Tech for Non-Techies

Storing stuff costs money, this is why it's good to look in the back of the cupboard and decide whether you really need all those spices you bought 5 years ago. This is the same with data stored by tech companies. Companies have to pay to store data on servers. Google pays to keep all of those cat videos on YouTube. Learning notes from this episode: Storing data costs money and most companies rent server storage space from Amazon AWS or Microsoft Azure. If you're going to store data, you need to know how you're going to make money out of it. Advertising isn't the only way to make money out of data. You could aggregate the data into reports and sell them as industry insights. Storing data on how people use your product can help you improve your product. If you don't have a plan for how to use the data you pay to store, you're a hoarder and that's not a good strategy. To get Sophia's monthly business update sign up here. You'll get a monthly update on how TFNT is growing, insights on eLearning, innovation and podcasting. ... Do you have a brilliant app idea and no tech knowledge to build it? Get your FREE guide here. To go deeper, join the Tech for Non-Techies membership community. As a community member, you'll get: Weekly live masterclasses with global experts Mini-course on how to go from idea to live app Supportive Online Community Library of masterclasses Monthly live coaching with Sophia Matveeva, tech entrepreneur & Chicago Booth MBA Exclusive Resources & Perks Learn more and sign up at https://www.techfornontechies.co/membership Say hi to Sophia on Twitter. Following us on Facebook and Instagram will make you smarter.

A robust venture capital industry is one of the pillars of the today's tech boom, because it provides the funding for new companies to grow. But "venture capital is not a job for everyone," says venture investor Dr Itxaso del Palacio in this week's episode. Itxaso is a leading venture capitalist. She launched Microsoft Ventures in Europe and is Partner at Notion Capital today. She also teaches Entrepreneurial Finance at the MSc Technology Entrepreneurship at University College London. Learning notes from this episode: "Venture capital is mostly transactional. Founders operate the companies, and we can advise and suggest what to do but we don't operate the companies," says Itxaso. Corporate venture arms are very different to VC funds and the incentives within them differ. For example, people in traditional VCs benefit financially if a company they invest in becomes a unicorn. This is often not the case in corporate venture divisions. People do not usually begin careers in venture capital straight out of college, but transition into them from something else. The Kauffman Fellowship program is an education program for venture capitalists. Itxaso said it benefitted her career hugely. Do you have a brilliant app idea and no tech knowledge to build it? Get your FREE guide here. To go deeper, join the Tech for Non-Techies membership community. As a community member, you'll get: Weekly live masterclasses with global experts Mini-course on how to go from idea to live app Supportive Online Community Library of masterclasses Monthly live coaching with Sophia Matveeva, tech entrepreneur & Chicago Booth MBA Exclusive Resources & Perks Learn more and sign up at https://www.techfornontechies.co/membership Say hi to Sophia on Twitter. Following us on Facebook and Instagram will make you smarter.

Most start-ups fail, but founders and investors can still use this for career success. Learning how tech products get made and how the companies behind them make money, opens so many doors to interesting and lucrative opportunities. Many product managers and venture capitalists have transitioned into their jobs via start-ups. Learning notes from this episode: Almost every company is now a tech company, so knowing how tech products get built and how they make money is THE most useful transferable skill in today's economy If you're thinking of launching a venture, you do need to be aware that it might not work out. But, ask yourself what could I do if the venture failed? Would that be better or worse than what I was doing before? I most cases, the answer is yes. Learning these skills does not mean getting an MBA or investing thousands as an inexperienced angel investor. You can learn by listening to this podcast, reading books about the industry, and most importantly, starting to build something simple yourself without any code. You can learn about community management by building a Facebook group. You can learn about design thinking by doing user interviews. You can learn the basic language of tech literally from this podcast and go to meet-ups with product managers and developers, and see what people are working on. If you're working on a tech venture, want to invest in one or just want to get inspired, then come to Sophia's Non-Technical Founder office hours on Clubhouse every Thursday at 12 pm EST 5 pm BST. Do you have a brilliant app idea and no tech knowledge to build it? Get your FREE guide here. To go deeper, join the Tech for Non-Techies membership community. As a community member, you'll get: Weekly live masterclasses with global experts Mini-course on how to go from idea to live app Supportive Online Community Library of masterclasses Monthly live coaching with Sophia Matveeva, tech entrepreneur & Chicago Booth MBA Exclusive Resources & Perks Learn more and sign up at https://www.techfornontechies.co/membership Say hi to Sophia on Twitter. Following us on Facebook and Instagram will make you smarter.

