As entrepreneurs, I am sure you have read one-liners and quotes that are tweeted and re-tweeted for the world to read and latch onto.
Some are attributed to great people. Some are very opinionated. Some are personal crusades. Importantly, some are true.
Equally importantly, some are completely bullsh*t.
I am an investor in technology startups through my company, KAYWEB Angels. Therefore I am always reading about people's thoughts on technology, and sometimes, what they write riles me.
There are many myths in the world of entrepreneurship. And the assertion that "tech entrepreneurs must know or learn how to code" is one of those myths.
I started KAYWEB Angels on the back of the success of my web and mobile application development company, KAYWEB. At KAYWEB, I employ over a dozen programmers, designers and managers. We operate in three continents, with offices and staff in New York, Sydney, Melbourne and Manila. We have built over 200 websites and mobile applications over seven successful years. We have won many awards.
And I do not know how to code.
But let's forget about me, because this myth that "tech entrepreneurs must be able to code" is too big for it sound like a personal crusade.
Instead, let's focus on some of the most successful technology startups and ask one question... could people who do not know how to code have come up with these ideas?
Of course people who do not know how to code could have come up with these ideas, and are coming up with ideas such as these every single day.
They cannot code these ideas, however they may be able to drive them, manage their development, sell them, and enjoy their success!
You see, the internet is no longer something only hackers understand.
I deal with laypeople daily - clients, budding entrepreneurs, business partners and others. They have a preference between Google and Bing for searching, they have an opinion on the rollout of the Facebook Timeline, they understand what constitutes good web design and bad web design, and they understand when one website or mobile application is more or less user friendly than another.
These are people who log onto and use the internet daily. They may not know how to write a line of PHP or prepare a Style Sheet, but they can tell you that this does not work properly and that looks crap... the guidance required by Project Managers and Quality Assurance staff during the development process of a website or mobile application.
To state that if these non-coders do not learn code, they shouldn't start an internet business is simply wrong. They may have a great tech idea and coding may not be something they ever latch onto because, for example, they are weak at math (which you cannot be if you want to be an excellent coder).
And programmers do not necessarily make for the greatest businessmen and women. They do not necessarily make the best managers.
Knowing how to code should not necessarily mean you should be running a tech company, while not knowing how to code should not exclude you from running a tech company.
Today's tech entrepreneur can be anybody, because today, anybody can have a winning tech idea and a winning tech business.
I encourage tech entrepreneurs, who do not know how to code, and cannot find a suitable tech co-founder or coders as staff, to check out
KAYWEB Angels - we can invest in your business by building (designing and developing/coding) your ideas!