Wonderful advice, in particular to just go ahead and at least build the user interface. It is defiantly possible to reach the MVP stage through outsourcing - just get something out there!
Please stop asking how to find a technical co-founder.
51–60 of 111 posts
Re: Please stop asking how to find a technical co-founder.
#52I am a technical cofounder myself. Still i believe a successfull business is the sum of many parts, not only the technical side. There are also enough stubborn devs that praise everything they build but still fail to bring it to a relevant audience.
I agree with parts of this post, but overall i dont like this kind of elitist talk on here all the time on how everything else than technical guys is worthless.
There a bad business guys and bad technical guys as well.
Re: Please stop asking how to find a technical co-founder.
#53Speaking as a technical cofounder, it depends on the potential technical cofounders that you meet. Personally, when I met my non-tech cofounder, he already had his idea well thought out to the point where he'd made a trailer video demonstrating some of the UX using After Effects. I fell in love with the product idea itself because I'm primarily motivated by product ideas, and secondarily by team members.
I've now got as much skin in the game as him - neither of us is making a salary yet.
There's no one way to find your technical cofounder - we're all motivated by different things, and maybe what you've already got will click with someone. Just keep meeting people and putting your idea and self out there.
Re: Please stop asking how to find a technical co-founder.
#54I'm torn either way on this post, on one hand I agree that you should go tell them to find their own resources but on the other hand and from experience as a 'non tech' founder myself even getting some of these items done isn't enough to get a co founder, you need a good network too. For clarification, I worked previously at startups where development was outsourced and I was working as a project manager. This time r…
I might be interested:) If you leave your email I'll send you some references -- although I'll be busy for the next few months. After that I've +-3 months free time & I'll be going to the UK around January. (or you can contact me on twitter with the same nick)
Re: Please stop asking how to find a technical co-founder.
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
So, you need a sales guy. I don't think I've ever met a self-described "business guy" who wasn't a student. If someone is a great salesman, they are a "sales guy". If they write ads, they are a "marketing guy". If they allocate capital, hire and fire, and lobby the CEO for more funds they are "managers". When people say "business", it means they don't know what they are able to do, but want to make money. Or that the…
What does that make the CEO?
The "whatever the hell I need to do to make you and this business successful" guy.
Re: Please stop asking how to find a technical co-founder.
#56As a non-technical guy with a lot of ideas, I skipped looking for a co-founder and just hired people to make stuff. Eventually I learned enough code to be dangerous, and with a bit of a design background, I've spent a lot of time building mockups and doing front end work to fill in the gaps. I have found that developers are much more likely to engage in conversation with me because I can speak their language. This al…
This is exactly how to do it.
It's incredibly difficult to manage your own expectations until you know how technically challenging it is to build your "idea".
Re: Please stop asking how to find a technical co-founder.
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It doesn't even really entitle you to an extra 10%. Depends on the capabilities of the business guy. The best idea in the world, with the best technical execution in the world, is worth precisely $0 without the capability to bring it to market: to build sales channels and drive growing revenues. This is a real skill, often over-looked by gung-ho coders with a neat idea. If you don't have the contacts and the experi…
So, you need a sales guy. I don't think I've ever met a self-described "business guy" who wasn't a student. If someone is a great salesman, they are a "sales guy". If they write ads, they are a "marketing guy". If they allocate capital, hire and fire, and lobby the CEO for more funds they are "managers". When people say "business", it means they don't know what they are able to do, but want to make money. Or that the…
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Re: Please stop asking how to find a technical co-founder.
#58Good post. Speaking as a technical guy, my default position is to be turned off by co-founding with a business guy unless they have an amazing track record. I like the advice of earning a technical co-founder. I just wish more business guys realized their ideas aren't that special, aren't a magic way of printing money and just coming up with the idea doesn't entitle you to 75% of a two-man venture. It doesn't even re…
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Re: Please stop asking how to find a technical co-founder.
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It doesn't even really entitle you to an extra 10%. Depends on the capabilities of the business guy. The best idea in the world, with the best technical execution in the world, is worth precisely $0 without the capability to bring it to market: to build sales channels and drive growing revenues. This is a real skill, often over-looked by gung-ho coders with a neat idea. If you don't have the contacts and the experi…
If business guys want to earn their chops, there are a bajillion open source products out there that a solid consulting or VAR business could be built of off. Learning how to, for example, configure file servers with samba for small businesses, or set up blogging platforms, are a good way to get some technical chops too, and is most likely going to take less time to get good at than becoming a kickass programmer. And…
That's called consulting, generally not really seen as a startup.
I don't really get your point? You seem to be telling people without technical skills to go get into non-scalable business models?
Re: Please stop asking how to find a technical co-founder.
#60I'm torn either way on this post, on one hand I agree that you should go tell them to find their own resources but on the other hand and from experience as a 'non tech' founder myself even getting some of these items done isn't enough to get a co founder, you need a good network too. For clarification, I worked previously at startups where development was outsourced and I was working as a project manager. This time r…
I might be interested:) If you leave your email I'll send you some references -- although I'll be busy for the next few months. After that I've +-3 months free time & I'll be going to the UK around January. (or you can contact me on twitter with the same nick)
jameskmcdowall at googles email service, look forward to hearing from you :)