Starting a Tech Business: A Practical Guide for Anyone Creating or Designing Applications or Software

Who Are These Software People?

If this is your first time working with engineers, you have a substantial challenge ahead of you. If it's not your first time, you still have a challenge (at least, I know I do). Keep in mind that challenges are one of the best parts of building a business. They help us grow intellectually and professionally, and understanding a few key things about developers will dramatically increase your chances of having a fruitful, enjoyable relationship with this part of your team.

Though individual engineers' personalities, aptitudes, work ethic, and preferences differ as much as any other profession, you can say three things about most engineers:

1. They're expensive.

A global shortage of engineering talent and an acute shortage of high-quality talent exists. By the law of supply and demand, you'll be paying these people a lot, especially if they're good and if they're specialists.

2. They have a different perspective.

Even if some of your engineers happen to have a business background (most won't), they're in the role of engineer. Things that are obvious to you about what's important to the health of the business won't necessarily be obvious to them.

3. They're part of a profession.

George Bernard Shaw famously said, “All professions are conspiracies against the laity.” This is as true of engineers as it is of any other profession. Though you can expect some challenges understanding what's going on in engineering, few technology systems are impossible ...