Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technical founder should have?
Hey all,
I would like to get your thoughts on the subject.
- If you are a non-technical cofounder of a tech business, what would be the first things that you wish you should have known from day 1?
- If you are a technical cofounder, what is the topmost item in the must-learn list for an ideal non-technical cofounder?
I am not asking for which skills, rather for more specific things e.g : They should know about how internet works, how coding / programming works, they should understand the basics of the service architecture etc.
Thoughts?
56 comments
[ 19.1 ms ] story [ 807 ms ] threadAbility to take criticism
You can spend your entire career labelling yourself as non-technical, but that is not a reflection of your skill, it's a reflection of your attitude.
Have a willingness to learn and be humble with what you do know. Stop being a something or a non-something. Just be the best you can be with every challenge that crosses your path.
You could reframe the engineers as being non-revenue. Because businesses exist to generate revenue, suddenly they are less important than the business people. Plenty of Silicon Valley companies value revenue-side personnel more than engineers, like Oracle, Salesforce, Intuit.
True. Engineers should learn sales and marketing. Business people should learn how to code. But at the end of the day, having enough depth and expertise on your team to cover your bases is what's required, and really that requires specialization.
I'm a compsci who's a CMO now, so I understand people in the different roles.
If you don't have such an expert, there are two ways to go: a) hire one, or b) become one.
I often talk to non-technical people who want to start a tech company, and I ask them really baseline questions about the tech people they want to hire: "What language do you want someone to be able to code in?"
Usually, I get glazed-over eyes followed by a defensive response like "Well, I just need a developer! They should be able to pick a language to code in! That's their job!"
This is exactly the wrong answer, and I typically leave the conversation with a comment about how they really need to understand the basics of "which language does what", even if they, themselves, do not want to be a programmer.
It is so much easier to hire technical talent when you can at least communicate in their language--when you can have a real conversation about priorities, UI/UX, and how long this darn thing will take to get out the door!
So many non-technical founders really do not get this, and I believe it's one of the huge reasons non-technical founders will continue to struggle with founding tech companies.
Me: So do you plan on building that as a web app, or a mobile app?
Non-technical founder: Um. I don't know. Both?
Me: Okay, do you understand that you will probably need at least 2 different developers (and possibly 3 or more, depending on which mobile app platforms you use) to help you build that out?
NTF: It's a great idea! I just need a developer! Don't you know some developers you can introduce me to?
Me: ...
The conversation is on an entirely different level from most of the ones we'd have here.
So, next time you have a conversation like the one above, don't waste your time on trying to teach tech stuff to non-tech people -- simply, just tell them "find a tech co-founder".
Or would you tell someone to trust their gut and blindly pickup a 'technical' cofounder?
a) understand their vision b) improve on their vision c) get some respect from other technical people
With a) being the crucial step, and if they can't get past that there might be a problem with their vision.
I have to side with Erica on this one for the simple reason that you'll never be able to attract a good developer or a technical co-founder with this attitude of throwing your hands up in the air and eyes glazing over. That doesn't mean that you ignorantly blunder in and tell developers how to do their job, but it means that whatever area your company needs to move in you are keen to learn enough to have an intelligent conversation about it.
I've met dozens (hundreds?) of wantrepreneurs with this attitude of not wanting to know anything about the tech, and invariably they see themselves as brilliant masterminds who just need a peon to execute their vision. Little do they realize that the success of any tech company depends on bridging the gap between the technical execution and the business reality. I am much less turned off by a business guy who is ignorant but trying to learn about tech versus someone who feels they can start a tech company without learning anything about technology.
My point is: if someone is willing to learn, teach them what to look for. If they're not, ignore them.
So we're in agreement. :-)
I dont think lack of technical knowledge is this guys problem. His problem is that he has an idea and thinks other people are going to do everything for him.
A founder would not be looking for a developer at this stage. They would be looking for a customer at this stage and map out their needs and flesh out the idea.
Additionally, the correct answer is "Find a good technical co-founder, or spend money on good consultants, and let them figure out the rest and explain their decisions afterwards to you."
I know bridges can be built out of metal or wood! I'll just hire an engineer and let them figure it out.
Which is great, because that's exactly what the engineer knows how to do. This should be the same case with the technical co-founder, if not, they're the wrong person to choose as your technical co-founder.
I think this same maxim goes for tech people trying to hire sales talent, or nonfinance hiring a CFO, etc. You're just not equipped to judge, and you don't have the time to take CPA classes (or learn to code, or get an MBA, etc) just to hire someone.
The situation is not really this grim, because you should have a social network which can help vet hiring choices - either because the candidate is already known, or because you know someone that can do the interview for you. But "knowing people who can help you hire" is not really a skill.
How code works can be learned. But knowing why a customer has a problem with your product vision (and how to address it) is a complex issue and often requires a broader set of experiences in the field.
If you want to bring sales skills into the mix then you need to know your target market segment. Selling cars to the public is not the same as selling robots to the corporate world.
Startups also should have multi-tasking founders. Ideally, all of you can do several things. It can be a mistake to think that person A is a sales person, person B is technical, person C is design etc. because you then need 6 or more people just to cover all the jobs.
Also, you will possibly come up against problems with investment if a Founder is seen as dead-weight rather than adding value.
Just my tuppence worth!
Sales
Marketing
Fundraising
How to talk to a lawyer
Figuring out what business licenses you need and how to maintain them
Accounting
Interpreting from Geek to English
Hiring to fill the gaps in your knowledge (and firing those who don't)
Contract negotiation
Identifying niches for business opportunities
Basically, anything involved in creating a business which doesn't involve technology; there's quite a few of these, and in many ways they are as or more important to the success of the business than technical knowledge. Even if you create the perfect product, you still need someone to market and sell it to the masses.
And one non-tech: . Lean methodology
You got most else covered.
So, I'd ask technical co-founders and build a network around engineers: it will be the best way to really understand your product and iterate on ideas.
Learning to program meant I was another voice in conversations about what could be done, which instructed what was done.
My advice is learn to implement your ideas alongside of everything else you are doing.
The best way to do this is to talk to lots of prospects and customers.
Knowing why you are building is more important than knowing how or what...thoae two stem from knowing why.
Im non technical but knowing the customer is the foundation for everything you are doing.
Sales experience, contacts, technical knowledge (seriously, if you're currently not technical, learn how to program) or a massive amount of capital to inject.
If there is someone you are considering for a co-founder role, tell them to get the book and read it.
If they get the book and read it and come back a week later saying "holy shit lets get started", then you've found your non-technical co-founder.
If they complain about having to get a book and read it, you can forget them, they are wrong for the job.