This post was inspired by Brett Fox’s post

Dear Entrepreneur,
When you are starting out, you need a fanatical team. One key factor which determines whether your startup will succeed or fail is your team. You are either working with the right people or you aren’t.

When it comes to building a team in the very early stages of your company, one thing you should look out for in potential co-founders or team members is how fanatical they are about your company or your cause.

You don’t want to have people on your team who are only looking for a paycheck or who just see their work as just another job. You want people who are passionate about the cause and believe in what you are trying to do.

According to Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, the “fanatical team” factor was a key ingredient in Nike’s success. Knight had REALLY motivated people around him. And these REALLY motivated people were critical to Nike’s success.

Fanatical team members jump in the boat with you. They are all in. They don’t keep complaining about things. Rather, they get things done. The mere fact that you decide to start a business means the odds are against you. Fanatical team members don’t back away when there is trouble. They stay right with you.

So yeah, when you start building your team, make sure that anyone you bring on board resonates with your vision. Make sure you bring on board team members who are fanatics. You need them!