The Team

The small shop is all about flexibility. Everyone does multiple things. As services firms grow, the trend is toward increased specialization. If you are excited about the prospect of only being a graphic designer, for example, and look forward to the day that all of the other job functions have someone else in charge of them, then this will dictate what kind of team plan you develop (though I question why anyone who only wants to be a graphic designer started their own company. Know that you will never 100 percent succeed, given the entrepreneurial path you have set upon). If, however, you view yourself as more of a Renaissance person, then think about which areas of the company you’ll need to keep a hand in, and which you will not.