36 tips for startups: from programming to PR
Alex Iskold, entrepreneur and one of the main authors of the famous blog Read / WriteWeb, has published a list of useful tips for startups. This list is based on numerous publications by the author, it contains 36 items on five topics: code development (8), web project infrastructure (5), PR (11), participation in conferences (7), legal and financial advice (5) .
We publish here only the part of the councils, which is devoted to the development of code, since the other topics are not completely international. Full list can be found here .
Since the software is the basis for any modern web start-up, it must be elegant, simple and quick. Instead of hiring an army of coders, it’s better to have some smart, enthusiastic programmers who love what they do. A small team that is in love with their business can do more than a whole army. Even if the company grows, you can still master many tasks with a small team.
Tip 0: You must have a code
The presence of working code proves that the creation of the entire system is possible, and that your team is capable of creating it. A working code is the launch pad for starting your business. When the code is ready, business is possible. In the good old days, technology startups received venture financing just for the idea, written on a piece of paper, but those days are long gone. Today, a startup needs not only a working code, but also a compiled system, and an active user base to attract venture capital. Software development used to start after receiving money, and now is a prerequisite for receiving it.
')
Tip 1: You must have a co-founder
Any startup starts with an idea and a few people. Many start-up co-founders are techies who are genuinely in love with technology and life. Previously, it was not always the case. Just a few years ago, a team of technicians would experience big problems in search of money. The idea was spread that only a master with an MBA degree is able to manage a company. Now, on the contrary, the presence of a technical co-founder is an advantage.
Tip 2: Dial A + class programmers who like to code
Until recently, the creation of large systems resembled black magic. The development of software projects was delayed for years and was carried out by large groups of developers who could hardly find a common language about what should be done and how. The result was unstable, buggy systems that were difficult to maintain and expand. The problem was that there were too many people in the process who were not very good at programming. Startups cannot afford to hire programmers in a class below A +.
Tip 3: Keep a small team of developers and do not give tasks to outsource
A team of two or three great programmers can create almost any system, because they do their job well, they like to create programs, focus on goals and do not stagger to the side. A team of 20 mediocre programmers will not go far. Development does not accelerate in proportion to the number of programmers. On the contrary, the best programs today are created by small groups of good programmers. The smaller the better, this principle applies equally to the code and to the number of people working on it.
Tip 4: Ask difficult interview questions
There is nothing worse than being gentle in interviewing a prospective employee and, as a result, hiring the wrong person. This is bad for you, but more importantly, this is bad for that person. In the end, you just break up. But it's best not to make this mistake right from the start. So ask more technical questions for the interview.
Tip 5: Do not take a non-technical manager
You do not need such people in a small team. If everyone in the team thinks well, knows what to do and how to perform the task, then why do you need a manager? People who are trying to wrap your goals in a piece of paper from some complex processes will only slow down and disappoint you.
Tip 6: Cultivate quick reactions
Modern startups must move very fast. There is no way to plan for six months, because someone else will overtake you. A new approach is to create a continuous development cycle. Of course, you are planning the next release, but at the same time doing frequent updates and constant updates. It is necessary not to encode, but to sculpt.
Tip 7: Do not reinvent the wheel
Many startups are drowning due to excessive infrastructure. Two things are meant here: building your own libraries or building your own world-class scalable system. On the first question: on the Internet a huge number of great source libraries, so it makes no sense to create your own. If you use JavaScript, PHP, .NET, Python or Ruby, most likely, there already exist libraries suitable for you. Re-writing libraries is a waste of time, especially since you are unlikely to write them better.
We publish here only the part of the councils, which is devoted to the development of code, since the other topics are not completely international. Full list can be found here .
Since the software is the basis for any modern web start-up, it must be elegant, simple and quick. Instead of hiring an army of coders, it’s better to have some smart, enthusiastic programmers who love what they do. A small team that is in love with their business can do more than a whole army. Even if the company grows, you can still master many tasks with a small team.
Tip 0: You must have a code
The presence of working code proves that the creation of the entire system is possible, and that your team is capable of creating it. A working code is the launch pad for starting your business. When the code is ready, business is possible. In the good old days, technology startups received venture financing just for the idea, written on a piece of paper, but those days are long gone. Today, a startup needs not only a working code, but also a compiled system, and an active user base to attract venture capital. Software development used to start after receiving money, and now is a prerequisite for receiving it.
')
Tip 1: You must have a co-founder
Any startup starts with an idea and a few people. Many start-up co-founders are techies who are genuinely in love with technology and life. Previously, it was not always the case. Just a few years ago, a team of technicians would experience big problems in search of money. The idea was spread that only a master with an MBA degree is able to manage a company. Now, on the contrary, the presence of a technical co-founder is an advantage.
Tip 2: Dial A + class programmers who like to code
Until recently, the creation of large systems resembled black magic. The development of software projects was delayed for years and was carried out by large groups of developers who could hardly find a common language about what should be done and how. The result was unstable, buggy systems that were difficult to maintain and expand. The problem was that there were too many people in the process who were not very good at programming. Startups cannot afford to hire programmers in a class below A +.
Tip 3: Keep a small team of developers and do not give tasks to outsource
A team of two or three great programmers can create almost any system, because they do their job well, they like to create programs, focus on goals and do not stagger to the side. A team of 20 mediocre programmers will not go far. Development does not accelerate in proportion to the number of programmers. On the contrary, the best programs today are created by small groups of good programmers. The smaller the better, this principle applies equally to the code and to the number of people working on it.
Tip 4: Ask difficult interview questions
There is nothing worse than being gentle in interviewing a prospective employee and, as a result, hiring the wrong person. This is bad for you, but more importantly, this is bad for that person. In the end, you just break up. But it's best not to make this mistake right from the start. So ask more technical questions for the interview.
Tip 5: Do not take a non-technical manager
You do not need such people in a small team. If everyone in the team thinks well, knows what to do and how to perform the task, then why do you need a manager? People who are trying to wrap your goals in a piece of paper from some complex processes will only slow down and disappoint you.
Tip 6: Cultivate quick reactions
Modern startups must move very fast. There is no way to plan for six months, because someone else will overtake you. A new approach is to create a continuous development cycle. Of course, you are planning the next release, but at the same time doing frequent updates and constant updates. It is necessary not to encode, but to sculpt.
Tip 7: Do not reinvent the wheel
Many startups are drowning due to excessive infrastructure. Two things are meant here: building your own libraries or building your own world-class scalable system. On the first question: on the Internet a huge number of great source libraries, so it makes no sense to create your own. If you use JavaScript, PHP, .NET, Python or Ruby, most likely, there already exist libraries suitable for you. Re-writing libraries is a waste of time, especially since you are unlikely to write them better.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/31348/
All Articles