₦airaland Forum

On Building the Future Podcast http://www.thestarta.com/articles/category/podcast/ this week, we have Akin Alabi, founder of Nairabet.

When Akin and I got talking, it was obvious that this wouldn’t be a run-of-the-mill interview. Akin has a lot to teach about how to build a successful high-growth tech startup in Nigeria without raising a dime from external investors. He grew his business to 1000 employee/agents and multi-million dollar revenue by experimenting and running with an idea.

I’ve always known that not all startups are meant to be original ideas. There are valid startups that replicate an existing business model from one region and adapt, adopt and implement it in another. Nairabet is one of those. And Akin Alabi is an executor. He mastered the game. He had the killer instinct.

I asked him questions about pricing. This is for my own learning. It’s something I’ve always struggled with in the Nigeria market. I tend to price my products and services too low. So I attract the wrong audience. What do I do? Without missing a beat, Akin told me to raise the price. And then stack up value.

We talked about politics. He is a politician. And a High Chief. He had a lot going on. He is an author, host conference, and still produce training workshops and materials on various topics from cooking to email marketing.

This episode is a masterclass on how to validate your business idea quickly, how to build and monetise your audience, how to grow to profitability, how to kill an idea that is not working…and many more.

You can listen to the episode here [url] http://pxlme.me/1vfh3iCt[/url]

Everybody knows that software is eating the world.

But have you ever been frustrated by what software developers say to you?

Have you ever thought to yourself, ‘I don’t know what they are talking about, but I’ll just nod as if I do!’?

Have you ever been asked a technical question about your idea/business, and then not known how to answer it?

Have you been frustrated by having an idea, but then having no clue how it could be implemented technically, and how to even begin?

If you are a non technical person who is looking to build a tech startup and you have no clue where to start or what to do, here are the 13 key things you must know about technology as a non-tech entrepreneur.

1. Most Tech is NOT Hard
If you have ever had a conversation with a tech guy concerning what they do, chances are your eyes end up looking glazed at the end of the discussion. Tech guys love to tell you that what they do is really hard and they might be right.

Some technology definitely is hard, think about algorithmic trading, or airline flight controls . However, Most technology is actually not that hard, especially when all you want to do is to create an application that enables your users to buy a product online.

2. Make sure you have an MVP
You’ve got to focus on the Minimal Viable Product.

You need to ask and answer the question what is the MINIMUM your application needs to do in order to be successful? Focus on finding the answer for this question and forget the rest for now.
If you do not have an MVP, you will constantly be distracted by good ideas and good ideas are always available.

3. Get a CTO

You need a chief technology officer.

That means having someone who understands both the business and the technology in your core team. Without a CTO, you will struggle with business and technology.

No smart investor will take your company serious if you are building a tech product without someone in your team who understands both the business and the tech behind it.

By the way, your CTO is NOT just someone who can code!!!

Your CTO should know about software architecture and project management.

4. Consider all options

software programming

In technology there is always more than one perfectly reasonable technical solution.

Make sure you consider the options, and don’t get bullied into one solution. Some developers for example only really know one technology so they try and use it to solve every problem. Avoid boxing your product into a tech solution that may not scale as you grow.

continue reading www.thestarta.com/articles/starting/build-tech-startup-non-technical-founder/