MrFlibble

As the one who will be hiring our first employees (and as a non-technical founder) I am curious what people think about and expect from a brand new start up with low level ($600k +/-) funding for year one. We cannot offer huge salaries but will offer milestone increases over the first few years to arrive at higher levels. We're talking around $70k to start, increasing up to $90k at the end of the first year and continuing to increase as we grow. Options are naturally part of the deal as well.

Also, we're considering using a location that would offer our team a live/work option in a new complex close to the beach (in So. Cal) rather than just traditional commercial space. Would having free housing in a pretty sweet new pad be an incentive to take a bit less cash? It saves the company a bit of money that first year and saves the team in cost of living expenses at the same time. Anyone care to share their opinions/advice/experiences?

Ah, I wasn't clear, apologies. I meant hire someone to code as in hire them to be an actual part of the company, not just a temp hire.

This is my situation at the moment actually. I've got the majority wireframed but will need it coded by a skilled person (I'd just butcher it). In my case I know there will be a lot of customizing and optimizing later as the first iteration is just to get it up & running, so it will be imperative to bring someone on board who will be part of the team, not just a hired gun for a few months.

"Have a Hacker Founder?" While that is a great idea if it happens to work out that way, what about "Hire a Hacker/Architect"?

Sometimes you don't meet anyone you want to be a co-founder. If that's the case and you are able to raise the funds to pay a good coder what they're worth, then hiring the right person should be an option.

Looking forward to the book exchange!

Redditgifts ftw!

Great idea, like giving a community powered twist to the car-share companies out there. This could be especially great for people who lost jobs & no longer need to commute... why not generate income from the otherwise idle car?

Best of luck!

Our goal is helping the unemployed and the underemployed make ends meet with jobs ranging from full-time to just a few hours. I'm also designing for users to interact directly, creating local and truly small scale jobs. Lots more to it, but the primary theme is helping people find work of all kinds, not just Monster/freelancer-type stuff.

Of course as a non-technical founder I've been relying on a few project manager friends for input but will soon need to hire someone well versed in back-end architecture and site flow/design to consult during the hacker hiring phase as we get underway. I know what I need (I've wireframed most of the site already) but not what skills are needed to actually code it. Sigh.

On a "making the world a better place for our team" level, we're setting up shop down in Venice Beach. Yay quality of life.

Hell, feedback is constantly helping me shape my project, usually (I hope) for the better.

It is not who builds the best product, it is who markets it the best, who gets the publicity, who convinces the world that their version of the thing is the best.

You could build the best product on Earth but if only a handful of people know about it while a few million know about the second-best product, it isn't hard to guess which one wins.

As Grace Hopper said, "It is easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission."

If this is misery I'll gladly continue to suffer.

True, however I think we can all recognize this as an event that could shift the political and power structure of the entire Middle East (should those dominoes start to fall). Even if politics bores you, this is of major significance regardless of personal opinions.

A lot of HN users are also Redditors, and personally I think Reddit (perhaps r/worldnews or r/worldpolitics) would be a more appropriate forum for this type of thing.

That said, this particular ongoing incident is really really big. Like Tiananmen Square or Berlin Wall big. Once in a while something is important and far reaching enough for us all to shift focus for a moment.

As I understand it, you need a secure & clean initial set-up, after which the user should not have to enter a key again as the handshake between your machine and Google will automatically change.

Phishing won't work if the user does not have to enter the key again. It requires a clean (no keylogger etc) initial setup. Once installed if someone phishes the end user wouldn't need to re-enter a key, thus defeating the phishing scheme.

I'd rather see a reality tv Fight Club.

Dancing With the Stars chicks tearing out the hair of American Idol wannabes? Sign me up!

...holy shit, re-reading that I think I just became a mainstream American tv watcher.

1. Startup

2. ????

3. Profit!

Exactly. Break it down into something useful & tangible.

This is the startup equivalent of reminding a 2 pack a day smoker that their habit could pay 1/3 of their rent or buy dinner for a month.

