Can You Launch a Tech Startup without Technical Knowledge?

Featured article by Dan Radak, Independent Technology Author

Whenever there is a talk about tech startups everyone instantly imagines Silicon Valley geniuses who, although perhaps dropped out of a college, have coding at their fingertips. Surprisingly enough, you don’t have to be an IT engineer or a programmer to launch an app or a web service. It may take a lot of work on your side and stubborn persistence, but it is definitely possible. A partner with technical expertise would make things much easier, but it isn’t necessary. Prepare for a good share of rough patches and bumps along the road, but with a clearly defined idea and a dedicated team, you will be able to tap into this lucrative industry.

It starts with an idea

An underlying foundation of every newly developed application, service, or product, an idea that solves a particular problem that many people share is the biggest and safest asset of your business. Having a great idea is more important than knowing how to write an app code. Begin with researching the market and see if there is a need for an app or a service that you plan to develop. Once you identify the needs of your target audience, you can proceed to shape and develop your solution. By staying focused on one problem instead of dispersing onto several projects at once, you’ll be able to find a specific gap in the market and fill it with your app.

A solution-market-customers triangle

No matter how ingenious your idea is, before you proceed to fully develop it, you need to find out whether such an app or service is able to meet the demands of a market that is already saturated. When talking about the development of a MVP (minimum viable product), it is important to create something that can successfully solve any problem your target audience may be experiencing. So, your main idea should be to develop a product that helps your customers. In other words, your solution might have many facets and advanced features, but if customers don’t find it useful, they won’t pay for it. Many entrepreneurs make a mistake by focusing on tech details and refinements, forgetting about their primary goal – developing a product or service that solves problems.

Getting technical support

This is the step where you need people who know a thing or two about coding. Once the market research and idea probing are done with, you need to actually start building a prototype – and hiring developers. The problem is that, unless you know something about coding, you will have a hard time interviewing candidates. Your lack of technical knowledge will make it impossible for you to assess their skills and expertise. Unless you want to find a tech partner to help you with that, you can hire a celebrity coder to assist you with finding the best people for your team.

To outsource or not to outsource

Now we’ve come to this well-known dilemma almost every startup faces in the initial phase – to outsource work or hire in-house staff. If you want to listen to the advice of some experienced entrepreneurs, outsourcing is a better option when you are building the first version of your product. Once you have entered the market and established the brand, you should move the development in-house. When your product becomes more sophisticated, outsourcing might prove more expensive than having professionals onboard.

Build a recognizable name

As we’ve already mentioned, tech market is flooded with startups which offer similar products or services. Before you officially make yourself known, you need to distinguish your business from your competition and develop a unique identity. You can’t go wrong with a short memorable name that in a single word shows what your business is all about. Next, you need a suitable domain. As your website and landing page are essential for the success of your business, consider hiring top web designers to optimize your online presence. Finding IT support professionals in Sydney, such as Technology on Tap is easy, and the investment will quickly pay off through returning customers who are attracted by ingenious design solutions and easy navigation. Even before you launch the product, your landing page can generate leads and keep the visitors updated about the release.

Although no one can argue that having technical knowledge is a big plus, it is still possible to launch a tech-oriented startup if you have a supportive team and the determination to succeed.

Dan Radak is a marketing professional with eleven years of experience. He is currently working with a number of companies in the field of digital marketing, closely collaborating with a couple of e-commerce companies. He is also a coauthor on several technology websites and regular contributor to Technivorz.