To launch your start-up is necessary to gather the most suitable people for your team. During the previous ones you mapped out who you know, right? Now is the time to actually reach your network and activate it.

From the people you listed, who do you think would like to join you on this journey? Invite between three and eight. Any fewer would be less enriching, and any more might complicate teamwork. Maybe their reason for joining you is different to what you thought, but at this point, anyone that’s interested is welcome! Getting people together can be hard, but I highly recommend that you do that now. It’s important and helpful to connect a group around an idea from the start. By doing this, you’ll make the challenges and your entrepreneurial journey more fun, valuable and enriching. Go for it!

After you gather your team, your next step is to get to know your teammates better. You’re probably now working with people you’re already familiar with, but don’t underestimate this part of the challenge. There’s always more to learn about one another!

Here are three examples of “getting to know you” activities. Pick one, and do them with your team.

Life story in a minute

With paper and drawing materials, everyone in the team draws and tells their entire life story. You have fifteen minutes to draw and only one minute to present it. At the end, share what caught your attention about others’ stories.

The surprise question

Everyone writes on paper at least three questions they want to know about everyone on the team. Collect the papers in the middle of your group. Sit in a circle, and take turns to pick up questions. If you pick a question, you have to answer it.

Stuck on a desert island

The scenario: everyone is stranded on a desert island and can choose one item to bring with them. They should choose something that represents them and can help everyone else understand them better. After everyone shares what they brought and why, it’s time to work together. The next step is using the items together to survive. Even if the items weren’t essential for survival, join forces and make a plan to survive as a group. You can’t change the chosen items.

After you've discovered more things about your team members, it's time to define a common goal with the team.

Many organisations, companies, institutions define themselves in terms of their vision, mission and values. This is because teams must agree on a shared identity that represents them all, and a common goal that ensures everyone is working towards the same purpose.

1. Get to the WHYs - Ask every member why they’re joining this team and the challenge. We recommend you that each person writes down all their reasons, one on each sticky note, without influencing others’ responses. Keep these simple – they might include things like making money, having fun, or learning about business.

2. Affinity Mapping* - Everyone places their notes on the table. Next, arrange them into clusters of similar reasons. What motivations fit together? Can you create a main theme for this group?

3. Group Purpose Statement* Write a clear, inspiring and memorable purpose statement, one that connects the group members and makes sure everyone is working in the same direction. A simple way to do this is to fill in the following model: We would like to help THESE PEOPLE by carrying out THESE ACTIVITIES.

You can always come back and adapt this, to keep it up to date with your development as a team.