From Intern to G2 Owner

Saša and Maria
When she first walked through our doors in 2007 as a college senior—complete with the now legendary flip-flops and boundless energy—we knew Maria was different.

• Technically an intern, she never just “filed papers”.
• Maria shouldered real responsibility from day one.

I’ll never forget driving by the office one Sunday and spotting her car.

• Without being asked, she sacrificed a weekend during her last semester to complete essential work: “It needed to be done.”
• When we needed a licensed AFA in under three months, Maria immediately raised her hand: “I can do that.”

Sixteen years later, Maria became my first equity partner in Inspire Confidence Group. Her journey embodies what makes our firm special; individuals who approach their work as missionaries not mercenaries.

Missionaries NOT Mercenaries

Self-leading teams are made up of missionaries a.k.a. rockstars.

• Mercenaries are focused on a paycheck.
• Missionaries are driven to improve lives.

Why it Matters: Tech companies have known for decades that rockstar programmers are 20% – 30% more productive than an average programmer. The same principle applies to self-leading elite teams.

In my experience and research, here are the 5 characteristics that you should be looking for in recognizing a missionary that can become a rockstar team member:

1. Humility
2. Willingness to sacrifice themselves for the team
3. A burning desire to be better
4. Resilience
5. Originality

Missionaries become “rockstars” under pressure.

The bottom line: Attract missionaries to your team and liberate mercenaries to collect a paycheck somewhere else.