Why hire a team of strangers when you can put your own people on? Why wait for your friends to make it when you can take them to the top with you? If you’re a true supporter of what your patnas bring to the table, follow these steps below to create your industry dream team with the people you already rock with the most.
Step 1: Figure Out WHO Your Team Is!
Think about the people around you. Who is ready to grind and go as hard as you are?
You can most likely start with your good friends — friends you TRUST the most, people you’ve been through the most with, those day-one people!
Support yo patnas like how they support you! If you on, put them on!
Step 2: Delegate Roles
What are your immediate, short term and long term goals and what roles do you need to be filled to execute this game plan? Think outside the box. Create a list (mental or physical) of what your folks do, where their passions lie and what you think they will thrive in.
For example:
– Your big+tall homie? Bodyguard
-Your know-how-to-dress-hella-saucy homie? Stylist
-Understands business and handling money? Manager
-Hella turnt up? Hype man
-Got shacks? Driver
-Good at taking pictures? Photographer
Etc.
Step 3: Start Talking About It and Reach Out
Start having “that” conversation with your homies to see if they’re interested in building.
The ones who are generally happy about your success and growth are usually the ones to talk to/bring on board. But make sure its serious people ONLY! Use your boss radar to weed out the cats and bandwagon folks from the serious folks.
Step 4: Try a Trial Run
Have an event coming up? Try out a test run. Have your boy work stage security or be your bodyguard. Give your patna who’s good at taking pictures a press pass and see how they work the camera. Have your turnt-up patna be your hype man for your show/event. Give your business-minded homie the role of handling all planning and coordination. See how it plays out!
If it’s not possible to do an event trial run, don’t stress. There are other ways to figure out if the people in your circle are a fit for the job. You can assign your team some trial tasks to see if they are capable of accomplishing them. (For ex: Create alternative cover art for an existing single, style an outfit for an event, etc.). If they complete all tasks efficiently and within your time constraint, you’ll know who to consider for the job.
Step 5: Check In With Yourself
Did your trial run work? Think about what worked and what didn’t and why.
Did you encounter any major problems at your event? Was there anything your newly appointed team members should have done differently?
If you felt like certain people on your team were slacking, you may need to re-evaluate who should be on your team! But if everything went well… shout out you! You just found your team!
Putting your own people on in whatever ways you can is important, but also remember — this isn’t a time to be nice! Building your team is one of the most important parts of executing your goals. So while it’s key to look to the people closest to you to fill certain roles, it’s equally important to prioritize business when business needs to be prioritized. If they can’t get the job done there’s nothing wrong with patnas just being patnas.