Do you need to be an expert in coding to build a successful startup??

[Ankesh]

Thanks Duane for starting an interesting discussion. My thoughts are of course biased - as I'm a non-technical founder of a tech startup.

What good developers want is not a technical founder. What they want is a good working environment. Challenging work. Reasonable pay.

Now, to create a good working environment - the developers do require that other awesome developers sit next to them.

And a non-technical person really has no clue on how to go about hiring awesome developers. There in lies the problem. Most non technical founders end up hiring mediocre folks who seem awesome. (And I've been guilty of this too in the past.) Which creates a boring work environment.

So a non-technical founder has to figure out a way to get past this. And hire awesome folks. Maybe ask awesome developer friends to conduct the interviews. Maybe sponsor hacker events and hire folks who win a challenge. But find a way to hire people that are awesome. If he can do that, he can succeed without learning to code himself. If he can't do that, it'll be a struggle to execute the ideas and achieve success.

Originally Posted by Ankesh

Thanks Duane for starting an interesting discussion. My thoughts are of course biased - as I'm a non-technical founder of a tech startup.

Hi Ankesh,

Thanks

- Surprised...more like SHOCKED that you consider yourself "non-technical" considering your blog/business projects over the years. And BIASED opinion is exactly the perspective i.e REAL WORLD that I was looking to "hear"

What good developers want is not a technical founder. What they want is a good working environment. Challenging work. Reasonable pay.

Now, to create a good working environment - the developers do require that other awesome developers sit next to them.

- Interesting insight about "good working environment"...How would one create such an environment virtually? Have you done anything with virtual developers? or are all yours local.

And a non-technical person really has no clue on how to go about hiring awesome developers. There in lies the problem. Most non technical founders end up hiring mediocre folks who seem awesome. (And I've been guilty of this too in the past.) Which creates a boring work environment.

So a non-technical founder has to figure out a way to get past this. And hire awesome folks. Maybe ask awesome developer friends to conduct the interviews. Maybe sponsor hacker events and hire folks who win a challenge. But find a way to hire people that are awesome. If he can do that, he can succeed without learning to code himself. If he can't do that, it'll be a struggle to execute the ideas and achieve success.

Thanks for sharing some ideas on getting Awesome Talent.

Hmm so the bottom line is be sure to GET the Awesomeness in your business. If that is not you then at least get somebody who has enough knowledge to hire the awesomeness for you.

THANK YOU for sharing your perspective and field experience Ankesh

[Ankesh]

Thanks Duane

I can't create the tech I want. That makes me a non-technical founder. Over the years however, I've learnt how to talk with technical folks to get the problems solved. I can bs my way in technical talk

(I've tried learning programming on my own a couple of times before but haven't followed through. Maybe this time, it'll be different with udacity.com and codeyear.com...)

My team... we have an office. But we also have a couple of folks working remotely. (We are a team of 6 people right now.) Given a choice, I would always prefer a single office space. Keeps folks more accountable. But I go where the awesome talent is. And so, we do hire remotely too.

To keep things moving well with remote workers, you need to: have a lot better documentation. Wireframes and screen shots and explanations. With people in the office itself, napkin plans also work. Because the feedback is more constant. But remote workers need more details to avoid communication gaps.

Feedback and communication. This is what is important. I get my remote employees to talk with everyone on the team. And not just talk with me or a project manager. This makes them feel involved. Makes them learn and share with other folks. Will be planning a week long get together for the entire team too - but haven't done that yet.

1. Weekly team conferences. For people who are remote, can join in via skype.

2. Get everyone to talk with everyone. No project manager handles communication stuff.

3. Face time is pretty important. So once a year, getting everyone under one roof would help a lot.

4. Sharing of ideas and knowledge and new stuff. Having a bi-weekly employee email is awesome.

5. Accountability. 6 monthly reviews. Weekly task lists. Daily i-did-this updates.

Hi Ankesh,

Brilliant insights.
I like your take on being a "non-technical" founder lol
And hey BS'ng your way through technical talk is RAMPANT in great entrepreneurs. So you are keeping good company. Even though you did not know how to create the tech you wanted. You "Did it Anyways"

Learning Code:
Thanks for the links on where to learn coding. I think it helps to at least attempt to learn so you can "get the technical lingo down enough to communicate. So those are great resources.

Team Building:
Your step by step team building insights below warrant there own article. Very valuable. I usually look for these Yearly,Quarterly,monthly and daily rhythm when looking at start ups. Most DO NOT have these systems in place and suffer greatly in all areas as a result.

Even if you don't have a team. Every person needs to have this rhythm in their lives. Even if the team is just you/ imaginary

I appreciate the details you shared.

Thanks Ankesh

Originally Posted by Ankesh

Thanks Duane

I can't create the tech I want. That makes me a non-technical founder. Over the years however, I've learnt how to talk with technical folks to get the problems solved. I can bs my way in technical talk

(I've tried learning programming on my own a couple of times before but haven't followed through. Maybe this time, it'll be different with udacity.com and codeyear.com...)

My team... we have an office. But we also have a couple of folks working remotely. (We are a team of 6 people right now.) Given a choice, I would always prefer a single office space. Keeps folks more accountable. But I go where the awesome talent is. And so, we do hire remotely too.

To keep things moving well with remote workers, you need to: have a lot better documentation. Wireframes and screen shots and explanations. With people in the office itself, napkin plans also work. Because the feedback is more constant. But remote workers need more details to avoid communication gaps.

Feedback and communication. This is what is important. I get my remote employees to talk with everyone on the team. And not just talk with me or a project manager. This makes them feel involved. Makes them learn and share with other folks. Will be planning a week long get together for the entire team too - but haven't done that yet.

1. Weekly team conferences. For people who are remote, can join in via skype.

2. Get everyone to talk with everyone. No project manager handles communication stuff.

3. Face time is pretty important. So once a year, getting everyone under one roof would help a lot.

4. Sharing of ideas and knowledge and new stuff. Having a bi-weekly employee email is awesome.

5. Accountability. 6 monthly reviews. Weekly task lists. Daily i-did-this updates.