So you have a business idea. How important is it for you to understand the technical communication skills required to build your product? There are certain skills that would be beneficial to have as a founder – including software development, design patterns, program languages, social media marketing etc. – so that you can clearly identify the feasibility of your idea.
This blog outlines some of the most important technical communication skills you should have as a startup founder or someone working on a startup.
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is an incredibly powerful program that has unlimited potential. This software is good for tracking and interpreting data IF you know how to use it properly. You should be able to use Excel for accounting and budgeting.
“Excel is highly effective for modeling out business scenarios and understanding what factors are most important for growing the business. By enabling me to accurately forecast and control spend, I’ve been able to focus our company priorities.” – Lynn Perkins, founder and CEO of UrbanSitter.
Computer Programming
While you do not need to know everything there is to know about computer programming, it is important to have a basic understanding, especially if you are building an app or another product that requires it. Computer programming/coding is also useful when it comes to building websites. If you are looking to do this yourself instead of hiring someone, it is beneficial to have some experience with the coding and programming languages.
Data Collection and Analysis
As a startup founder, you should be able to gather data and interpret it. This data could include social media analytics or research driven results. These pieces of data are essential to helping you build out a proper marketing plan and will also be helpful when pitching to investors.
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization is important for many reasons but the main one is ensuring you come up on Google when people search for the solution you offer. You want to have a basic understanding of SEO principles and how keywords work. This will also help you if you are building your own website and writing your own website copy and content.
Social Media Marketing
You should have a basic understanding about how to use social media in order to drive traffic to your website and drive potential customers to the checkout page or inquiry form. With this, you should be able to understand your target audience, where to find them online and what types of content you can create to connect with them. If you have questions about Social Media Marketing, we have written a full guide on it here.
Online Accounting and Bookkeeping
As a Startup Founder, it is beneficial to have an understanding of accounting and bookkeeping so you can interpret your sales, ROI and profits properly. Becoming familiar with your numbers will help you make better predictions for the future and allow you to see stronger growth. All decisions should be backed by numbers.
Additional Skills
There are other technical skills you will also want to ensure you familiarize yourself with like graphic design, wireframing, photoshop, HTML, CSS etc. These skills listed in this blog are a good starting place when you are deciding which skills to focus on developing first.
Here at Altitude Accelerator, we know that building a startup can be difficult. That’s why we created a blog series called #HelpMeStartup designed to clear up some common confusions among first-time startup entrepreneurs.
See how Altitude Accelerator can help by checking out our RevUp program for pre-revenue startups. Or register as a Altitude Accelerator client to get access to all our tech-startup focused programming and resources.
On the Blog: Read about Lean Startup Methodology
Building a Value Proposition in 3 Steps
Without a fully articulated and compelling value proposition, it is difficult for customers to understand why they should buy your product or service… Read more
How Do I Develop a MVP?
Whenever a startup endeavors to build a product, offer a service, or introduce a new idea, its founders make assumptions. They assume what customers… Read more
How Do I Talk to Customers?
Customer development can be an often overlooked part of building a company, but it is just as important as meeting with investors and building a… Read more
