Why I learnt how to code (as a non-technical founder of my first startup)

In 2015, I was given the task and opportunity to build out an idea I had pitched - it was a crowdsourcing platform for odd jobs. I faced one major issue - I was a non-technical founder. I knew nothing about how to build what I was pitching. Here were the stumbling blocks as a non-technical founder that eventually pushed me to learn how to code.

Imposter Syndrome

As a non-technical founder, my imposter syndrome compounded. I was meeting with investors and other startup people, pitching an idea that I didn’t know the first thing about building. I felt like a fraud, selling pure imagination and convincing them (and myself) that we can make it into a reality.

Not Knowing What You Don’t Know

Talking and connecting to other software engineers, I realized how deeply complex, complicated, and challenging was the thing I was trying to build. Building an app was the core expertise I needed to run this startup. At the very least, I needed a team that could cover the skill gaps we needed to execute. They had to be part of the team, as their incentives should align with our startup objectives.

I Couldn’t Find A Technical Co-founder

A co-founder should be someone that you’ve built a connection with and trust. Co-founders are business partners, when you go into a startup, it’s like entering into a relationship. I soon learned that the term “idea man” was derogatory within startup circles. Ideas are worthless without proper execution.

I Couldn’t Afford Real Software Engineers

Throughout the whole process of talking to several engineers, many declined equity and instead offered to build my app for a certain fee. This was my introduction to the high price of building software. I spoke to other founders in the scene who have burned through investor money by hiring contractors. I also spoke to founders that have built MVPs with cheap “nightmare contractors.” The tactic for most playing the contractor game with a tight budget was to gamble your chances. If I wanted to be building startups in the long term, I had to avoid the contractor game altogether.

If you’d like to read more about the story of Why I Learnt How to Code (As A Non-technical Founder Of My First Startup), you can read it here on my blog: https://adamthewan.com/blog/startup/why-i-learnt-how-to-code/