You're Only As Good As Your Team - TFS Day 1

This week I am going to work on a series called tips for success. I was going to start it monday but Neil wrote a great post about how a marketer is only as good as their programmer so I thought I would kick it off on a Sunday. I have 2 employees for the most part. My mother-in-law, Susan Baron, is kind of a hybrid between accountant/personal assistant/travel agent. She really keeps me straight and while she barely had used a computer before working for me her try until you die work ethic is really amazing. Also the level of trust for someone in that position that they will not disclose your business issues or steal from or whatever is of course really important so having a family member at the helm of finance issues is pretty nice. Its not all positives though to have your mother-in-law working for you but we both agreed to be honest with each other when issues arise and that really has made it work well. My employee/partner David Dellanave aka dillsmack started with me for a very low hourly wage about 2 years ago + some... I think at the time I hired him to do stuff I had just canned about the 5th programmer in a row that had flaked on me. I also had promised myself I would never hire another person that was not local. Dave was really honest and fair from the beginning and its worked out really well. I think for me its more of finding people who are self managed and do not stop until the work is done. Its a rare type of person who wants more then just the 9-5 and is willing to work for it. I am a SUPER impatient person. I think most people would say I set unrealistic goals and deadlines. It is always interesting when friends work for me or with me in a partnership because I go from being the calm cool headed easy going guy to the insane, unreasonable, guy who cant think about anything else. Needless to say a lot of good friends have been lost when they became business partners. Anyway I got a little off track there but the point is with Dave and Susan I just trust... thats really the best way I can say it... trust.. I trust they will put 200% effort in. I trust they will not rest until the job is complete. I trust them with all financial issues. I trust they will give me honest blunt opinions and not be afraid to speak there minds. The best part is I never have to give this trust a second thought. Its just there. As far as compensation goes I just always try to do what is "fair".