end well.

§  How many hours do you expect to work each week? For how many years do you plan to do this? What do we do if one person starts working significantly less than the other(s)?

I expect to work nearly 40-45 hours a week. I plan to sustain this work ethic over time. Initially I will be willing to work longer hours and have flexibility in my routine based on the demands of my clients/ partners.

§  On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you prefer to work on your own versus with a team?

8. I enjoy working with people.

§  Are you the person that needs to plan everything out before taking action? Are you the person that wants to dive in and try anything and see what happens?

I dive in and try and see what happens. I firmly believe that the best way to learn is to get your hands dirty and experiential knowledge is more important for me than planning a lot before acting.

§  What are your strengths and weaknesses?

I work well with teams. I am enthusiastic and motivate others around me so working with others comes naturally to me. I tend to get intimidated by people older to me and tend to avoid conflict with them which often times results in me acting as a yielder.