Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technical founder should have?

Re:Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technica... by falcolas on Monday July 13, 2015 @11:31AM (#9878738)

Willingness to learn and pick up skills. Not the technical ones - your co-founder has that in order. I'm talking about:

Sales

Marketing

Fundraising

How to talk to a lawyer

Figuring out what business licenses you need and how to maintain them

Accounting

Interpreting from Geek to English

Hiring to fill the gaps in your knowledge (and firing those who don't)

Contract negotiation

Identifying niches for business opportunities

Basically, anything involved in creating a business which doesn't involve technology; there's quite a few of these, and in many ways they are as or more important to the success of the business than technical knowledge. Even if you create the perfect product, you still need someone to market and sell it to the masses.

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Re:Ask HN: What is the most crucial knowledge a non-technica... by fillskills on Monday July 13, 2015 @12:05PM (#9878961)

I would add a couple tech management skills like: 1. Understanding the 'soft' nature of software 2. Iterative development

And one non-tech: . Lean methodology

You got most else covered.

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