Ok, we get it. All you computer geeks and tech nerds who didn’t exactly win “Most Popular” in high school are having the last laugh in the tech startup kingdom. But, that doesn’t mean the captain of the football team, president of the art club and former prom queen can’t join in on the fun. In fact, they should.
Startups take so much more than coders and tech geeks to be successful, and here are five reasons why.
1. You need to develop the business
This one is a no-brainer. Engineers can build a beautiful product, but if you don’t have the funding, partnerships and business plan, the product has no chance.
David Dowd is the vice president of FanBridge, a New York-based fan management website for celebrities and athletes who says the company needs people who have established relationships, experience and who can bring in revenue. Engineering is a very important aspect, he says, but bringing in the first dollars is critical in the development and execution of the business plan.
2. You need to sell the product
Clients want to know what your startup does, but as the sales person, you won’t be expected to know the technical ins and outs. Personality and aggression are essential in this role; if we’re stereotyping here, geeks aren’t necessarily known for their salesman aggression. This is where Mr. Popular would fit right in.
The role of sales may be cold calling, or outside sales in an account executive position; the key here is to develop long-term business.
3. You need to market the business
Marketing might be one of the most important aspects of your startup. You may have an amazing, life-changing product, but if no one is aware that it exists, then it won’t be changing anybody’s life any time soon. That’s why marketers are essential for getting your name out there and reaching out to the public.
According to Joanna Bradley, head of IT Sales & Marketing Recruitment Manager of Redfish Technology, prospective startup marketers should have a degree in business, marketing, communications or PR and get involved with internships before they graduate in order to substantially increase their job-landing chances.
4. Your product needs to look awesome
A user-interface or user-experience designer is one of the most requested non-tech roles in startups today.
According to Josh Stomel, co-founder of Neohire, in order to keep customers on your site developers need to prototype what the site should look like, then send it to the front-end developers to code. He also says he looks for designers with experience at large customer-focused websites that are well constructed.
Like marketers, designers should build their portfolio through internships or landing a junior design role before graduating.
5. The content needs to be good
The last thing consumers want to see on your website is grammatical errors. This is where writers come in to make your content interesting, readable and accurate. And, quality content makes your business look professional. So, even if you have just a little text, or a large text-based site, an editorial staff is an important element to startup success.
So all you non-tech pros need not be afraid of the big, bad geeky tech startup sphere; you are not only essential but you should be clamoring to get inside the bubble. The party is really just starting to kick off. I’ve brought the bubbly and my content writing resume.
Photo Credits
Flickr.com / Flickr.com / Flickr.com / LinkedIn.com / RedFishTech.com
