A tech startup is usually made up of two kinds of persons: The builder of the scalable products, who stays in touch with cutting edge technology trends. And the builder of the market, who brings in clients, partners, and revenue.
The tech part of most businesses might be where the magic happens, but it should not be the only focus of any successful business. Starting a technology start-up as a non-tech person would mean that your core team members are competent enough to handle immediate technical challenges.
To build and launch a successful tech startup as a non-tech person, here’s what to do:
Have an idea/product
When starting up, every idea is the “best idea”, but an idea isn’t worth much, if it is not implemented. Going by the simple mathematics of probability, so many people already have the same ‘best’ idea as yours. However, only a few can execute it right.
So, the right place to start is by drafting a one-page Google Drive document which identifies the need for your startup’s product/service (value proposition). Set it aside and re-write it a couple times; be sure that you are crystal clear about what you want to do.
Find tech experts
It is preferable to find a technical co-founder and give him/her same ownership of the product that you have (in the areas of responsibility and decision-making). Start by looking into your close circle of friends, relatives, classmates, etc, anyone who is tech-related. Lastly you can look for a like minded co-founder on local start-up forums. It is always better to start-up with a friend than stranger.
Even if you are unable to find the right fit or persuade anyone on-board, you will get some insight into the technology around the product that you wish to build.
Online & Offline Visibility
The tech startup world is merit-based. Technical guys can afford to display their codes and show how they built them. But a non-tech person may not have that opportunity. However, you can write curated content for people by creating a list of productivity tools and apps or build a social media following.
These things will make it easier to understand your potential customers, first users, and attract technical co-founders and investors.
Recruit Developers
If you have money to invest in your own idea, you can hire several developers to handle front-end and back-end tasks and bring your dream product to life. But if otherwise, depending on what you are building, there may be some ready-made software available for you. Though this is good for quick prototyping, but it is bad for building serious products.
If your business can be built using a ready-made software, then your competitors can replicate it in a day. Such a low entry barrier will surely drive away potential investors from your venture. With this approach, you can only build a basic tech-enabled business (like small scale e-commerce) , but not a technology-based startup.
Improve
With the right vision, network, and team, you can now start some hard work. Earn the valuation you want and figure out what could be improved. Once you’ve got a team, make your expectations known and motivate them to work hard.
This is the stage where you start pushing them for all the experiential knowledge and insights that you can get. Everyone should know that they are expected to put in their best in order to grow the company.
We hope these tips helped. Let us know in the comments!