A. Brad Rosser writes:

For this type of venture, you need doers not thinkers, results not reports. This means hiring people who will not rest until they’ve found a way to achieve their goal. Such people possess entrepreneurial drive and are willing to take risks. They’re street smart and not afraid to bend the rules slightly to achieve the right result. Finally, they are comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic, results-focused environment.

Once you find likely candidates, you have to convince them to choose your uncertain start-up over a well-established company. Richard Branson is great at convincing staff to join his fledgling ventures. By carefully observing him when we worked together, I came to see that a successful pitch to recruit any individual has two inseparable elements: the ‘intangible’ and the ‘financial’. The intangible element must convey a compelling vision of what the business will become and their role within that success. You need to convince them that they’re going to be a part of something world-changing and that they will be rewarded many times over for their initial sacrifice. It is a journey that will be hard work, but also fun. Never call them ‘employees’ as you want each individual to feel like they are an integral part of something special. They are a fellow world changer, so call them ‘partners’ or give them titles that suggest ownership of their project.

The financial promise that you make to your ‘partners’ in a start-up is simple: “I will pay you less now, but you will earn significantly more later.” Make it clear that remuneration will be directly tied to success, with little or no basic initially, but the opportunity for far higher or unlimited earnings later.

Brad Rosser is a serial entrepreneur and former right-hand-man of Richard Branson. He is behind companies such as Instant Access Properties Group and Rpoints. www.rpoints.com