Co-founder (technical) of a 3 person pre-launch startup here.

Before I didn't believe in non-technical co-founders, but they're really useful. They're not just "idea guys" they're non-technical co-founders, and I like to call them hustlers, a person who does everything they can to make it happen.

I like them (my two co-founders) to do most of the market research, legal stuff, blog, buzz, and do some usability testing. One of my co-founders' dad owns an office, so it's better to work from there, the other one knows some design so he's hugely helpful in the technical side too. I sometimes even code with them and they give me ideas, since I like to teach they're learning some programming too!

Someday they're going to learn programming so I can avoid the shit I get all day at day job: "Hey, so it's just migrating the file - he means database with data from an external API - right? It's only a 2 minute job..." (a guy who has never coded professionally in his entire life).

There's a million things a pre-launch startup CEO can do before launch... I've listed some of them on my blog: http://swombat.com/2011/5/30/what-before-launch

(note: the blog post is not on the index yet - it will auto-post in about 50 minutes)

blog post on hacker news here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2599755

Heh, I used to do everything at our startup, from painting the walls to cleaning the toilet (and vacuuming our office and making sure the elevator wasn't in a ghastly state).

Now that we run for 3 years, I don't have to do these jobs anymore. But from time to time the need arises, due to unforeseen circumstances or something like that, and I don't find arranging lunch (or supplying the toilets with toilet paper) a menial job. It all adds up to the end result, which is what we all strive for: a good experience for our clients and visitors.

But usually I work on our in-house CRM app, and a few dozens of Python glue scripts to make the database flow happen.

I'd like to add to that our CEO presents himself as 'the janitor'. This is to avoid people trying to cling to him and asking all kinds of things he can't fulfill anyway. He dresses very casually, so you couldn't tell him apart of a true janitor. And anyway, he wouldn't be afraid to do real janitor jobs (just like I ain't afraid of doing 'em). In the end, our CEO tries to make himself as invisible and unnecessary as possible. I think this is a good strategy, since it leaves him with more time to spend with his family and young kids ;-)

$20K in legal fees to get incorporated?!

He was saying the law firm was willing to defer up to $20K in fees until he raised a round.

That might include drafting/reviewing things like articles of incorporation, corporate bylaws, vesting agreements, NDAs, IP assignment, contractor and employee paperwork, etc. It's depressingly easy to run up $20K in legal fees at $500/hr.

Yeah, I hope thats what he meant or else we definitely short-changed our law firm!

The actual corp setup should cost $1-3k assuming you use fairly standard docs to start. There are some overpriced firms which want $5k.

This is independent of deferral, although generally the more overpriced firms are more willing to defer.

Spencer Fry from CarbonMade.com has provided a good list in the past:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=779378

http://spencerfry.com/whats-a-non-programmer-to-do

Seth hit the nail on the head with this one. I didn't buy sandwiches, I cooked chicken from the mexican meat market.

My outlook on this comes from a quote attributed to Steve Jobs: "When you're the janitor, the reasons matter. But somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, the reasons stop mattering."

Your job as the CEO is to make sure work gets done, regardless of what happens. Doesn't matter if you're a $1B company or a 3 person startup. Get. It. Done.

I would have thought that the job for a pre-launch startup CEO was to find customers.

Yep, me too. "Eyeball Collector."

I really liked the sentiments portrayed by the CEO in this article. ~Came off a little humble, genuine and candid. (this CEO probably does well in the Waiter Rule/Test)

""..I began to wonder, “Should I even be here?” Frankly, it didn’t feel very good to sit there and watch Elaine and Sandy working away while I did comparatively little. I could just as well have been playing Frisbee..."

A lot of people feel this way. Especially, in the begining where the cadence and rhythm is inconsistent and unpredicatble. (for techie cofounders, business cofounders, and support staff) very hard to coach someone and tell them that we need you.

Its very telling when this moment comes in the minds of the cofounders and/or staff; the way they deal with this is a good indicator how they'll deal with tougher and bigger things in the future. This moment of "Should I even be here?" is definitely one of the tough milestones that each individual must personally overcome. BTW, something they dont teach in an MBA program.

sorry but what makes this person any more fit to lead after launch - as if the product itself becomes less important?

That greatly depends on your conception of the word "lead." http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/DevelopmentAbstractio...

joel isn't describing managers here but enablers. programmers are dolly parton in his analogy (which is damn weird) and "managers" are basically roadies and the like. again i'm simply asking how there is any point in time when (to return to dollywood) someone performing the mic check is optimal for leading the band.

"My Job As A Pre-Lunch Startup CEO Was To Buy Sandwiches"

FTFY