Establishing a Tech-Business — A Journey.

I have worked for various tech companies for around six years since my graduation, and now I am running my own business with my partner. I’d like to share some key takeaways we’ve learned along the way. Having been in the software development agency business (vincere.dev) for three years — starting from scratch with no funding ™— we find it interesting to share our story with those who might want to start a tech business without funding or are simply curious about the journey.

Everyone’s journey is different, and you might have your own approach to building a successful business. Your experiences shape both you and your business. Here are the key lessons we’ve learned so far on our journey.

Profitability

Profit is the primary goal of starting a business, but understanding how to achieve and maintain profitability isn’t always straightforward. As a software developer, I initially focused solely on technical aspects and didn’t fully grasp how technical decisions impact the business until I experienced it firsthand.

We once suggested by our client to use some tech stacks that are rarely unheard of yet it’s fast and scalable, the ecosystem is small, and we were not using any web framework, we wrote everything from scratch, and built microservices because they care more about scalability.

If we use <insert-framework-name>, how if we have a million requests? How would this framework handle that?

While preventative thinking and planning for scalability are important, this approach led to several issues:

• Increased Development Time and Costs: Writing software without a framework took longer, resulting in higher monthly costs. A three-month delay meant three extra months of expenses.
• Larger Team Requirements: Meeting deadlines without a framework required more developers to build and maintain the software. We had to create technical documents and components that frameworks usually provide out of the box.
• Higher Cloud Costs: Prioritizing scalability from the outset led to expensive cloud infrastructure, especially since we built the MVP using microservices.

As a developer, it’s crucial to provide solutions that consider current conditions and immediate business needs. The primary goal should be to make business processes more efficient and reduce operational costs whenever possible.

Marketing

Initially, I had little understanding of marketing, but as I dig deeper, I realized it’s a crucial skill everyone should possess, whether running a business or not.

Marketing is not a department.

— Rework

It’s what we do every time.

• Every time we write our code
• Every time someone uses our service
• Every time we speak to our client or customer
• Every word we write on the website, every error message, every success message
• Our service and product quality

All these elements contribute to our marketing efforts. This implies that we need to approach everything we do with seriousness and attention to detail because every action directly impacts our company’s brand and revenue.

Hiring

I was intrigued by a YouTube video discussing how drug cartels effectively recruit and manage people. The author mentioned that:

Drug trade is the ultimate form of entrepreneurship.

While anecdotal, it’s undeniable that cartels excel at hiring loyal and talented individuals while preventing internal betrayals and infiltration.

Key takeaways for hiring:

• Assess Necessity: Before hiring, determine if the workload issues can be solved through automation, workflow adjustments, or better timeline management.
• Hire Slowly and Carefully: When hiring becomes essential, proceed deliberately to ensure you bring the right people onto your team.

Effective hiring ensures that your business operates smoothly and maintains a strong, cohesive team dedicated to your company’s success.

Final Words

Running a business has required me to unlearn and relearn many things. One major lesson is that we can’t plan for everything; numerous factors remain beyond our control.

We’re still figuring out many aspects of our business, but we’ve gained a solid understanding of the fundamentals. I look forward to sharing more about our journey in the future.