Finding Solutions As A Non-Technical Founder

How can a non-technical founder come up with a SaaS solution that meets a real market need? Insights from our CEO Andrew Amann about non-technical founding
Coming up with an idea for a million-dollar app doesn’t require one to be a tech genius or to have all the money in the world.
You just need to find the right problem to solve.
This is every step you need to take to get there.
Finding a problem to solve might be the trickiest part of the whole process.
How Non-Technical Founders Find Solutions With A Product Market Fit
There are a few ways successful founders overcome this:
1. They talk to people.
At networking events, conferences, and grocery stores even. They do market research before they do anything else.
Talking also includes sharing the ideas they have so that they can gain honest feedback about their intended venture.
2. They look at underserved industries.
It's easy to get swept up in tech trends and want to build something flashy like an NFT or other high-tech options.
But the chances are good that you'll find better profits building for traditional industries like finance, healthcare, supply chains, and other operations-heavy fields.
3. They look at what's currently available.
Not every app idea has to be 100% unique. It just needs to serve a true purpose.
If that purpose improves on something already on the market, then it's still a viable idea.
Remember innovation doesn't have to mean invention.
Once you've secured your idea, it's time to think about how you're going to build it.
When It's Time To Build
This means going through a process of:
-Seeking funding or bootstrapping
-Team hiring
- Planning and wireframing
- Design
- Coding
- Testing
- Launching
And none of the above will be as straightforward as you'd hope.
Hiring is one of the most important aspects of any company and if you end up with the wrong team you can say goodbye to your app idea.
So finding the right team is another key component of this process.
You need experienced developers, project managers, and UX designers...
Or you need to decide if you want to outsource development to an existing tech agency.
Then it's on to planning and wireframing.
How To Plan For A Successful SaaS Project
All success lies in planning.
Wireframes serve as a middle ground between low-fidelity sketches and the first interactive prototypes.
When you're planning your app, you can use the steps below:
-Map out your user's journey
-Plan out the user flow
-Build the back end
-Create design patterns
-Craft the in-app copy
-Keep the flow between screens
-Test your design decisions
-Plan to scale
For a million-dollar app, you will need top-notch design.
Familiarity is one of the most important properties of good UX design - people like to feel like they already know the functionality when they open your app.
Both Android and iOS have native design patterns that simplify the task of creating a familiar experience for designers.
Make sure you get a UX/UI designer who knows how to bring these familiar principles to life in a snappy and fresh way.
Developing A World-Class App
Then there is development.
It is crucial to understand that nobody wants to buy an idea. You will have to do the groundwork and develop a minimal viable product (MVP) that people can interact with.
This is where a strong development team is needed most.
And remember when it comes to development, you get what you pay for.
You can choose to offer a higher salary to attract a more qualified developer or keep it cheap and get a subpar result.
Remember your potential users will want quality, so choose wisely.
When you've gotten the right team and they've followed all the steps needed to finish building the app, you can rest easy right?
Wrong.
Your app won't go anywhere if you don't put time into sales and marketing.
In fact, the leading apps in the world put large portions of their total revenue into these aspects of the business.
Marketing your app will mean optimizing it for the app store, creating ads for social media, building a presence around it online, and much more.
You'll likely need to hire for this role too.
And then you keep working at it until it either reaches profitability or is acquired by a bigger company.
This will entirely depend on the goals the founder has.
Once the app is live, you never stop pitching it.
Iterate, keep users engaged in the improvement process and don't stop until it takes.
TL: DR Building a million-dollar app is very possible even if you're not a technical founder. You just need to have the right guide in your pocket.
Follow @andrewamann to see more insights into running a leading venture studio, entrepreneurship tips and more!
