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Startup Noob Guide: Tips and resources on how to test, develop your startup idea, or find a developer/associate/CTO
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startup-noob-guide.md

Startup Noob Guide (bit.ly/startupnoob)

If you want to create a startup, and you've never done that before, you should consult the resources that are relevant to your situation.

[FR] Si vous comprenez le français, je vous invite à regarder la vidéo de mon pote Shubham qui résume assez bien le plus gros des conseils de cette page, en 8 minutes: Vous avez une idée de startup ?.

[FR] ...et si vous voulez comprendre tout ce contenu de manière plus efficace et ludique, inscrivez-vous sur mon MOOC "Startup Tour: créez votre startup en 3h" (gratuit).

Step 0: Are you sure you want to create a startup? Why?

Let's explore some myths about startups and entrepreneurship.

Why are you doing this?!

Your idea is worth nothing, it's execution that matters the most.

If you're looking for a tech co-founder, you're probably wasting your time

Failure stories

If you still think creating a business is the right choice for you, these stories can help you understand why it's not as easy as you think to build a successful startup:

...and many more

Motivation

If you're still not freaked out, congrats! But do you have what it takes to be a good entrepreneur?

Step 1: Find a real problem and test your hypotheses (no dev needed!)

Creating a startup is not about building a product from scratch and hope that people will care. (because most times, they don't)

Don't build a solution right away, spend some time finding a real problem by interacting with your users, and experimenting manually first.

Step 2: Build software to automatize your solution progressively

So you've found a valuable problem to solve for a precise segment of users, and succesfully tested a working solution for them, manually? Congratulations! :-)

Now that you have a proof that your manual solution/process works and that your users are satisfied, you need to grow your user base. And for this, you need to automatize your solution progressively, in order to scale your business.

There are several ways to do this:

A. Code it yourself

B. Find a developer to code it

When approaching developers, keep in mind that:

  • They have ideas too, except they probably don't need you for implementing them.
  • They will like you if you are impressed by their side projects and problem solving skills.
  • They will appreciate your confidence, but make sure to keep cool and humble.
  • They hate being considered as coding slaves at your service. => Show what you bring on the table. (cf [FR] Pourquoi je ne veux pas être ton CTO)
  • They expect you to be good at something, but may not know the usefulness and/or difficulty of these skills.
  • They hate bullshit => express yourself clearly and concisely.

Here are a few ways to reach developers:

Whenever you think that you found a potential associate, you should definitely read this advice: The Perfect Co-founder Checklist; 12 ways to tell if you’ve found The One to work with, from someone who spent 3 years looking.

C. Hire a freelance or agency

References

Great books to read:

Analytics

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