Oh yes, I’m a self-declared, bona fide non-technical founder.
Despite the fact many years ago, my credentials looked like that of a coder, more recently, I insist on outsourcing or delegating the responsibility of anything that smells remotely technical. This allows me to focus on marketing, product innovation and other aspects of business I truly enjoy. Technical onlookers may be laughing from afar, but I wanted to spend my time and add value only where I enjoyed it the most.
But I soon realized that attitude was an #entrepreneurfail. As I slowly picked up real basic (I mean super-simple) HTML, and hints of CSS, WordPress/Blogger functions, UI and UX concepts and tools, and digital advertising techniques, I realized how empowering they can be – and I could do it all without the help of technical friends/cofounders/vendors. Even the most non-technical cofounders can pick up the basic skills – and the best part is that there are tons of free and low-cost online resources to help get you up to speed. Here are some links you can bookmark to learn the basics:
A friend of mine with an MBA recently taught himself how to code and he considers himself as quite a novelty in the startup world. Very rarely do you find a “business person” that also has the inclination, motivation and tenacity to learn Ruby on Rails on the side. As he scopes out investors, he said each one he meets is pleasantly surprised to find an entrepreneur that can “wipe his own !@#”
The startup world often foolishly scoffs at non-technical founders, but coupled with some basic technical skills, even the most non-technical of them all can add even greater value and efficiency to their businesses.
Are you a non-technical founder? Do you agree with our post? Let us know in the comments below.
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