How Do I Build A Startup When I'm Not Technical?

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

To get your free Startup Pitch Deck Template go to: www.brettjfox.com/startup-pitch-deck-template-youtube/

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

Join my free community for startup CEOs here. There are weekly AMAs with me: Skool group: www.skool.com/zero-to-pitch-7541/about

[@JamesChroniclesLife]

Thanks for putting out such helpful content!

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

You're welcome!

[@rieger.design]

It took me time to learn that: I cannot master everything I should not master everything. As the visionary person it's your talks to focus on WHAT you want. Let your talented team focus on HOW to realize your vision

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

100%! thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@Youssef-qi5mg]

Your work is a great deal to my mind. I was so missing that. Thanks a lot

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

Thanks for the kind words

[@notsure7874]

I 100% agree that it's harder to find good marketing talent. I'm a tech. Good techs are easy to find. Marketing is a black art.

[@Youssef-qi5mg]

Being lucky perhaps

[@notsure7874]

@@Youssef-qi5mg Marketing is a very data driven activity. It involves a lot of psychology and sociology surrounding how to target audiences with particular characteristics, and how to effectively use messaging and posturing to persuade the audience to behave in certain ways to achieve a desired outcome. Metrics are generally trends rather than absolutes. It relies heavily on assumptions being valid. These assumptions are tested against data, and analyzed by people who then alter those assumptions on the fly. Because what works today may not work tomorrow. It's an ever changing landscape, like sands in the tide. It's not luck at all, but it's definitely a black art. It's not a hard science, and it's error prone - but there are people that have very deep understandings of how and why these things work. They're just few, far between, and very very valuable. These are my observations as a tech working specifically in marketing technology for the last 10 years or so.

[@khabanemofokeng1166]

Very true indeed. As non technical you to be involved throughout stages of product development.

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

100%! Thanks for sharing.

[@AdrianGibby]

What is your view on using software development agencies? Particularly in areas where a team of diverse skills are needed for only one or two steps of the development process.

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

Great question. I prefer IP development to be in-house because you want your development team to keep learning and growing. Plus it's easier to manage an in house team. Sometimes, you have no choice but to use an outside team, but it's a last resort in IMHO.

[@AdrianGibby]

@@BrettFoxstartupceo The challenges for hiring an in-house team are costs and redundancy. We just don't have the budget for the skills we need, plus once those things have been developed we're going to need to layoff some people. I'd rather pay more to an agency than have to lay-off people, With a service like this, most of the innovation comes from the songwriters and not the software. The greatest need for an in-house developers are with server side programming and expertise in managing streaming architecture. We can hire these people once we have a service that justifies scaling to more than one country.

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

@@AdrianGibby That's great additional information, Adrian. It sounds like you're making a sound business decision. Best of luck!

[@ibgib]

"Great technologists recognize the value that non-technical people bring to a startup." Amen! Now if only I could find any non-technical people that can recognize the opportunity that the mother of all current natural monopolies, git itself(!), has enabled. It is over 20 years old and beyond ripe for disruption...but unfortunately there are just so few people, technical and non-technical, with the metaphorical cajones to step up and seize that opportunity.

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

Thanks for the kind words. Keep looking and keep your standards high. The key is you have to sell prospective employees and co-founders on your vision.

[@millionire2028]

I am solo founder. I have a startup idea, I have my app ready but I didn't have enough money to build a Ai Model for my app. How do I approach to investor for funding. When my startup is in early stages and have not live yet.

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

It's a great question. The honest answer is most angel investors and VCs are not going to take a meeting with you. If you need money, it's likely going to be friends, family, co-founders, and your own money to keep your company going.

[@johnnycycle]

@@BrettFoxstartupceoI second that. In 2024, having the product built is not impressive in the slightest to a VC. Whats impressive is how users are responding to it and what they are saying about. Also, how you’re able to take their feedback and make improvements quickly. Until you get to that point, it’s a waste of time talking to a VC unless you just want the thrill of getting ghosted and rejected.

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

@@johnnycycle I agree. There are exceptions, but usually this is the case.

[@agasthyakrishna6748]

I am working on this problem space, and I wanted to know - what do people here think the (dollar) value of a good co-founder is?

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

The answer is a good co-founder is priceless. You're going to need to great people for your company to win. So go out of your way to be fair and compensate your team properly.

[@notsure7874]

How was Apple not founded by techs? Woz is possibly the most brilliant tech to have ever started a tech company. Jobs was a tech. Ronald Wayne sold out in 12 days, he didn't found anything.

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I understand your point. I am talking about CEOs that weren't the technical brains behind their startup, They may have had the vision as Jobs had. However, Jobs needed a Woz to carry out his vision.

[@notsure7874]

@@BrettFoxstartupceo Jobs needed Woz, because Jobs never was a truly great tech. But he was a tech.

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

​@@notsure7874 You consider Jobs a tech, but he needed a true technical genius to start Apple with. That's the point I am making in the video. Whether you have some technical skills or no technical skills, unless you are a tech genius, you're going to need a technical co-founder. That's what I needed to start my company as someone similar to Jobs.

[@notsure7874]

@@BrettFoxstartupceo yeah I get that. Jobs wasn't on Woz level. Somewhere between mediocre and genius, but he couldnt have replaced Woz.

[@BrettFoxstartupceo]

@@notsure7874 Exact;y!