Building MVPs for Non-Tech Founders: A Software Development Agency's Journey
I have started a software development agency with 3 of my friends, our aim is to help non-technical founders build out their MVPs.
I would appreciate any advice I can get here. Thanks
Hi Gyekye,
It's great to hear about your new venture! Starting a software development agency is an exciting journey, and I'm glad you've taken the first step.
Firstly, it's important to really understand your clients' needs. As you're working with non-technical founders, they might not always be able to express their requirements in technical terms. It's your job to translate their business needs into a technical roadmap.
Building a strong portfolio is another key step. If you're just starting out and don't have many projects to showcase, consider doing some pro bono work or creating your own projects. This can help demonstrate your skills and build trust with potential clients.
Remember, the goal of an MVP is to validate a concept with the least amount of work. Avoid over-engineering solutions and focus on quickly building something that allows your clients to test their business ideas.
Communication is another crucial aspect. Regular updates not only keep your clients informed about the progress of their projects but also provide an opportunity for feedback and adjustments. Use some tool like ClickUp or Monday.
Networking can also be incredibly beneficial. By attending industry events and joining online communities (like IH), you can meet potential clients, learn from other developers, and stay updated on industry trends.
Good luck out there!
-Boscacci
I saw pretty good advices in comments but they are mostly applicable if you already have a client. However client searching is the hard part at the beginning when you don't have reputation and ex-clients that will recommend you. What worked the best for was showing my knowledge and networking - even through internet. I used to be on some software engineering forums and I was just answering questions from my area of expertise. After some time people reached out to me if they were looking for mobile dev. Blogs are also good, but only if you share them somewhere and you really get some comments on your articles in some groups and forums, this way you are becoming recognizable. I am not huge software agency, I am just solo freelancer, so there might be still some better person to give you advices.
Management skills everywhere!!
Best advice I can give you: Do not do it!
To elaborate a bit. Dev agencies are shittiest type of businesses, if it can be considered business at all. It does not scale, it has no intrinsic value, you can not sell it. That is why it hardly qualifies as a business. You depend on a whim of overly expensive devs on one side, and your clients, on the other side. Biggest issue being utilization problem. How to utilize these devs at their 100% capacity, and this is impossible issue to solve. Devs scale only in quantities of one. Meaning they either work at 100% capacity, or they are idle. There is nothing in between. Not to mention that every single day you will be just one day away from bankruptcy and being completely flat broke.
So yeah, if your a masochist and enjoy mental and physical pain and suffer go ahead. You have a good plan. Specially carrying a burden of your three other friends around your neck.
At what price point you will be able to build a MVP ?