"Come to developers with good research and understand your customer. If you don't understand your customer, how can you expect the developer to build features for that customer?" says developer Ariana Waller, founder of Wally Tech. Ariana works with non-technical founders and helps them bring their visions to life. But, many founders want to hire developers too early or make the wrong hires. Listen to this episode to avoid falling into that common trap. Learning notes: Learn about the users and the problem you are solving before you speak to developers. Use no code apps to build solutions before you hire a developer to test your product. This will help you save on development costs and help you test your product before committing to paying for custom code. Good developers will ask you questions about your users and your business model because they want to participate in projects that are likely to succeed. Even if you're hiring outsourced product teams, be prepared to pitch to them as you would to an investor. Beware of developers that do not probe the business model and use case. They are likely to be more interested in short term payment, rather than a long term partnership. Say hi to Ariana on Twitter and listen to the Women In Tech With Ariana podcast here. Enrollment for the Tech for Non-Technical Founders course closes on Sunday. If you have any questions, reach out to Sophia on Twitter, or on Instagram or email. Do you have a brilliant app idea and no tech knowledge to build it? Get your FREE guide here. To go deeper, join the Tech for Non-Techies membership community. As a community member, you'll get: Weekly live masterclasses with global experts Mini-course on how to go from idea to live app Supportive Online Community Library of masterclasses Monthly live coaching with Sophia Matveeva, tech entrepreneur & Chicago Booth MBA Exclusive Resources & Perks Learn more and sign up at https://www.techfornontechies.co/membership Say hi to Sophia on Twitter. Following us on Facebook and Instagram will make you smarter.

"The biggest lie told in tech is that you that you need to be a coder. I think that being able to understand the user experience behind tech, being able to articulate technology, and being able to get other people excited about it, is what you really need to run a good company," says Jenny Griffiths MBE, founder of Snap Vision. Jenny is the founder and CEO of Snap Vision, a visual search company that works with the biggest names in fashion and publishing. Jenny She has been featured on the World's Top 50 Women in Tech by Forbes lists. She was appointed MBE for Services to Innovation in 2015, and in 2019 was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering's Silver Medal for contributions to UK engineering. The grass is always greener on the other side. Investors tell technical founders that they're missing business skills, and non-technical founders that they need tech skills. Snap Vision began as a consumer product, and while the Snap Vision app remains active, the company's main business is B2B. Entrepreneurs often start consumer products, but pivot to servicing businesses, because digital marketing costs are so high. Jenny took a course in management from London Business School, to help her grow as a leader. Unlike employees, entrepreneurs need to invest in their own learning, because they do not benefit from an employer's training program. Check out Snap Vision here and say hi to Jenny on Twitter To sign up to The 4 Biggest Mistakes Non-Technical Founders Make & How To Avoid Them register here.

Making a prototype is a key step in your journey in bringing your tech idea to life. Begin with UX research, which we covered in last week's episode. With your research done, it's time to move on to making a "fake product," which you will test with real users to see if there is enough demand to invest in creating the real thing. To do this, Sophia takes you through the Sprint method developed by Google Ventures. Using this method, you can have a tested prototype in just 5 days. Learning notes from this episode: The aim of a prototype is test the key assumptions you are making about users and their behaviour. Even the greatest prototype is usually very far from a plan that could be given to developers to code. For example, an app prototype from a sprint usually does not contain screens like the setting screen, where you can manage your account, or designs to reset a forgotten password. Book 5 people to test your prototype. Research shows that 85% of the problems in your product can be discovered by the first 4 people. You always want to book a 5th, in case one person cancels. Your first prototype will need to be adjusted and tested again. This is normal, so make space for it in your budget. To get the learning notes and resources Sophia mentions in the podcast, enter your email here. To sign up to The 4 Biggest Mistakes Non-Technical Founders Make & How To Avoid Them register here. Do you have a brilliant app idea and no tech knowledge to build it? Get your FREE guide here. To go deeper, join the Tech for Non-Techies membership community. As a community member, you'll get: Weekly live masterclasses with global experts Mini-course on how to go from idea to live app Supportive Online Community Library of masterclasses Monthly live coaching with Sophia Matveeva, tech entrepreneur & Chicago Booth MBA Exclusive Resources & Perks Learn more and sign up at https://www.techfornontechies.co/membership Say hi to Sophia on Twitter. Following us on Facebook and Instagram will make you smarter.

