How to Start a Tech Startup for Non-Techies

Launching a Startup has Benefits and Challenges

You have an idea for a startup but don’t have the technical skills to make it work. Do you really need a technical co-founder? What can you bring to the table as a non-technical founder? In this article, we’ll answer those questions and give you tips on how to start a tech startup if you are not a techie.

If you want to launch a startup, you’re not alone. Every year, entrepreneurs around the world launch about 300 million startups. 

The success rate for a new startup can be challenging. In Australia, 60% of new startups stop operations before three years of launch. Why do so many startups fail? According to an analysis, the top three reasons are:

1. Poor marketing research – having a great idea is not enough. You should understand what your target audience wants and adjust and redesign the product to fit it. 
2. Poor budget management – spending money developing features that customers don’t need. Startups often go over budget on off-shelf software tools that cause more issues and cost more money than custom software.  
3. Not the right team – hiring the right collaborators is critical for success. Not only your staff but consulting and IT collaborators. Tech consultant companies with expertise in startups, like Ample Tech, can save you money and headaches.  

Although the numbers may seem concerning, most of the reasons startups fail can be easily prevented by hiring the right collaborators. In the next sections, we are going to explain everything you need to know to start a successful tech startup with no technical experience. 

Some big-name websites and digital products come from startup projects. Many of the founders of successful companies, like Airbnb, or Pandora Radio, don’t have technical backgrounds.

What can a non-tech founder bring to the table of a startup?

In short, the mindset. You are the men of the idea, the one with the vision. You share the excitement to make your vision a reality. They are your ideas that form the philosophy of the new company and lay behind the product. Hard-skills can be acquired, the vision makes you irreplaceable. So, you shouldn’t get discouraged about your lack of technical knowledge. Instead, follow the below tips to ensure your success: 

#1. Be an Expert on Your Domain

As a non-technical founder, you can apply the expertise and knowledge of your industry. Your idea is trying to make an impact and solve a customer problem. When you master your domain, you can come with insights and solutions that address directly the pain points of the customer. 

#2. Find a Technical Partner 

Eventually, you’ll need to find someone with the technical skills you lack. This partner need not be a co-founder but can be a CTO, or someone in charge of product development. Your unique product requires experts in custom software development. You can hire a product manager who will hire the developers or you can outsource to a consulting company. Outsourcing to a software consulting company has many advantages, including: 

• You have access to a high level of technical expertise. Look for companies experienced in working on startup development projects. 
•  Cost-effective.  Hiring and managing employees, on top of the actual project costs, can spiral the budget out of control quickly. When you outsource the development, you agree beforehand on a budget and keep the costs under control. 
• Better time control. When you hire an external team to develop your product, you control the time deadline. This results in a faster time to market, since the consulting company is dedicated to delivering on time for launch. 

# 3. Be Exhaustive With Market Research

It is worthy to mention it again: a great idea needs to have roots in market research. If there is not a market need for your product, is not going to work. Be thorough with market research. Search the real intent and pain point of the user, (it may differ from what you thought). See if the problem to solve is something people are willing to pay to get solved. And figure out what’s the best way to monetize your solution. Are you going to sell it as an enterprise solution? A free app that generates money through micro-transactions?

#4. Create a Minimum Viable Product 

Long gone are the days where you could pitch an idea without development to investors and get funding. Nowadays, investors demand seeing that the product would be viable and work well, before deciding to invest in your product. Developing a Minimum Viable Product is a good strategy to raise a round of funding. It also helps developers to refine the product and see it how it would work in real life. 

#5. Secure the Funding

A startup, like every business, requires money to get off the ground. In the initial stages, when the product is still in planning and development, costs can build up fast. That is why you should secure the funds as soon as possible. Having a solid business plan with an MVP can show to potential investors how you plan to generate revenue. 

How Ample Tech Helps Startups

The experts at Ample Tech have the expertise to convert ideas into reality. We help startups with custom development and strategy. We develop a deep understanding of what makes your project one of a kind, and the market it is directed to. Custom development saves the cost of remaking a project. Contact us today and learn more about how we help startups come to life.

Anton Kozyritskiy

Ample Tech Founder and CEO