In the past year, I have seen many entrepreneurs who have invested in tech startups. It is no surprise because these new fields can be very lucrative. However, it takes work, and I have seen people with great ideas who have made mistakes and failed. I listed the four mistakes entrepreneurs make with their software startups and how to avoid them.
Mistake 1- Forcing the development team to be very fast
So you have a great Idea and want to create a mobile app and start as soon as possible. Well, that seems great, but if you don’t start the right way, you will be punished later. Software development has multiple steps, and development (including testing) is the last. You have to start with UX/UI design and create a prototype. Then after deciding on every aspect of the app, it is time to build (develop) the actual app.
Mistake 2- Changing/adding new features during the development
So the prototype is ready, and the dev team has started working on the code. After a few days, a friend suggests a feature, and you ask the dev team to put that feature inside the app, very well! But what is the problem? The problem is that database models, functionalities, API endpoints, etc, are decided, and when you require a significant change, everything needs to be redesigned. This creates confusion for the development team and extends the time required to finish the project.
What is the solution?
The solution is simple, WAIT! Finish the project, add new features slowly, and begin with the most useful one. Never add features that might seem reasonable because it will complicate the code base, and eventually, the project will be a mess.
Mistake 3 – Not owning the code base and extra services
Software development requires a lot of external services. Hosting and server provider, code repositories, database, SMS provider, authentication provider, etc. All these service providers need developers to create accounts with them, and almost all require a phone number for OTP. Some good developers will try to ask you for an email and phone number so that you will have all the accesses, but others will go ahead and use their number and email. This is very bad because if you want to change developer, you will not know the credentials. Yes, you can ask him/her to give you all the login details, but you will have a hard time. This does not mean they are not honest, but they want to finish the project and get the work done as soon as possible and don’t have time to ask for a phone number, email, identity card, etc.
Solution: Try to find trustworthy developers. Create an email, buy a phone for the dev team, and ask them to use it for all the accounts they need. Maintain your access as the owner of the emails. Emphasize creating readme files and proper documentation.
Mistake 4 – To use one payment card for everything
I have seen people paying thousands of dollars for services like AWS, MongoDB Atlas, Google Cloud, etc., and their software does not even have any users. If you use only one payment card for all these services, it will be hard for you to control access to your money and block payments if needed.
Solution: Create an internet banking account and make virtual cards. This way, you can block payment easily for a service you don’t need. Try to find trustworthy people. Also, try to start with cheap hosting options like Heroku; if your business grows, you can go with high-performance servers.
Now managing all these things must not be easy for a person who does not have any knowledge about software dev. That is why you need an IT project manager who can take care of your software.
I hope this article helps you, and thanks for reading.
