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What are some good Non-technical founder skills?

By Noah Schott
November 5, 2018

Hello! Recently I've been trying to find some good Non-technical founder skills. Mostly trying to find what adds valve when trying to get a technical co-founder. I have interests in marketing, But I'm looking for more things I can add. Any insight is greatly appreciated!

Noah Schott's avatarNoah Schott
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  1. 9

    In no particular order:

    1. Being able to make sales.
    2. Marketing talent.
    3. If you're the CEO, you should have a clear vision as to where the company is/should go in terms of direction.
    4. Driven with an insane level of grit and determination to win.
    5. Leadership skills.
    6. Know how to get sh*t done and execute well.
    Jordan Anderson's avatar Jordan Anderson
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    8 years ago
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    1. 4

      I will add:
      7- Managing people

      Being able to manage a tech team will be extremely challenging, especially if you’re a non-technical founder.

      Shar Darafsheh's avatar Shar Darafsheh
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      8 years ago
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    2. 1

      Another one could be "Dealing with bureaucracy" :)

      Matej Ramuta's avatar Matej Ramuta
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      8 years ago
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    3. 1

      I'd like to propose an edit: Bold "2. Marketing talent" 😉

      Matt's avatar Matt
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      8 years ago
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    4. 1

      pinned this :)

      Gilbert Mpanga's avatar Gilbert Mpanga
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      8 years ago
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    5. 1

      Thanks for the help. Will keep these in mind!

      Noah Schott's avatar Noah Schott
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      8 years ago
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  2. 4

    Naturally a first non tech founder should be a product person, who:

    On customer side:

    • works with/finds/attracts customers
    • identifies mvp scope that core customers are still willing to pay for
    • helps prioritize or pivot
    • introduces new releases (sort of marketing) to customers
    • gathers and digests customer feedback
    • builds up a backlog / roadmaps things (basically defines order of execution)

    On stakeholders side - does investor relations

    Also probably manages dependencies (like gets those google cloud credits:)

    So skills wise:

    • communication / networker
    • getting people aligned / presenting
    • documenting things: writing down complex contexts as comprehensive docs
    • summing things up (tldr)
    • ideally tech savvy
    • proactivity / curiosity / drive (more like desired qualities)
    Sergey Rudenko's avatar Sergey Rudenko
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    8 years ago
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    1. 1

      Really enjoying all these answers. Thanks for the help!

      Noah Schott's avatar Noah Schott
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      8 years ago
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  3. 3

    things I want in a non-technical founder as the technical founder

    • manage an email list
    • digital marketing
    • make sales
    • relationships in industry

    things I am told by prospective non-tech founders that they have and I should want that I HATE HEARING and will not work with you if you list as what you are bringing to the table

    • "I'm the idea guy"
    • "I can talk to people better than engineers"
    • do the pitch
    Joseph's avatar Joseph
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    8 years ago
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  4. 3

    The number one skill I learned was digital marketing, you need to know how to market and grow your product.

    David Delahunty's avatar David Delahunty
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    8 years ago
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  5. 3

    Listening skills. Take a lifetime to develop.

    Leon Bambrick's avatar Leon Bambrick
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    8 years ago
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  6. 2

    Hiring + leadership/management + marketing/sales :)

    Joe Howard's avatar Joe Howard
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    8 years ago
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    1. 1

      I'll definitely start working towards learning good management, considering all the responses that include it. Thanks!

      Noah Schott's avatar Noah Schott
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      8 years ago
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  7. 2

    I'm a solo technical founder and I can say what I am looking for.

    1. Marketing skills
    2. A little influence in a specific niche
    3. A useful network of PR / Influencers / Investors
    Biraj Ghosh's avatar Biraj Ghosh
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    8 years ago
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  8. 2

    sales

    andrew iyer's avatar andrew iyer
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    8 years ago
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  9. 2

    some of the key non -technical skills would be :
    1 Networking-
    2 Leadership skills
    3 Multi tasking capability
    you can read more about it here https://blog.alore.io/5-key-traits-i-wanted-my-business-partner-to-have-right-away/

    Swagata Kumar's avatar Swagata Kumar
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    8 years ago
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  10. 0

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    This comment was deleted 7 years ago

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    8 years ago
    1. 1

      Will keep all of these in mind. Thanks for your response!

      Noah Schott's avatar Noah Schott
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      8 years ago
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      I actually enjoy the idea of sales, this will probably be my next skill to improve. Thanks for the help!

      Noah Schott's avatar Noah Schott
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      8 years ago
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