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Stop Looking for a Technical Co-Founder, Learn to Code Yourself

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Re: Stop Looking for a Technical Co-Founder, Learn to Code Yourself

#81

Personally, I find no use in people with just ideas. Not even if they have drafted their site down to the T. This is because I'm at an advantage. I can easily learn and do whatever it is they know and do. Things such as marketing, refining the UI, feature ideas, user interaction, etc. These are things that are MUCH easier to do and learn than programming. I would not start a company with anyone who wasn't an EXCEPTIO…

A rewrite:

"Personally, I find no use in people with simple technical skills. Not even if they can program a time machine into a Commodore 64."

"This is because I'm at an advantage. I can easily learn or hire whatever technical skills they have. Things such as coding, databases, server architectures are trade skills and basically a commodity. These mechanical skills are MUCH easier to do or find than imagining a valuable product, finding a market and customers, selling the product, and building a business."

Etc, etc. Undervaluing the contributions of other fields such as sales or marketing is the mark of someone with little real-world battle scars, regardless of the direction of the contempt vector.

Unless this was satire, in which case Bravo.

Re: Stop Looking for a Technical Co-Founder, Learn to Code Yourself

#82
post #46

There is a larger issue lurking here. Becoming an excellent developer isn't an over-night process. Tutorials will only hold your hand for so long before you get into the woods with concepts that are over your head (unless you have a math, systems, or compsci/engineering education); learning to program and not just code is a lifelong endeavor - you gotta love it for it, not just because you gotta do it to try building…

*she. appreciate the kudos

Re: Stop Looking for a Technical Co-Founder, Learn to Code Yourself

#83
It's about empathy.

Works both ways, too. If you don't know enough finance to understand a cashflow model or enough about writing to appreciate how to craft a pitch (or put together an effective landing page - whichever matters for your business), then you aren't a founder, you're an employee with a fancy title.

This is a high bar, but foundin' ain't easy.

Re: Stop Looking for a Technical Co-Founder, Learn to Code Yourself

#84
post #81

Personally, I find no use in people with just ideas. Not even if they have drafted their site down to the T. This is because I'm at an advantage. I can easily learn and do whatever it is they know and do. Things such as marketing, refining the UI, feature ideas, user interaction, etc. These are things that are MUCH easier to do and learn than programming. I would not start a company with anyone who wasn't an EXCEPTIO…

A rewrite: "Personally, I find no use in people with simple technical skills. Not even if they can program a time machine into a Commodore 64." "This is because I'm at an advantage. I can easily learn or hire whatever technical skills they have. Things such as coding, databases, server architectures are trade skills and basically a commodity. These mechanical skills are MUCH easier to do or find than imagining a valu…

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Re: Stop Looking for a Technical Co-Founder, Learn to Code Yourself

#85
post #81

Personally, I find no use in people with just ideas. Not even if they have drafted their site down to the T. This is because I'm at an advantage. I can easily learn and do whatever it is they know and do. Things such as marketing, refining the UI, feature ideas, user interaction, etc. These are things that are MUCH easier to do and learn than programming. I would not start a company with anyone who wasn't an EXCEPTIO…

A rewrite: "Personally, I find no use in people with simple technical skills. Not even if they can program a time machine into a Commodore 64." "This is because I'm at an advantage. I can easily learn or hire whatever technical skills they have. Things such as coding, databases, server architectures are trade skills and basically a commodity. These mechanical skills are MUCH easier to do or find than imagining a valu…

Sorry to burst your bubble, but ideas people are generally useless.

I'm not 'undervaluing' the skill I'm simply weighing them and engineers win.

'the mark of someone with little real-world battle scars....'

The opposite is more true with engineers, we hate it when we are shown products by people without the 'battle' scars to properly gauge the value of a project.

Like I said, I can more easily learn those lessons than they can learn to program.

I, as a 'technical' person find absolutely no value on someone who doesn't understand the deep technical implications of any project. As a team we'll learn the marketing. In the end, we can outmaneuver any silly person with just ideas that delegates them.

BTW, this is my opinion. Not to say it won't work, that's just how we 'technical' people see ideas people.

Re: Stop Looking for a Technical Co-Founder, Learn to Code Yourself

#86
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A rewrite: "Personally, I find no use in people with simple technical skills. Not even if they can program a time machine into a Commodore 64." "This is because I'm at an advantage. I can easily learn or hire whatever technical skills they have. Things such as coding, databases, server architectures are trade skills and basically a commodity. These mechanical skills are MUCH easier to do or find than imagining a valu…

Sorry to burst your bubble, but ideas people are generally useless. I'm not 'undervaluing' the skill I'm simply weighing them and engineers win. 'the mark of someone with little real-world battle scars....' The opposite is more true with engineers, we hate it when we are shown products by people without the 'battle' scars to properly gauge the value of a project. Like I said, I can more easily learn those lessons tha…

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