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Ask HN: Not a design or code ninja - how do I pursue a great idea?

7 points by idheitmann ↗ HN
I have a great idea for a startup. My idea has cash flow built in. My idea provides value even with a very small user base, but is highly scalable. My idea is social by nature, and can piggyback buzz on social capital from FB and Twitter networks. My idea appeals to one of the biggest web demographics, is fun and clever and has an intrinsic sense of irony. My idea is really useful, and has some great options for marketing strategies just oozing out of it.

I am a serial HN lurker & I am technically savvy, very intelligent, and learn quickly. I am not a designer. I am not a developer. I have never started a business. I have worked in branding, marketing and strategy for 2 teeny companies and that's where my value is.

I would be willing to throw myself headlong into learning RoR or JS or whatever, except that I don't want to be designer or a developer. I want to bootstrap and manage a lightweight site that will look awesome on my MBA applications in a couple years. I also have no money.

What do I do?

1. Try to find a technical cofounder who has time to devote to a new project, buy a theme. 2. Partner with a designer (I know some of those), and learn to code it myself via: a) Youtube b) Some technical college c) Trial and error 3. Other

Next question: What communities out there can offer support for newb SaaS entrepreneurs? I am not in SF, so where can I find people to learn from and bounce ideas off of online?

12 comments

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JCB_K
Learn to code and make it yourself. The only person who can really put the passion in it is you.

Regarding your next question, Stackoverflow is good for the technical questions, Sparkmuse is still small but is a good community for entrepeneurs.

Luyt
What's your idea?
idheitmann
Why, are you looking for ideas? :-D rummages for NDA
JoachimSchipper
Some people outsource the coding (e.g. via elance). If nothing else, a good demo might make it easier to convince others to join you (a technical person may want to start over, but at that point you have your cofounder). The results are uncertain, though.

A lot depends on just how difficult the technical aspect is. You can pretty much forget about building Google this way.

Jcasc
Learn ROR or Django and make some traction. If you ever want to manage start ups you should have an idea of what's under the hood.
idheitmann
Without turning this into another Python vs Ruby post, let me ask this:

How should someone choose between the two when the priorities are time and quality of the learning resources online? Rails has RailsforZombies and the Poignant guide. Does Django compete? Which would be more valuable on a resume?

beatpanda
Rails has better tutorials, Django has a more complete and up-to-date manual. I tried both and had a much easier time picking up Django because it was easier to see exactly what it was doing. YMMV.
Jcasc
I also tried both, I was recently promoted into a position where I'm surrounded by developers. They all say both work, but they also all say go Django.

I like Django documentation, I'm a rookie and I'm making progress. Progress is encouraging.

Start with Zed's LearnPythonTheHardWay... then move onto Django.

Rails will get you there, too. My support group is familiar with Django, which is generally the biggest deciding factor.

Soo, I'm going Django and not looking back.

cheald
I would be willing to throw myself headlong into learning RoR or JS or whatever, except that I don't want to be designer or a developer.

Everyone in a startup has to do things they don't want to do, or aren't good at, in order to get off the ground. Knuckle down and learn enough to prototype your idea far enough to land some tech talent. At a very bare minimum, you're going to need a solid demo to land a competent tech co-founder. If you want to found a startup, get used to wearing a lot of ill-fitting hats. :P

It's something of an exhausted topic here on HN, but "idea guys" are a dime a dozen, and ideas have no intrinsic worth. You need to bring something tangible to the table, be it design or code work, or the money and connections necessary to make the design and code happen under someone else's steam. I'm not trying to be harsh, so please forgive me if it comes across that way, but "I have an idea and no money or practical skills to bring it to fruition" is so common that it's almost cliche; the way out of that is to make it happen, even if it involves developing skills that you don't necessarily want to turn into a career.

idheitmann
This is more or less the answer I've been giving myself. Thanks for confirming it!
Ataraxy
Speaking as someone who knows enough of both to break things but is by no means either a designer or a developer, I think that your best bet is to document your idea in as much detail as you can. Be extremely specific. Write down not only what it is, but also how it should function. Split it up into manageable parts and and work on getting a prototype created.

You cant make money without spending any aside from doing all the dev yourself which you have no apparent interest in. however, having everything documented very detailed will ensure that you get something you can build on top of if you decide to outsource anything.

timmm
"My idea has cash flow built in. My idea provides value even with a very small user base, but is highly scalable. My idea is social by nature, and can piggyback buzz on social capital from FB and Twitter networks. My idea appeals to one of the biggest web demographics, is fun and clever and has an intrinsic sense of irony. My idea is really useful,"

If you knew these things to be true then you would certainly have no problem overcoming the relatively low hurtle of beginning to code up an mvp from scratch by yourself.