Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technical founder should have?

#1

Post by sidarok » Mon, Jul 13, 2015, 2:30 PM UTC

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?

Re: Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technical founder should have?

#2

Post by hamiltonians » Mon, Jul 13, 2015, 2:43 PM UTC

Ability to be wrong

Ability to take criticism

Re: Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technical founder should have?

#3

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Jul 13, 2015, 2:46 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technical founder should have?

#4

Post by rcaught » Mon, Jul 13, 2015, 2:56 PM UTC

A non-technical cofounder of a tech company should (in my mind) be set on a path to being technical (whatever that means - there are always people that know more, and always people that know less).

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.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technical founder should have?

#5

Post by sunir » Mon, Jul 13, 2015, 2:56 PM UTC

Sales. #1 with a bullet. At the beginning all marketing, investment, recruiting is sales.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technical founder should have?

#6

Post by PanMan » Mon, Jul 13, 2015, 3:04 PM UTC

Sales. I think the non-technical founders should understand tech well enough in a general sense (what is a client, what is a server, roughly what happens where). But the value add should come from sales.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technical founder should have?

#7

Post by BerislavLopac » Mon, Jul 13, 2015, 3:11 PM UTC

Understanding that, no matter what you do, you need a subject expert to build the product. No amount of kool aid, great ideas and "strategical thinking" will help you unless you have someone who understands the space you're targeting. In other words, don't be these guys: http://thedailywtf.com/articles/classic-wtf-trouble-with-fou... (the first story).

If you don't have such an expert, there are two ways to go: a) hire one, or b) become one.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technical founder should have?

#8

Post by ericabiz » Mon, Jul 13, 2015, 3:11 PM UTC

A couple people here have said "Sales", but in my opinion (technical founder who usually takes non-technical roles), the most important is hiring.

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.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technical founder should have?

#9

Post by HenryTheHorse » Mon, Jul 13, 2015, 3:11 PM UTC

Business planning and management (budgets, product marketing, sales & operations).

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.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technical founder should have?

#10

Post by BerislavLopac » Mon, Jul 13, 2015, 3:15 PM UTC

ericabiz wrote: post #8

A couple people here have said "Sales", but in my opinion (technical founder who usually takes non-technical roles), the most important is hiring . 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 resp…

Actually, you're wrong. Many languages (and other technologies) are versatile and can do different things, so they're not as important here. What is needed are people who know how to design and build the product/prototype, and leave them to decide which technology to use.