Hiring Technical Employees as a Non-Technical Founder

About a year ago, I decided I wanted to build a software product to improve research across the web. It was a problem that persisted in my financial career. Yes, my financial career. I wanted to build a software product with no software development expertise. A tall order. But possible. I want to share with others in a similar position the steps I took and the resources I used to assemble a technical team that could breath life to my idea.

1. Learn the Basics of Coding

The one thing every software developer despises is being managed by an individual that knows NOTHING about coding. If you don’t know what it takes to develop software, how will you be able to effectively manage a technical team. Therefore, if you are a startup-founder that is building a software product and do not have a technical co-founder on board, learn how to code! It will enable you to better direct your technical team, understand what is required from your technical team, and outline reasonable expectations. And even sometimes (more often than you think), get your hands dirty and develop some features for your product.

There are a few ways to efficiently learn how to code. The time you spend and resources you utilize depends on how much you want to learn. I went through Flatiron School, a four month full-time software development program, that taught me not only the basics of coding but gave me the skills to develop programs myself. However, it is a time and capital investment ($15,000 for the immersive four month program). Flatiron School also offers a much more flexible and cheaper online program which costs $1,500 a month. There are also other bootcamps (General Assembly, FullStack Academy, Hack Reactor), so check them out and see which one is the best fit for you. Finally, take advantage of online resources such as CodeAcademy and Udemy, but I recommend in-person programs as the best bang for your buck (blog post on Development Bootcamps forthcoming).

2. Hire the Right Team Around You

You may be asking, I spent so much time learning how to code, why do I still need to hire software developers? Even though, you may be riding high on the confidence of deploying your first full stack application, it take YEARS of experience to be able to effectively deploy production ready software for your market. Plus who will take care of business development, financials, human resources, marketing, etc. Therefore, I highly suggest you bring on a technical co-founder or a technical team to lead the technical development of your product.

As Hindsight depends on machine learning and data science algorithms, I needed a data scientist and a software developer to execute my vision. There were two options: (i) hire one individual that can do both or (ii) hire an individual for each role. I looked into both options but ended up hiring an individual for each role. Here are the resources I used.

1. Your Network: Maximize on your network. Sourcing from within your network ensures that you are vetting individuals that you personally can vouch for or someone you trust can vouch for. Start here!
2. AngelList: AngelList is an online social platform for startups so it naturally is the best online platform to find your technical employees. All candidates on AngelList are open to startup opportunities BUT not all are open to cofounder roles or early stage startup roles. Thankfully, candidates explicitly state what roles they are open to so that discovery is done for you. You will generate the most meaningful discussions with the highest volume of candidates using AngelList but the quality of talent varies. Regardless, this a must use online hiring platform for early stage technical positions.
3. Vettery: Vettery is an online hiring platform specifically for technical candidates. Vettery hands down has the highest quality talent on the web as it has a strong vetting process for all candidates listed on the website. However, most candidates are looking for senior development roles and are expensive hires. Moreover, Vettery takes a cut of the first year cash salary so that is an additional cost you need to account for. Bottom line is that Vettery has the best talent but it comes with a price. For a startup founder, it is worth checking out Vettery if you can afford it.
4. Meetups: There are many Meetups (Crowded Tech Job Meetup) organized to connect software developers with employers. However, most of the candidates here are not looking for startup positions or are junior developers fresh out of bootcamps who do not have the experience to execute in an early stage startup. Check some out but do not expect much.

Conclusion

As a non-technical founder, assembling a technical team is a daunting and crucial task for any software startup. However, it is not impossible. I believe it is important for non-technical founders to know the fundamentals of coding not only so that they can manage a technical team but also better understand their product. Once a technical founder has a base line skillsets to understand software development and the requirements needed to develop the product, he can then use his network or online/in-person resources to find the right technical talent to join the team. Just because you do not know code does not mean you cannot successfully start a software company. It is just one of the many problems you will solve your in your path to success. Good luck!