Re:Ask HN: Value of business/sales/idea guy early on?
by BadassFractal on Friday July 20, 2012 @12:59AM
(#4269485)
Would you say that a super-early stage startup that already has a strong engineering skillset doesn't need a "business/sales/idea" guy in most scenarios? I'm trying to think of something that I'd really need that kind of guy for that I just couldn't do myself.
Re:Ask HN: Value of business/sales/idea guy early on?
by grkballer44 on Friday July 20, 2012 @01:55AM
(#4269612)
To build a business it takes someone who either understands the particular nuances of that particular business from their prior history or are capable of picking it up very quickly and effective on the fly. at im saying there's not value in testing a theory and not over analyzing, but an effective idea guy is necessary to truly disrupt a market.
To win at disrupting, you have to understand a market as its currently is, all of its inefficiencies and weaknesses combined with future changes in capabilities and technology. However usually an engineer as likely to be an effective idea guy, combined with their ability to build and ship it puts them at an advantage. Great idea guys are rare, but when they surround themselves with the proper technical talent its a thing to behold . Tarantino, Jobs, list is endless
Re:Ask HN: Value of business/sales/idea guy early on?
by BadassFractal on Friday July 20, 2012 @05:26PM
(#4272970)
So, if I'm understanding correctly, you'd be looking for a particular market/industry insight in a business person like that. You'd be looking for experience, deep understanding and successes in that industry.
Is that more or less correct?
It also follows that without any track record, it's really hard to trust that a "business guy" will know how to contribute, and so you're taking someone on faith alone. It's kind of like hiring a developer who can't prove that he's ever written code before.
So to answer your question, yes this person exists. Why did I decide to teach myself to code? I didn't want to have to rely on developers to build and test my ideas.
A business/sales/idea guy can overthink and plan all day. Build requirements docs, plan marketing, research the market, etc etc.
What they can't do is build, release, and see what the response is in the market.
Personally, I think it is a Business Canvas vs. Lean Startup, and I do see these two methodologies in conflict. I've recently witnessed businesses where people spend more time planning than it would have taken to actually build a beta and see what happens.
On the flip side, there are engineers who really don't get the business/sales/ideas side of things. They sometimes need that person to bring the business to them. However, I think it is more rare that an engineer can't find a business.