The prototyping process is the first step in the product development journey. To go from idea to live app, site or algorithm, you need to test it with target users. A good prototype can get you funding, but more importantly, it can show you whether the concept is worth pursuing in the first place. One of the biggest mistakes non-technical founders make is hiring developers before they have a tested prototype. Listen to this episode and avoid this costly mistake. Learning notes from this episode: The prototype serves as an illustration of your product: it looks and feels like an app / site, but you don't need to write code to make it. Algorithms in their simplest form can be tested using a spreadsheet. The design process consists of 4 phases: discover, define, develop and deliver To make a prototype, start with research: "Design is not just about how to build a solution, but whether a problem needs solving in the first place. Before working on prototypes and wire frames, find a market need." Jane Austin, Chief Design Officer at Flo Health To get the learning notes and resources Sophia mentions in the podcast, enter your email here. ... Do you have a brilliant app idea and no tech knowledge to build it? Get your FREE guide here. To go deeper, join the Tech for Non-Techies membership community. As a community member, you'll get: Weekly live masterclasses with global experts Mini-course on how to go from idea to live app Supportive Online Community Library of masterclasses Monthly live coaching with Sophia Matveeva, tech entrepreneur & Chicago Booth MBA Exclusive Resources & Perks Learn more and sign up at https://www.techfornontechies.co/membership Say hi to Sophia on Twitter. Following us on Facebook and Instagram will make you smarter.

Learning notes from this episode: APIs are tiny snippets of code that allow one tech product to be integrated into another tech product. For example, each time you see Login with Facebook in a website or an app, that company is using the Facebook API to allow you to login. Railsbank allows companies to move money around just like a bank would, by giving access to its services via its API To learn more about APIs, listen to episode 37: APIs: Why Uber uses Google Maps Say hi to Justin Xiao on LinkedIn here. Do you have a brilliant app idea and no tech knowledge to build it? Get your FREE guide here. To go deeper, join the Tech for Non-Techies membership community. As a community member, you'll get: Weekly live masterclasses with global experts Mini-course on how to go from idea to live app Supportive Online Community Library of masterclasses Monthly live coaching with Sophia Matveeva, tech entrepreneur & Chicago Booth MBA Exclusive Resources & Perks Learn more and sign up at https://www.techfornontechies.co/membership Say hi to Sophia on Twitter. Following us on Facebook and Instagram will make you smarter.

Learning notes from this episode: The bit of an app or site you interact with is called a front end. If you can touch it, swipe it or speak to it, it is a front end. The front end is a computer that speaks to humans. The front end is like your sensory organs: eyes, ears and mouth. The back end (the server side) is the bit of the app that you cannot interact with yourself: it is a computer that only talks to computers. The server is the brain of your operation: it enables communication and stores data. To participate in Sophia's workshop on 15 May, register here. Resources mentioned in the episode: Article The Non-Techies Guide to Servers by Hackernoon TFNT Podcast ep 37 APIs: Why Uber Uses Google Maps TFNT Podcast ep 32 What Developers Do: Front End vs Back End Do you have a brilliant app idea and no tech knowledge to build it? Get your FREE guide here. To go deeper, join the Tech for Non-Techies membership community. As a community member, you'll get: Weekly live masterclasses with global experts Mini-course on how to go from idea to live app Supportive Online Community Library of masterclasses Monthly live coaching with Sophia Matveeva, tech entrepreneur & Chicago Booth MBA Exclusive Resources & Perks Learn more and sign up at https://www.techfornontechies.co/membership Say hi to Sophia on Twitter. Following us on Facebook and Instagram will make you smarter.

Learning notes from this episode: The new breed of tech successes today value people who have a strong understanding of the user, not only engineering. Many of the technologies underlying the products we use today are not as frontier as they used to be. This means that products compete on their usability, not just on functionality. Learn to think like a designer researching an idea. Study people. Understand what they want. Once you do that, then you can think of products to build and find people to help you build them. Do you have a brilliant app idea and no tech knowledge to build it? Get your FREE guide here. To go deeper, join the Tech for Non-Techies membership community. As a community member, you'll get: Weekly live masterclasses with global experts Mini-course on how to go from idea to live app Supportive Online Community Library of masterclasses Monthly live coaching with Sophia Matveeva, tech entrepreneur & Chicago Booth MBA Exclusive Resources & Perks Learn more and sign up at https://www.techfornontechies.co/membership Say hi to Sophia on Twitter. Following us on Facebook and Instagram will make you smarter.