What to do with a great idea?

[funmi]

A non-tech person has a tech idea he thinks is a million dollar one. How does the radar community advice that he goes about making it work.

P.S.

1. Said person is very non-tech
2. He Is apprehensive of idea being stolen.

[akindolu]

1. Learn to code
2. Become friends with those who can, and be generous.

I’ll just drop this here: http://blog.samaltman.com/non-technical-founder-learn-to-hack

[Dotunnn_]

Lol at question 2. I can assure you someone out there has the same idea with you and has probably started executing already.
Never be apprehensive of your idea and treat it as one in a million.
As regards to question 1, Coding/Programming isn’t for everybody. Approach a potential co-founder you think has the tech related skills you’re looking for and discuss your idea and vision with the person. Make sure you try to sell your vision to the person and bring them on board.

Bill Gross gave an amazing model of 5 factors that made startups successful and I couldn’t agree more. Guess where the ‘idea’ factor came in?

[TomiWalker]

A similar thread has already been created. I think you might find this useful:

How do you start a tech startup without deep coding knowledge?

If your product is going to help us locate the missing Nigeria satellite in space (meaning: your PRODUCT is hinged on proprietary technology and the success of your is a function of that technology) then go and learn how to code or at least how to write the algorithm. If your startup is just a service company with a web front (ecommerce, blog, rental service) ie the success of your company doesn’t depend on the technology, but on the quality of the service delivered by you (whether or not it w…

[ribads]

My advice is for him/her to start already.
I must however confess that starting to learn how to code is going to be time consuming. I would however go with @Dotunnn_ on this one. If he has the money, he should hire people to build it, then he acquire the necessary skills to manage it.

[PapaOlabode]

1. Definitely don’t learn to code because you want to bring said ‘great idea’ to life. Maybe later think of learning to code to understand your developers, but right now, your ‘great idea’ can’t wait.

2. Validate, validate & validate your ‘great idea’! Depending on what said ‘great idea’ is, this doesn’t mean it will involve coding work. Eg it might be you want to launch a new laundry service in Lagos. So you pick a location (say 1004 V. I) & simply print out some flyers with promotion code (1004VI) and a clear CTA (Call to get 10 shirts for FREE). The response (or lack of it) will help you to know if you’re on to something big.

3. Nobody is stealing your idea. Ideas are important but only execution gives them life. This is probably the most important point. To execute a ‘great idea’, you will need a team around you supporting the vision. If you don’t talk about this vision, how do you get your team?

[nextstep]

Share your idea. Seriously. The graphic from @Dotunnn_ (and conventional wisdom) show that the idea itself is worth less than 30%. I’d argue it’s worth 10%: ideas are not made in a vacuum, and you could be surprised at how unoriginal your original idea is, and how many people have thought of something very similar.

You need to share your ideas so you can:

1. bounce it off other people and see if it sticks or if it can be improved
2. hire or partner with a tech person who can cue up a prototype
3. show prototype to investors and potential customers

If, at some point in the future, you find that “somebody stole your idea”, it was mostly because of superior execution, better funding, better team, and better insights into the market. Not because of the idea. So stop nursing and get to executing.

[funmi]

Really helpful responses, thanks everyone. I gather it’s basically not the idea but the EXECUTION

[udemesamuel]

First @funmi, if it is a web/mobile idea-product that has a new market it is VERY VERY important you must know how to code. but if it an existing or niche market then you can look for a nice girlfriend (Co-founder) That is a core techie, then you know how to manage and respect their decisions. why you need to be a developer is why doing your customer development process, at times when you need to pivot or get new insight and want to implement on the app, who will do that, except you or your co-founder can do that. Then 2. please any good idea that is viable enough is not worth stolen, only the person who has the insight for an idea will have the passion to see it through. please @funmi when trying to execute your idea, please don’t use the waterfall development process, please use this method AGILE + LEAN + BUSINESS MODEL to turn your idea from an idea to a product. else you will just be like us (me::then) and most of us trying to work on a project for 3 years, trying to get all the features right, then by the 4th year it will be an abandoned project.

[CenturyFavour]

@funmi these are what I have learnt on the road, given that I have been/currently in your shoes.

1. Your idea can be stolen but not your vision: A product’s vision is personal to a founder, it is that picture of the future that you see. No one can see that future except you. Ideas are like fruits on a tree as Vision is to the root and trunk of the tree. Don’t just have ideas, have a vision for that product. Bear in mind two people with the same idea will execute differently. Your vision is your weapon it will guide your execution. Ideas are nothing without good execution.

2.Learn to code because you love coding, not because you have an idea you want to build. Moreover you must learn how to interact and manage people who code. Learn how to speak their language, and understand what they do. Read up on basic things that has to do with programming. Interact more with developers. It is important even tho you are not a developer you learn to think like one.

3. Get a co-founder or Pay a developer to build you an MVP. I once [wrote about the challenges of finding a technical co-founder hope it helps you.][1]

4.You must bring something to the table other than just an idea. It might be Design skills, Business development, Fund-raising skill, Marketing. Something other than an idea. A potential cofounder will not take you serious if you have nothing else to offer, to aid in executing on the idea. Because in the startup world ideas are useless without execution. Also whatever equity you intend to have on the project is dependent on what you bring to the table.

I hope this helps
[1]: https://centuryefavour.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/challenges-to-finding-a-technical-co-founder-in-nigeria/

[princehumphrey]

1. Get good developers
   Learning to code is very low on the scale of things you need to do. Their are many market places like Upwork. You can get very good developers from there. Jason Njoku of Iroko TV doesn’t code and never did.

2. Execution
   This should be a key focus for you. You can only execute if your idea has been validated. So your idea is safe and if not your execution would save you

[nextstep]

@princehumphrey

Jason Njoku of Iroko TV doesn’t code and never did.

I wouldn’t be so sure… didn’t he spend 1-2 years locked up in his apartment writing code for Ikoro or somesuch?

[tomi]

You sure about that mate ??