4 Questions You Should Ask Before Building a Board of Advisors

It is to be understood and learnt quickly by a startup owner that teams are an essential tool for success. However good your idea may be, the without a good team, no idea can be implemented properly. It includes your management team, board of directors and most importantly your board of advisors. It is utmost necessary to surround yourself with a healthy board of advisors. They can provide guidance on how to navigate startup growth. Employee misconduct, intellectual property lawsuits, and a deteriorating toxic culture can all be brought in control if a good board of advisors is on board. The recent example is of Uber. Once a darling in the startup world was left wondering for its future just because it did not have experienced people to advise. It is, thus, a great time for them to revisit the essential questions to consider when building a board of advisors and a strong platform for the future. Here are the 4 questions you should ask before building a board of advisors:

1. What are your team’s blind spots?

Your founding team drives the company to success or downfall. You need a collective skill set to help the startup reach the top level. The team’s blind spots need to be identified. You need to think about the domain expertise and strategic partnerships you need for the development of your company and fulfilment of your plans.

2. Where do you need the most support?

Being a startup founder or its CEO can be a lonely position. They need to have some support at the top as well. A great entrepreneur ism, however, self-aware of this fact way before time. You need to introspect that where does the company need the most support. The place with lack of skills needs to be filled. You need to see where you have struggled while building your company.

3. What are your expectations for the board?

Before you identify a candidate or offer him a position, you need to see that what is expected of him by the board. The compensation needs to be fixed and agreed upon as well. He must be able to contribute to the company. This could be ensuring the securing of large contracts by the company. It must also involvement of the product or service.

4. What is your vision for the company?

Growth is great but it rarely comes if you don’t have vision for the future. Without a strong foundation, nothing can be done properly. Whenever you bring in an advisor, you must think how about how the person can contribute going into the future. It is needed to evaluate that who is working properly and can be of help in the future for the team is what matters the most.