If you want to create a startup, and you've never done that before, you should consult the resources that are relevant to your situation.
First important thing to keep in mind: your idea is worth nothing, it's execution that matters the most.
- Gentle explanation: Why No One Will Steal Your Startup Idea (video)
- Mathematical demonstration: Ideas are just a multiplier of execution
- Angry reaction by Gary Vaynerchuk: You're Out of Business, towards entrepreneurs who ask him to sign a NDA in order to protect their idea pitch, and whine about the difficulty of finding developers.
- No, I won’t be your technical co-founder by Martin Grüner
- [FR] "Une idée n'est qu'une idée. Il est peu probable que ce soit l'idée du siècle, donc ne la mettez pas en avant."
- Is it foolish to go to Startup Weekend-like events and widely pitch my "next Facebook" idea in search of co-founders? on Quora
- William Pietri's answer to Where can I find developers willing to join my startup? on Quora
- [FR] Comments on Comment trouver un associé "développeur" ? by Guilhem Bertholet
- Shubham's rant: "I have the best startup idea, I just need a developer now !"
- [FR] ... et, mon point de vue sur la question: Pourquoi je ne veux pas être ton CTO
- [FR] Video: Nanterre Deter #5 : Testez votre idée en 48h by Côme Courteault (The Family)
- [FR] Outils pour tester ses hypothèses sans dev: Nanterre Deter Toolbox (Google Docs)
- [FR] Codez votre premier site web sur Le Wagon On Demand
- [FR] Apprenez à coder vous même votre prototype, grâce à la formation Pimp My App
- [FR] Passe ton code d'abord !, par Simplon.co
- Try Codeschool, Codeacademy, Coursera...
- Then build your product using startup tools
When approaching developers, keep in mind that:
- They have ideas too, except they probably don't need you for implementing them.
- They will like you if you are impressed by their side projects and problem solving skills.
- They will appreciate your confidence, but make sure to keep cool and humble.
- They hate being considered as coding slaves at your service. => Show what you bring on the table. (cf [FR] Pourquoi je ne veux pas être ton CTO)
- They expect you to be good at something, but may not know the usefulness and/or difficulty of these skills.
- They hate bullshit => express yourself clearly and concisely.
Here are a few ways to reach developers:
- Train your pitch, create a nice profile, and try to seduce developers online:
- [FR] 1stDev
- Teamizy
- Ideasvoice
- [FR] Skill2invest
- [FR] TiKi4
- Go out and talk to them directly:
- SeedNetworking (speed dating for CEO and CTOs)
- Adopt a CTO
- Local Meetups and dev conferences to talk with developers (humility, confidence and listening skills are your best friends)
- And susbcribe to your city's Startup Digest to know about upcoming events.
- If it does not work, sponsor a developer meetup that is the most relevant to your startup ideas
- Price estimator
- Define your app requirements => direct links to template and instructions
- ...and, if it's a web project relying solely on Javascript platforms (Node.js, Meteor.js, Phonegap), ask me!
These stories can help you understand why it's not as easy as you think to build a successful startup:
- WeLoveSaaS/Calabio by Guilhem Bertholet
- AllMyApps by Thibauld Favre
- tKaap by Sylvain Weber
- [FR] Oussama Amar, sur l'entrepreneuriat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WU8YM6tBto (très bon interview!)
- "le courage est la mère de toutes les qualités"
- les caractéristiques de l'entrepreneur: détermination, flexibilité, l'imagination, la ruse (malin / naughty), la fidélité
Great books to read:
- Getting Real: The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application by 37signals (creators of Basecamp)
- The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries
