Building your first team in India: what actually matters
Location and cost get the attention. Process ownership, compliance and onboarding decide whether the team works.
Most first India teams are designed backwards: a headcount number is approved, hiring starts, and the operating model is figured out afterwards. The result is a team that is busy but not accountable for any outcome.
Start from the process. Document what the team will own end to end, what 'good' looks like weekly, and who signs off. A team of four with clear ownership outperforms a team of twelve without it.
Then get the foundations right: employment structure, statutory registrations and documentation. These are inexpensive to do properly at the start and expensive to fix later.
Finally, invest in onboarding. The first 60 days set the standard for everything after: shadowing, written SOPs, and a review cadence that catches drift early.