I Had Fun Playing Tech Advisor to a Non Tech Founder
One of several experiments I tried the past year or so
Hi, it’s me Kimsia and yes, I haven’t updated for nearly a year. After I officially signed off on the biggest contract as an independent software vendor (a story for another day) in April 2023, I allowed myself to live a bit more.
One huge implication of letting myself live more is that I’m no longer doing random stuff out of fear and desperation. Admittedly, this newsletter was a part of that random flailing. Hence, the massive drop off in updates for almost a year.
I don’t want to be too reflective in today’s post. Instead, I want to talk about one concrete new thing I did during this period of living more.
Some of you may know that I was in a mastermind group with other SaaS founders in Rob Walling’s microconf community. And when I got stuck with my SaaS idea was to help another founder with his. For anonymity’s sake, let’s call this gentleman, J.
No Code Agency Wasted Founder’s Money and Time
J’s issue at that time was that he had spent tens of thousands with a no-code Bubble agency on his SaaS idea with little to show for. I played with the prototype the no-code team had produced. It was pretty buggy.
After a mastermind session when J finally had enough and wanted to try a different product idea, I thought I will help him on a separate product idea he had. A fresh slate is always easier for me to help in.
I Wrote Zero Code But I Tried to Help in Other Ways
I emphasized to J I will NOT write any code. And given it’s a new idea, I started by creating a database schema with him jointly.
It’s been my observation that when you design a database schema with the product owner’s or end users’ input, it forces the team to confront any vague assumptions early and clarify them early in the process.
Clarifying Assumptions Before Writing Code is Good
It’s supremely important to clarify assumptions. The earlier you can do that, the cheaper it is to build a working product. Preferably before writing any code. And creating a database schema forces enough rigor akin to writing code without it being actually writing code outright.
Once, the database schema was done, I guided J on how to hire technical people on Upwork. Given that J was highly creative, he had no issue coming up with the UX look and feel of his new product idea on Figma on his own. If it was someone else, that would have been the next hire.
We Got Some Luck with Hiring
Instead, the first technical person we hired is for the frontend. Someone who can transform J’s Figma into frontend code. We found someone suitable after we followed my adapted version of Derek Sivers’ How2Hire advice.
By the time we are ready for the backend, we got lucky when Y person recommended a friend he worked before, A.
After 3 months or so, the first prototype was live, albeit in development environment. Another 3 months or so, the new product was making its first dollars in production. J’s pretty influential with the target audience, so making sales was to be expected and in his wheelhouse.
The Whole Team was Entirely Remote
The whole development process from idea to making first dollars was pretty fast and cool. Every member was in a different country and timezone. We got revenue roughly months in. Personally, I never took part in a product going live so quickly and making some money, whilst never writing any code.
That was a first for me.
To thank us, J even got us gift baskets. I received two in total. One in September 2023, and another in Feb 2024.
Starting Masters Degree School and My Learnings
Now that the team has grown substantially, and I’m starting my Masters degree this week, I have less energy to advise J. So, I’m slowly weaning myself from the team.
The good thing is, over the past year or so, I can see that J is starting to get better at hiring and managing tech people. And I’m happy to play some part of it.
I’m confident J will get better. The SaaS is growing, and has its own cadence. If the cadence changes to something explosive, I don’t rule out cutting my Masters’ study short.
The whole experience taught me a few things:
It’s totally possible personally to build a digital product that makes money without me writing code. This is a first for me.
It’s totally possible personally to build a team that’s entirely remote. I already know this, but only in theory. To have actual practical experience is still quite revelatory. Companies and teams with more resources should consider this option. After all, there are more smart and talented people outside your company than inside.
Working with people who bring different skillsets and aptitudes is crucial. The early team — consisting of J, Y, and A, plus me advising J — had 4 very different characters with very different skillsets. Working with a team this diverse was a first for me. And I learn how important that each person brings a different skill to the table that fits the problem at hand. Weirdly, we didn’t set out to build the team this way. It evolved naturally that way.
Spaciousness was important.
Spaciousness
It’s a bit hard for me to explain this term despite learning it a couple years ago. I’m not confident if I understand it fully. In this specific context, I am willing to wager that there was a right amount of spaciousness that allowed for the product to move from idea to dollars so quickly.
Spaciousness is an attitude: the willingness to suspend the process of meaning-making. Spaciousness is the willingness to allow unknowing, uncertainty, confusion, ambiguity, meaninglessness.
— from Spacious freedom | Vividness
J was starting fresh with a new idea. We started with brand new contractors in Y, and A. I myself had no stake in this product. So, I was a lot less anxious, when inevitable issues cropped up. I had previously worked on stuff where I worked far harder with much less success. This was new, and pleasantly surprising for me.
Yes, spaciousness is an attitude. But the thing about any kind of attitudes is that they’re easier to foster and maintain when the environmental conditions are conducive. And, maybe we got lucky stumbling onto the right conditions that engender this spaciousness? I’m not sure.
In any case, trying to recreate the right conditions for me to engender this spaciousness, or "spacious passion" is a direction I’m exploring more. Particularly when it comes to my own product ideas.
Future Updates
That’s the update I have so far. I’m not stopping my experiments, and building. Just that I won’t update as frequently as other newsletters. Every time I come up with some target, life takes me into directions that make an absolute mockery of my plans. No promises this time.
You’ll get the updates when you get them. Until then, keep safe.
https://sive.rs/how2hire is excellent succinct advice for bootstrappers. Great post!
1. Great to see that things are going well.
2. One thing the thing you are calling spaciousness -- thank you for those links! -- can save an entrepreneur from is making too quick a decision, achieving a premature consensus and associated ills. But now I have a better way to explain this to those who ask. :)