In the film industry we would often say, "Cheaper, Faster, Better... Pick Two."

Using a rifle shot vs. shotgun approach can be a great thing provided of course that the rifle is aimed at a viable target.

The wise man (or woman) partners with someone who is skilled at what they do then stays the hell out of the way and lets them do it.

Well put.

Everyone thinks their idea is great. That and $2 gets you a cup of coffee.

In my own situation as a non-technical founder I have been in a technical holding pattern for exactly the reason you stated. I ask myself "What do I bring to the table"? The answer is that while lot is coming together, I feel that until those key pieces fall into place it would be inappropriate to ask someone who brings solid technical skills to the table to look at my project.

The question everyone, technical or non-technical, should ask themselves regarding any project is "What do I bring to the table?"

Don't forget sideburns.

I agree. As a non-technical founder my main focus is on that initial capital raise to be adequately funded to build a solid team and pay them what they're worth.

You wouldn't ask a mechanic to rebuild your engine for equity in your car when you eventually sell it, neither should you expect coders to work for free.

Wharton is largely populated by entitled douchebags. Not entirely, but largely.

I was invited to a dinner once where a bunch of Whartonites made up the body of the group. They really thought they were the future gods of industry and knew everything about business (mind you they were playing on daddy's money). When the check came they suggested we play "Credit card roulette" to see who covered the bill.

I don't think my hearty "go fuck yourselves" was appreciated.

These are the same assholes whose arrogance helped crash the market.

I have a friend who is one such "wrecking ball". She would sacrifice pay and reputation for the satisfaction of some quick payback and cheap drama. She is however wicked skilled, but most who still deal with her do so with a grain of salt large enough to satisfy a herd of deer.

Man, it's tiring just thinking about her drama.

Hire smart people and let them do their job. If you can, after a few weeks break in period turn them loose and step back unless a serious problem arises.

Micromanagement = Macrofuckups

Agreed. Being forced to condense your brain-child into a 60 second pitch really helps you make a better first impression as well as focus you on which aspects are the most crucial.

Yes. Non-technical single founder (kiss of death) didn't make it in. No worries though, I'm raising seed capital & continuing to design the site. Should be hiring a back end architect & coders in the next month or so at this rate.

YC would be a great resource but not getting in is not the end of the world. In any case, the posts on HN have been a great learning tool.

Thing is there can be a dozen great ideas out there but it won't necessarily be the best one that succeeds but rather the one that people actually hear about.

Amazing how many people believe if they build it "they will come" with nothing else planned. Oh if only the world were so easy.

I once worked with a Teamster who didn't give a damn who you were (or how important for that matter). He just spoke his mind. Working on films, he would regularly have lunch with producers, actors, studio heads, you name it. He'd plop down at a table wherever & just eat his lunch & chat with whoever was there. Result? He could walk up to the "untouchables" on most shows & ask about their kids, chat about a vacation, even occasionally talk about politics. He even helped defuse a disgruntled actor one day by simply asking, "hey, what the hell's the matter?" and letting him vent (much to the dismay of the cowering producers).

On a personal note, I befriended a power broker several years ago while discussing art. We had a lot to talk about. Now years later we still talk & email fairly regularly & grab lunch when in the same town.

Stop thinking of people as who they are or what they represent, just treat them like normal folks & you'll be surprised who you might befriend.

Reddit.

Free thesauruses were fine but as a kid my father made us sit through 3 hours of timeshare crap on a family vacation in Hawaii so he could get 2 free cases of pineapples. We were quite sick of pineapple within a week.

Amazing what we will endure for something free.

This is great advice & a wonderful way to "brain dump" those nagging thoughts out of your head.

Another writing tip: When you are really upset about something and want to rip someone a new one, write them an email but don't send it. Write what you want to say, get it out of your system, the thing is say whatever you want. Then walk away for 24 hours. If you find upon returning to the email the next day that you still want to say those things, fire away, but most times you'll have cooled down by then & be able to re-write a much better and less "venting" email. This has helped keep me from burning many bridges in moments of extreme frustration.