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If you are buffering your technical team away communication with real customers, you are going to fail. Their understanding of the problem is the key to your s

If you are buffering your technical team away communication with real customers, you are going to fail. Their understanding of the problem is the key to your startup succeeding. The first is hyperbole and patently false. The last is definitely true, but has nothing to do with the first. It seems like either you've never actually been in this situation or you're conflating "real customers" with "tech-savvy investors:" The former will frustrate technical people and vice versa; the latter will expect to hear from your tech team as proof of viability. The technical team must be involved in strategy and business... Also false. I've been in situations where this has been done both successfully and unsuccessfully, and the successes came either from a coincidence of multiply-educated people or by brute-force right-place-right-time situations -- another coincidence. Technical people can be good and insightful in this way, but it's by absolutely no means something to be assumed. ...and both founders should be technical and business founders. Or at least, respect and understand both sides. This discounts almost everyone, since most people just don't have both educations or the time for them, and the education alone is worth little without experience, which takes a lot more time. You did get it right at the end, though; founders on all sides should have a basic understanding of and respect for those who are handling the other aspects of the business. Basically, most people who are very skilled are so in one field. Don't ignore them just because they're not also your ideal candidate from another field; you will more often than not end up with someone who's mediocre at doing two things and is now responsible for both of them.

mindcrime 14y ago
If you are buffering your technical team away communication with real customers, you are going to fail. ... is hyperbole and patently false. Personally, I think RyanZAG was right. At least if we're talking very early stage startup... I believe the techies need to be in front of the customers, hearing their feedback first hand, not hearing it after it's been distilled and processed by people "upstream". Having a cohesive understanding of the problem being solved, making sure everyone is aligned, and having everybody moving in the same direction is critical, and making sure everyone has a shared understanding of exactly what the customer is saying is part of that. Now if you're IBM or Microsoft, sure, maybe you can get away with having 3 or 4 levels of managers, product managers, product owners, tech leads, and techies between the customer and the code. Or not. I'd argue that this is a bad idea, to some extent, in any organization, but that's probably an argument for another day. and both founders should be technical and business founders. Or at least, respect and understand both sides. This discounts almost everyone, since most people just don't have both educations or the time for them I think it's true that there are few people walking around who are (already) both talented techies AND very knowledgeable business people. But if you rephrased RyanZAG's comment every so slightly to "and both founders should be technical and business founders, OR be willing to learn the side they don't already know" then you'd be onto something. And to some extent, I think that's captured by his comment: Or at least, respect and understand both sides. Of course, I'm biased, since I'm one of those people who came solidly from one side (tech) and is trying to force himself to learn the other as he goes.

mindcrime 14y ago

If you are buffering your technical team away communication with real customers, you are going to fail. ... is hyperbole and patently false. Personally, I think RyanZAG was right. At least if we're talking very early stage startup... I believe the techies need to be in front of the customers, hearing their feedback first hand, not hearing it after it's been distilled and processed by people "upstream". Having a cohesive understanding of the problem being solved, making sure everyone is aligned, and having everybody moving in the same direction is critical, and making sure everyone has a shared understanding of exactly what the customer is saying is part of that. Now if you're IBM or Microsoft, sure, maybe you can get away with having 3 or 4 levels of managers, product managers, product owners, tech leads, and techies between the customer and the code. Or not. I'd argue that this is a bad idea, to some extent, in any organization, but that's probably an argument for another day. and both founders should be technical and business founders. Or at least, respect and understand both sides. This discounts almost everyone, since most people just don't have both educations or the time for them I think it's true that there are few people walking around who are (already) both talented techies AND very knowledgeable business people. But if you rephrased RyanZAG's comment every so slightly to "and both founders should be technical and business founders, OR be willing to learn the side they don't already know" then you'd be onto something. And to some extent, I think that's captured by his comment: Or at least, respect and understand both sides. Of course, I'm biased, since I'm one of those people who came solidly from one side (tech) and is trying to force himself to learn the other as he goes.