So you have a great idea…

How to build a tech product while not burning all your cash and ending up with a disappointment

My career has been peculiar and more than a little haphazard. I’ve started five venture-backed technology companies and I’ve consulted to major corporations on technology and business process projects. In between, I’ve helped small clients go from inspiring vision to viable product that can please users and generate revenues. From these experiences I’ve learned a lot of important lessons. One of the most significant is understanding why entrepreneurs seeking to build their first tech product so often end up bitter and much poorer without anything meaningful to show for all their passion and money.

Many first-time tech entrepreneurs have been successful in other areas of life. Sure, there are the barely-twenty-somethings who code a website or more likely a phone app and put it out into the world, but of the millions of apps out there only a tiny number succeed and 99% of those have benefited from many millions of dollars of investor money. More typical than the twenty-something in a hoody is the entrepreneur who has already built a successful career and believes they’ve spotted an interesting opportunity. They develop a product vision, and now they want to turn vision into reality.