How do you keep your team engaged before funding and MVP launch?

Question

What are the best ways to keep your team motivated while you work to launch an MVP and all the way to receiving funding that would allow starting paying salaries and bonuses?

Accepted Answer

1) Communicate the vision, constantly. Measure buy-in to reiterate this
2) Have a strong project plan/trajectory and communicate often where you are on that trajectory- people want to feel progress
3) Let them in on the numbers: what kind of raise are you moving towards and what incentives (salary/bonuses) are people wanting to see? Let them in on structuring this while being transparent on what's realistic.
4) Offer flexibility. No one wants to feel handcuffed, especially if they aren't really getting paid yet. Lean on motivating someone's WHY.
5) Ensure you have the right people doing the right thing. Turnover in any project can often be attributed to someone who wasn't doing what they wanted to do and when something else came up- they jumped ship.

How do you keep your team engaged before funding and MVP launch?

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