These days it seems to be all about digital businesses. So how can you manage a digital startup being a non-technical person? There are several things you can do to successfully get your startup running, even without a tech background. We have the best tips from experts to help guide you in your digital business venture.
Cybersecurity: “Learning the basics of cybersecurity is crucial for anyone starting an online business. There are plenty of excellent resources online, and even being aware of cybercriminals, the dangers of data breaches, and different attacks such as Malware and Ransomware will make you more security conscious when getting your business up-and-running. Being the victim of a scam or hacker early on in your business' journey can set you back in many different areas including productivity, reputation and finance. Start off by looking into a good antivirus software for your network.”
Backup Data: “It is important when starting your business to back-up all important data. This means having copies of all important business files in a secure place (Preferably a cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive), so that in the face of a data breach, any loss of data won't set you back. Learning how to perform a proper data back-up is necessary and can also be accessible for anyone with any level of tech knowledge.”
Kristen Bolig, Founder at SecurityNerd
“If you are worried about your lack of technical knowledge getting in the way of running your business, I recommend joining online groups for tech support. These can easily be found on Facebook, and offer a community of people willing to share their tech knowledge with those looking for external help. It is also a good idea to do as much research as you can. Just because you didn't officially study IT in school, doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of reputable resources all over the internet to provide you with helpful information. Sometimes all it takes is a YouTube video to begin building your knowledge of online entrepreneurship!”
Kristen Bolig, Founder at SecurityNerd
“A non-technical person will always need some help for a digital business. They can get it through an IT consultant. A person with a non-technical background will face a lot of hurdles and challenges when it comes to starting a digital business. They may need constant help, suggestions, or guidance from someone who has the required set of technical knowledge.” says Perry Zheng, CEO & Founder of Cash Flow Portal.
Zheng suggests IT consulting; “This is where IT consultants come in. IT consultants help you make IT related purchases, hire the right people, and guide you about the right softwares and methodologies that you need to use. Furthermore, they can help a non technical person understand the details of IT infrastructure so they can make some decisions themselves. Finding the right IT consultant can be challenging, you need to review them using their portfolios and user reviews, and also check their online presence for authenticity.”
“These experts can tell you what did and didn’t work for them. They might even provide discounted prices on various online tools or recommend ones that you might not know about. Although, to differentiate between the experts and the amateurs, read through testimonials on their professional sites. The valuable information they can share through their paid content and courses might be worth the investment and help you start your digital business.” says Ben Reynolds, the CEO & Founder, Sure Dividend.
“It’s an affordable way to find professional experts willing to share their insights and advice on establishing a digital business through social media groups.”
Ben Reynolds, CEO & Founder Sure Dividend
“This means you won’t need coding expertise, so beginners can still establish professional websites with ease and efficiency.”
Mika Kujapelto, CEO & Founder at LaptopUnboxed
“They can help you find the suitable tools right for your budget and business needs. You can use blog posts, articles, YouTube videos, and more as a starting point. *Focus on your expertise, such as brand building and marketing, while you hire a professional to develop the tech side of your new business.”
Mika Kujapelto, CEO & Founder at LaptopUnboxed
“Even though I already had some background in ecommerce, I still needed to learn some digital marketing skills in order to get my online T-shirt business going. I learned about Facebook ads on my own and it took many tries before being able to run a successful Facebook ad campaign.” says Mike Pasley, the Founder of Famous In Real Life.
He advises "learning by doing". “From this experience I would say that, even if you're not an expert in all of the technical aspects of running a digital business, learning on your own will pay off in the end because you'll end up mastering these skills by engaging in them yourself. I feel that if I had outsourced from the beginning, I would not have as much insight into the best marketing strategies for my business. I like feeling like I have a handle on things, and I think that this comes from learning by doing.”
Mike Pasley is an Ecommerce Entrepreneur and the Founder of Famous In Real Life.
“I've started several businesses. While I consider myself knowledgeable on tech and digital trends, I am not able to run my business without help from tech experts. That said, to have a digital business up and about, while you try to learn the basics through MOOCs and free resources, pair up with a tech expert. Knowing the basics is important because you want to understand what the tech expert is saying. While they'll do most of the headwork, you (or someone on your team) needs to learn enough to keep it running.”
Ian Sells, CEO & Founder at RebateKey
“The tech world is vast, and trying to learn everything is impossible. Learn what tech is crucial for you to understand. That is; what will move 80% of the needle? In our case, I learned SEO. While it isn't purely tech but a merge between tech and marketing, learning SEO is crucial for any digital business to work and succeed.”
Ian Sells, CEO & Founder at RebateKey