How to Start A Tech Startup As A Non-Technical Person

Are you scared to start a tech startup in the parallel space of the tech universe as a non-technical individual? Did you just say you can not start a tech startup because you are not knowledgeable in the tech aspect?

Well, I want you to put all your fears at bay as it is very possible to have a tech startup even without being a tech person.

Start Tech Startup As A Non-technical Person

It is true that a lot of tech firms in the world have a founder who is embedded in the tech world. He is either a coder or has knowledge about other aspects.

There is also a percentage of tech firm founders who have no idea of tech but yet still have a very successful tech firm that makes good returns and compete with the firms of the Tech gurus in the technology sector.

You also can be likes of —

Oracle founder, Larry Ellison who has a sales background.
Tim Westergren, who founded Pandora, is an award-winning composer, an accomplished musician and a record producer in the music business.
Alibaba founder, Jack Ma, who has with a degree in English.
Jessica Scorpio, who founded Getaround, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

Just to mention a few people who have no relationship with tech but have a successful technical establishment.

Keys to Start a Tech Startup

There are three key ways of ensuring that your tech startup business becomes a hit. They include;

1. Building Your Own Prototype and Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

This approach is important as there is the need to build a sample of the product to check its feasibility as a concept before checking if the product is actually acceptable by your targeted customers. It is the early stage of the business as there is a need for the product/service you are to offer to appeal to the taste and needs of your targeted customers.

To get a prototype and an MPV is to do any of the following;

Build it yourself
Work with development agencies.
Work with freelancers
Work with your technical partner/ co-founder.

Each of the options has its pros and cons, which is another article on its own.

2. Build Your Technical Team

The next phase is to put together a competent technical team. This stage is a very hard and tricky one as your company is in its early stages.

Getting an experienced developer to leave his/her current job to work with a young and upcoming company like you could be almost impossible so, the best is to hire a long-term freelancer.

This is a testing stage and you have to keep striving to scale through. At this stage, it is advisable to look for a technical partner or a CTO to lead your technical team.

3. Contributing Value As A Non-technical Founder

After putting together your team and they have successfully worked together, your main work begins. Your work is to continually contribute value to the business in your own way.

It is important to know your role in the business as time goes on. At the early stages, you are to make sure your product achieves market/product fitting without a lot of resources and funds.

As a non-technical founder, you'll need to be a jack of all trades, you would have to work on product management, marketing, fundraising, and business development/sales just to mention a few.

You also have to possess the qualities of a good leader and be an industry expert.

Things A Non-Tech Entrepreneur Must Do To Ensure The Success Of His Startup

1. Ask Your Customers

One thing you have to make sure is that your idea must come from your customers and not you.

You might have a great idea that could be of benefits to a lot of people but if your idea does not go down well with your customers, that means you are planning for your doom (i.e. you and your customers must think alike/in sync).

You have to find the answer to the following questions before you go ahead and with your idea;

What are the challenges my product/service would solve?
Am I trying to solve a problem that the customers doesn't feel exists?
Are they willing to purchase my product/service and how much are they willing to pay?

Since you are the non-techy guy, you are in the best position to discuss with the customer without getting them confused with all the technical grammar a tech guru would use.

2. Create a Crude Mockup

A mockup helps give a rough sketch of the idea of your product/service to your potential prospects, investors, customers, co-founder(s), teammate/employees.

You don't have to be a tech guy to get a crude mockup prepared all you need is a rudimentary knowledge of any of the following;

PowerPoint Slides
Wireframes
Storyboards
Photoshop or Other Image Editor Tools

If you can't get it done on your own, you could save cost by asking a high school student to get it done for you while you offer to give him/her a reference for their college application or an hourly rate.

3. Start Pre-selling

Its not enough to conclude that your potential customers would buy your product/use your services once you go into production it is better to make sure that they pre-order it buy paying for it upfront.

You could give them incentives like discounts and free gifts to push your customers to get what you offer them.

With pre-selling, it becomes easier to convince investors to invest in your idea and also validates your idea.

4. Start the Search for a Technical Co-founder

After the completion of the other steps, you then have to decide if you would want a co-founder who has a tech background or not.

If you decide to have a tech co-founder, then there is the need to be full of confidence about your work/idea.

Eric Schmidt, Sergey Brin, and Larry Page Co-Founders of Google

The more confident you are about your idea, the easier it is to convince your soon to become partners.

As they say, two heads are better than one, you need someone who understands the inner workings of your product this would be an added advantage when you move into the hiring and development stage.

You could get a co-founder by networking, connectors, forums, Craigslist and website, things to look out for in a co-founder includes, Train-ability, Humility, Integrity, and attitude.

Alternatively, you could hire an experienced app development company to help with your startup.

They would act as your tech partners and help guide you through you and your ideas through the ups and downs of building a successful startup.

Starting a new tech startup as a non-technical individual can be challenging but with resilience and following the above tips, you are sure to stay on the right path to success.

You can further increase the chances of success by learning and educating yourself on the different aspects involved especially in the technical aspect and that of your product in your free time.