Want to create tech? Have an awesome idea but not the required expertise? Firms like Yammer, Squidoo, and Meebo started off by non-technical founders just like yourself. Read ahead to form your dream tech:

1. Prove your idea- before investing money and time, run your idea through a couple of tests: Is there an existing product already in the market? Investigate comparable products and find out whether you have something unique. You may not be able to code or do the designing but visualizing is something that you can definitely do. Draw out a wireframe version with the help of tools like iMockups, Mockingbird, Basalmiq and this will put something concrete to be further worked upon. Find out the flaws and their possible corrections before presenting the idea for feedback from investors, end users, and developers.
2. Learn before you leap– Nothing is better than being knowledgeable yourself. This will enable you to ask the correct questions to correct people and also attract suitable talent.
3. Judge your skill set and abilities- The self-evaluation process is both critical and agonizing. Evaluating strengths and weaknesses help in pinning the major components required from the team to attain a balance.
4. Learning the basic process developments– Books on software engineering are readily available and you can read relevant blogs for all required jargon. You can also try your hand at understanding the basics of user experience design (UX), play around with apps, websites to pick the exact elements and designs that would suit your requirements.
5. Building up your own team– what you now need is a team which will now Now is the time to hire a team. If you are serious about giving your thoughts a concrete shape, both investors and developers will take your venture seriously. With something viable at hand, it is time to find the team members who can actually help make idea material. A good team should combine everyone’s powers to make one awesome super structure. Find someone to complement and compensate for your lack of technical knowledge and know-how. Here are a few important points to remember while building your team:

Despite what you’ve taught yourself, you will eventually need a Chief Technical Officer (CTO) to spearhead the development. The person should be the right combination of technical prowess, good personality, capable of working harmoniously and dealing with the pressures of the business. It is important that you gel well with the CTO since they are ‘the’ person who can make your business flourish.

Followers of the same dream will definitely understand your vision and therefore spend time to select people who are as passionate as you are. Hiring a set of people who would merely work for salary and leave for the day would prove detrimental.

Make your vision as clear as possible as this will make it easy for the development team to give your product the desired shape. In fact you should also ask for their inputs/feedback from the team as it can be extremely valuable for shaping the big idea.

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