the non tech advantage

Business success have never been about technology. Sure technology companies become successful, but it’s never the technology that creates the success, it’s the people and method which bring the technology to the market.

So in the spirit of making us non techies feel good, here’s a top 10 list of reasons why it’s an advantage to be a non-techie running a tech startup or in a tech focused industry:

  1. Unless we’re a one person company, our tech skills are irrelevant. Just like we need accountants, and lawyers, techies are just another one of the skills we need.
  2. We can be more rational with our decisions. We are less likely fall in love with the technology.
  3. It allows us to get to market and then iterate, rather than perfect before launch.
  4. Most tech skills (especially web and computer based) can be outsourced, and outsourced more cheaply than creative and business skills can.
  5. We can focus our energy on game winning things like marketing, finance and selling.
  6. People aren’t interested in technology, we are interested in how the technology makes our lives better. This is what entrepreneurs must focus on.
  7. Tech based startups have the lowest financial barriers to entry – it’s where all entrepreneurs should be looking, not just techies.
  8. Technology is starting to design itself. Humans wont be doing the coding on computer much longer, the computer will do it for us. Our job is to lead the symphony.
  9. Moore’s Law is working for us. Every year technology is more accessible to us (financially) and the developing world. It’s the place to be to create change
  10. Technology is just a conversation. It’s the next step in the evolution in human language. If you’re human, you deserve to be part of it.

To all you non-techies out there…. get going and change the world.

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7 thoughts on “the non tech advantage

  1. Nice motivational post Steve. It’s good to be reminded of one’s strengths.

    Do you have any thoughts or tips on finding/managing a high quality technology outcome. Like how can I build in checks along the way to make sure the web dev stuff is high quality. I find most web dev guys say they can do anything. But its often not the case.

    I’d love to find a non-techie project management guide but haven’t found anything helpful yet.

    Thanks, Philip.

  2. Yep – I do have a lot of stuff on non-techie startup tips…. In fact I’ve written a book on it which I need to take to someone… or make available as a free PDF or something…

    But in terms of the web dev being high quality it is simple: Does it work when people use it. Is it easy, fast an intuitive. These are consumer focused questions, not tech ones. It matters not what is ‘under the bonnet’, but whether or not the car can drive the people to their destination. We have to judge our startups as our audience does, not as the industry would.

    Steve.

  3. Very interesting post with some interesting points, surely though it’s best to know as much as you can about the area of business you’re involved in?

    Taking your accountant example – yes every business should have a professional accountant but it’s YOU that is responsible for the accounts your accountant produces. If you don’t have at least a basic understanding of accounting it would be very difficult to be able to judge their correctness.

    I think the same goes for technology, to manage a technical project you might not need to be a coder but it certainly helps if you at least understand the basics.

  4. No problem! Just thought I’d add my 2 cents as they say.

    I think there can be advantages to being a non-technical project manager in a few ways:

    Firstly if there’s a feature that you know would be really good, but very difficult to build, a non-technical project manager might be more inclined to go for it, which is a good thing!

    Secondly, if your project is aimed at normal users rather than very technical users, the non-technical project manager will be able to see the software from their point of view which can only be a good thing too!

    Another benefit is that those who are closest to the work may not be able to see the bigger picture and a non-technical project manager may see things with more perspective.

    Cheers,
    Paul.

  5. I am a bit skeptical about this. Maybe trying to convince yourself? 😉

    But it Depends what kind of service you are providing i guess.
    A simple blog/E-commerce web 1.0 kind of stuffs doesn’t need to. It Can surely be outsourced.
    But for some more specific applications, the technology is at the core of the project and the execution is everything. You cannot afford to get some random devs, quality is what matters.
    You definitely needs a strong tech lead or founder in your team if you are non-technical.
    Depends the nature of the project i would say.

  6. Not trying to convince myself. I think the point you make ‘depends on the project is right’ – but like any business leadership is the core asset and the leaders job is to build a team who can create the vision. Who is actually on the tools is ‘irrelevant.

    Steve.

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