by Jennifer Jenkins | @jnjenks

When looking for a job, we all look at the job title, the qualifications, the benefits, everything practical. We should also be paying attention to the environment, or company culture, which we will spend a lot of time being immersed in during the week. It is important to know if it is compatible to our own personality, values and proficiency.

It’s not only crucial for you, but crucial for business. Companies with united and adaptive company cultures are proven to perform better and achieve goals quicker. Here are tips from nine entrepreneurs to create a great team, retain talent and develop a company culture that would attract the kind of talent you want in your office, courtesy of Mashable.

1. Always be Hiring: According to Alexander Winter, founder and CEO of  Placemeter, hiring is a continuous process, not a punctual hunt, and advises to avoid specific job descriptions. “Hire in tech, product, or business, but only take people that really wow you.”

2. Encourage Entrepreneurial Thinking: Caroline Ghosn, CEO and co-founder of Levo League, recommends treating everyone in a company like an entrepreneur. If everyone is given the same level of comfort in the office, it allows everyone to benefit from the cohesion and synergy from their talents.

3. Remember that Your People are Your Business: "Hiring is the most important thing you can do at a company at any stage in it’s life cycle,” says Brett Lewis, founder of Skillbridge. “Great people versus okay people is the difference between success and mediocrity -- and it is something that founders spend far too little time on early on.”

4. Lead by Example: Jojo Hedaya, co-founder of Unroll.com: “As a leader in a company, everyone feeds off of what you do -- the culture starts with you.”

5. Character Counts: Matt Baldwin, from Baldwin Denim: “We want to hire really good people that communicate and exude positivity, and look at someone’s character first and foremost... Our employees have to have the same qualities as our brand... authenticity, quality, and attention to every detail.”

6. Don’t Underestimate Freelancers: Rachel Hofstetter, founder-in-chief of Guesterly: “I like to say we have an army of freelancers, which means I can hire great talent without having to lure them away with a salary we could never afford.”

7. Listen to Your Gut: According to Alban Denoyel, co-founder and CEO of Sketchfab, if you get a weird feeling about something or someone, listen to it and act upon it. It’s the old start-up adage: hire slow, fire fast.

8. Give Employees Ownership and Flexibility: Emmett Shine, CEO of Gin Lane Media, encourages employees to be holistically happy and excited in their work space and seeks ambitious, “auto-didactic” technologists to foster creativity. It’s all about the quality, not the quantity, of the product. “...If that means taking a day or a week off to be with family or go on a trip -- then that’s fine.”

9. Work to Maintain and Build Company Culture: Most importantly, remember that company culture is always being cultivated and changing. “The importance of this nuanced element of business can't be underestimated or neglected,” says Jeff Jackel, CEO of BuzzMob.