Making Business Ideas a Reality

Challenges Faced by Non-Technical Innovators

• Every business is now a software business. Innovation and competitiveness depend on technology, but many founders lack the technical skills to deliver solutions themselves.

• The CTO dilemma: Non-technical founders often struggle to find, vet, and partner with trustworthy CTOs. Hiring a CTO is costly (in salary or equity), and it’s hard to judge their capabilities without technical knowledge.

• The risk of the unknown: Many in this position feel daunted by the technical process, leading to disengagement or blind trust in external teams.

Serving Smaller Businesses is Different

• Unique Challenges: Working with startups, scale-ups, and small to medium businesses requires greater flexibility, efficiency, and risk management because budgets are tight and margins are slim.

• No Room for Overruns: Smaller clients can’t absorb surprise costs. What’s quoted must be delivered, making accuracy and efficiency in delivery essential.

• A Growing Opportunity: While the small business segment is challenging, it’s vast and underserved compared to the enterprise market, offering significant opportunities for those who can meet its needs.

Client Engagement Is Critical

• The best outcomes are seen when clients have already identified a genuine problem and validated that a market exists for their solution.

• It’s important to test market interest (using screenshots or marketing materials) before building the software, rather than waiting until after development to find out if anyone will buy.

• Clients who actively participate in testing and feedback throughout the project get better results and more tailored solutions.

• Those who disengage or wait until the end often find the outcome doesn’t meet their needs, as they missed opportunities to influence the product during development.

• Staying involved, even when the process feels daunting, leads to the best results.

Bring the Problem, Not Just the Solution

• Clients don’t need to come with a fully formed solution; instead, bringing a clear problem and collaborating with experienced technology partners leads to more innovative and successful outcomes.

• Early engagement allows the tech team to apply their expertise to craft the best solution.

Communication and Transparency Matter

• Translating Tech for “Non-Techies”: Successful delivery teams excel at making technical concepts accessible and relevant, enabling clients to contribute meaningfully and make informed decisions.

• Transparency: Regular updates, clear communication of risks, and openness about progress help build trust and reduce anxiety for non-technical stakeholders.

Validate your Market Before Investing in Building

• Product-Market Fit First: The most successful clients have already validated that a real, widespread problem exists and that there’s a market willing to pay for a solution.

• Go-to-Market Fit: It’s not enough to have working software. Early marketing materials and even screenshots can be used to test market interest before investing heavily in development.

• Avoid Building in a Vacuum: If you can’t generate interest with mockups or a pitch, you’re unlikely to succeed just by launching the finished product.

How Tom’s Business uses AI

• AI is being actively used to increase productivity, accuracy, and efficiency in both the business analysis and coding phases.

• Business Analysts use AI to draft and refine software specifications, producing clear, comprehensive documentation (“build bibles”) that are accessible to both clients and developers.

• Developers leverage AI to generate code faster, making software projects more cost-effective and accessible to startups and SMEs.

• B13 is investing in bespoke AI solutions that leverage its internal data from over 100 completed projects.

• By feeding real-world experience and proprietary data into AI models, the team aims to deliver even more tailored outcomes for clients.

Human Expertise Remains Essential

• AI is most effective when used by experts who know how to prompt it correctly and moderate its outputs.

• The quality of results depends on the user’s domain knowledge; AI cannot replace the need for experienced analysts or developers.

The Changing Tech Landscape and Career Advice

• The software development landscape is evolving rapidly, with AI playing an increasingly central role.

• Transferable skills and adaptability are crucial for career longevity; professionals must continuously adjust their goals and skillsets as technology advances.

• Predictions that AI will fully replace developers in the near future are seen as exaggerated—human expertise and oversight remain vital.

• While AI can automate coding tasks and assemble software modules, skilled developers are still needed to architect, integrate, and manage complex systems.

• The future will require professionals who can combine technical know-how with higher-level design and problem-solving skills.

Career Longevity Depends on Adaptability and Skills Diversity

• Job titles and narrow technical specializations may become less important; instead, having a broad set of adaptable, innovative skills will be key to adding value.

• Professionals should focus on skills that can’t easily be automated or commoditized, such as ideation, communication, and translating business needs into technology solutions.

The Digital Skills Gap and Global Competition

• The UK faces a digital skills gap, with far fewer computer science graduates compared to countries like Vietnam, which has invested heavily in tech education for decades.

• Competing on the basis of coding alone is no longer viable; Western economies must pivot to leveraging their strengths in creativity, design, and innovation.

• The UK has a strong culture of innovation and creativity but has struggled to bring enough students through STEM and computer science pathways.

• Vietnam, by contrast, made a deliberate strategic investment in STEM and software education 15–20 years ago, resulting in a large, highly skilled tech workforce and a thriving software industry.

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What Separates Successful Clients from the Rest?

• Engagement over delegation: Clients who throw themselves into the process—reading documentation, reviewing designs, and testing software—see the best results. Passive delegation (“just call me when it’s done”) rarely leads to success.

• Comfort with discomfort: It’s natural to feel intimidated by technical projects, but stepping into the unknown and asking questions is vital.

• Ownership of vision: Successful clients take responsibility for defining what needs to be built, ensuring their vision is accurately translated into the final product.

Guide for Non-Technical Founders Working with Tech Teams

• Be present and proactive: Don’t be afraid to ask questions or challenge assumptions.

• Invest time up front: The more effort you put into scoping and defining requirements, the smoother the build will be.

• Test early and often: Use every opportunity to interact with the product as it evolves, catching issues before they become costly.

• Seek partners, not just vendors: Look for technology providers who are transparent, educational, and committed to your long-term success—not just delivering a product and moving on.

• Active client involvement is critical. The most successful projects are those where clients engage deeply with the process—especially in scoping, reviewing documentation, and providing feedback.

• Removing ambiguity: Up-front definition and design (even if time-consuming) ensures everyone is aligned and expectations are clear.

• Iterative feedback: After every two-week sprint, B13 shares the latest software version with clients, encouraging hands-on testing and rapid identification of issues or misunderstandings.

The Roots of Software Project Failure

• Many software projects fail due to issues that arise before coding even begins—primarily poor scoping, unclear requirements, and a lack of shared understanding of what success looks like.

• Over engineering requirements and delaying project kickoff can be just as problematic as under-defining them.

• Disengagement from stakeholders and “ivory tower syndrome” (where clients hand off a project and expect a perfect result without involvement) are common causes of failure.

Importance of Defining Success Early

• Clearly identifying what constitutes a successful project or product at the outset makes it easier to steer the project and course-correct before problems escalate.

• Early alignment on goals and success criteria is critical to avoiding costly mistakes.

Advice for Non-Technical Innovators

• Avoid rushing into software projects without fully understanding and de-risking their investment.

• With the right partner, anyone can be guided through the technical journey and gain the confidence to make informed decisions at every step.

• It’s essential to work with teams that prioritize transparency, education, and shared understanding throughout the project.