[quote name='starsniper' timestamp='1316921525' post='4865651']
I have no computer programming skills. I have an extensive background in business and marketing. Im also a writer, painter, sculpture etc....

Hire for the skills you don't have that you need.

Right now your biggest need is someone who understands the business, who can get you the right workers.

That should be the person to hire.
[/quote]

This.

If you don't know about the business you're going to run, then you need to find someone who DOES know about it, who you can trust.

A lot of business philosophy talks about how awful and inefficient most businesses are run, because management doesn't actually understand the product, the market, the customer, or the employees. I'm sure you know this, being in business. This is why it is so important to either educate yourself and acquire these skills on a basic level to understand your employees, or to hire someone who does and is qualified to lead these people FOR you.

How you find this holy grail of a leader to work for you? I have no idea.Good luck ;)
Yet if you don't, I wouldn't be surprised if your finished products turned out to be mediocre and unsuccessful. Many developers hire people or teams to help them make games, and because they don't understand the product, they don't see the mediocre quality they produce. It's hard to get in on the market when you have to rely on others so much

How you find this holy grail of a leader to work for you? I have no idea.Good luck ;)

It isn't too difficult if you have the resources.

As pointed out you need someone with experience in the industry. You need someone who has been promoted into that position by a company that has the resources to take those risks. The person needs to have the personal traits you require for your business, which include experience, industry connections, leadership skills, charisma, energy and drive, etc. That person must have been successful in both project leadership and project management roles in the past. (Yes, leadership and management are VERY different skill sets. One skill can organize the troops to storm a castle, the other makes sure it is the right castle.) That is the person to hire.

Searching for the person is part of your business research. It is also not that difficult if you have business connections. If you have connections you can talk with executives and managers at various companies and, assuming you are on good terms and you ask very carefully, they will tell you people who they trust and want to see succeed but are limited by their pyramidal corporate structure. A good social network will also help you find them. Having many social contacts and business relationships is an important thing for that type of executive. Those connections are one of the resources you need to have.

So now you know the type of person, and you know how to find them.


Then you need to entice them to come work for you.



From a small business perspective, one great thing about big businesses is the pyramidal shape. As people grow it in their career there are far fewer openings above them. Many mid-level workers have a difficult time getting promotions (either vertically or laterally). That is something a small business can provide, but it comes at the cost of additional risk.

The worker will need to have power in the organization which the employer can grant them (positional power, resource power, informational power) and they need to bring their own personal traits (experience, established business relationships, leadership skills).

Convincing them usually requires a combination of money (they are likely well paid in their current job), a solid business plan that they agree with (to minimize risk), and evidence that they are being offered and will actually have the opportunity to "climb the ladder" not by actively seeking promotions, but instead by building the pyramid beneath them to reach their personal pinnacle.



Then you need to go through the hiring process. You need to make sure they are the right person for the job and that they will fit in with your corporate dream. They need to verify that they can do the job and they are comfortable with the work and your goals.