From Vision to Success: Crafting the Ideal Team with the Golden Triangle

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to volunteer as editor of a podcast dedicated to interviewing some of Europe’s most successful entrepreneurs. What caught my attention was the common answer to the question about the most important ingredient for business success. Most guests mentioned “the team.” Olaf Jacobi, a partner at Capnamic Ventures, offered one of the most profound responses: “Successful companies in a competitive environment are not those with the best technology or strategy; they are the ones with the team with the best spirit.”

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To build an efficient team, Jacobi emphasized that team spirit should be complemented by specific and cohesive skills.

One tool that can explain the ideal mix is called the “golden triangle,” which emphasizes the interaction of three key profiles: the visionary, the designer, and the hacker. In this article, we explore the roles and skills of each of these profiles to help you build the ideal team for your business.

The Visionary: The Beating Heart Setting the Strategic Pace

The visionary is the strategic leader and motivational engine of the company. With an innate ability to look beyond immediate goals, the visionary defines and communicates a future vision that motivates the entire team. This leadership profile is not defined so much by technical expertise as by an ability to build and adapt strategies, recruit exceptional talent, and create a motivating environment where people want to stay.

A visionary’s skills extend beyond charisma. They have a solid knowledge of sales, marketing, and business development, enabling them to articulate the company’s value proposition to clients and investors. Additionally, they understand the importance of customer feedback and work with the technical team to ensure that products and services align with market needs.

Key Responsibilities of the Visionary

1. Customer Development: Initially, the visionary focuses on deeply understanding clients, their needs, and the challenges they face. This detailed understanding directs product development effectively and enables authentic market connection.
2. Product Management: The visionary acts as a bridge between customer feedback and the technical team, helping to establish a clear product roadmap. Their role is to ensure the team works in line with customer needs and the company’s overall vision.
3. Sales and Capital Raising: The visionary is responsible for revenue generation, whether through direct customer sales or securing funding. They present the startup’s value proposition and are skilled at closing deals.
4. Thought Leadership: Sharing insights and opinions on industry trends can position the startup as a thought leader, building credibility and attracting potential clients and partners.
5. Hiring: As the company grows, the visionary must identify and attract talent aligned with the company’s values and culture. A high-performance team is key to taking the startup to the next level.

The visionary guides the company’s direction and keeps everyone focused on long-term goals, adapting strategies according to market changes and supporting team cohesion.

The Designer: The Senses that Shape the User Experience

In a highly competitive digital world, design becomes essential for capturing and retaining users’ attention. The designer in a startup goes beyond creating an attractive interface; they understand how design impacts user experience and, in turn, brand perception. They are not just someone with good visual taste; they master technical front-end development skills and use user-centered design methods.

Key Responsibilities of the Designer

1. Landing Page Creation: The homepage is the first impression of the startup, so the designer must ensure it’s visually appealing, with compelling copy and images or screenshots that reflect the company’s value.
2. Product Design: Working alongside the visionary, the designer is responsible for transforming ideas into essential and differentiating features. Tools like Balsamiq or JustInMind help bring these concepts to life and make them tangible.
3. Usability Testing: A good designer knows that user feedback is key to product improvement. Conducting tests with real users helps adjust designs to be more intuitive and useful.
4. Branding: Building a solid brand identity includes developing the logo, business cards, and other visual elements that communicate the company’s personality and values.
5. Technical Knowledge: It is essential for the designer to have skills in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to implement their designs and make adjustments quickly. This basic coding ability allows greater flexibility in a startup.

The ideal designer is someone who not only makes things look good but also understands the functional value of design and its impact on user retention and satisfaction.

The hacker: the backbone of the team

The hacker is responsible for building the product that will turn the team’s vision into reality. This profile combines technical programming and server management skills and is capable of implementing changes to the product quickly and effectively. Beyond their technical skills, the hacker is someone who deeply understands the product, lives and breathes it, and is always looking to improve it.

Key Focus Areas for the Hacker

1. Product Development: The hacker ensures that the product meets market needs. Their priority is the product, and they are constantly looking to improve it.
2. Scalability and Maintenance: A good hacker designs the product with scalability and long-term maintenance in mind, ensuring it can evolve as the user base grows.
3. Continuous Innovation: A culture of innovation is essential in a startup, and the hacker must foster experimentation in the team to improve and adjust the product to new market demands.
4. User Feedback: Listening to users and making changes based on their opinions allows the hacker to iteratively perfect the product, adapting to user preferences.

The hacker’s role is crucial, as they are the ones who materialize the startup’s vision. Without a product, there’s no business, and without a solid backend infrastructure, the designer’s work lacks functionality.

The Importance of the Golden Triangle

A well-structured team, where each role in the golden triangle is clearly defined and performed by the right person, can be the differentiator that drives a startup to success. However, in its early stages, many startups lack the resources to have a person dedicated to each role. Therefore, it is common for co-founders to take on multiple responsibilities. The goal is not to fulfill each role 100% but to find a balance that allows for progress while the team consolidates.

The success of starting a business does not depend solely on a great idea or innovative technology. It depends on having a well-balanced and committed team that can work together to face challenges. The visionary, the designer, and the hacker represent a balance of skills and perspectives that, when united, enable the transformation of a vision into a successful company. Investing in building this team from the beginning is the first step toward success.

What do you think about the Golden Triangle? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! Don’t forget to clap if this was helpful.