Category: Tech Insights

Nowadays many startuppers are looking for partners to help them build their business but finding the right people can be very challenging! What are the key people you need for your tech business? Find out now.

Always make sure to adapt this list to your business, capacities and resources.

The first things you need to know before start recruiting skills people are;

• How many people do you want to hire?
• What are the tasks you can’t do yourself already?
• The tasks do you want them to realise?
• The goals you want to achieve thanks to their help?

Another thing you need to think of is how you want to find them, you can;

• Use a platform
• Use word of mouth
• Work with an agency
• Create an offer on your website / social media

Now that you have all the answer to those question, here is a list of key people you need to successfully launch your tech business :

– Front-End Engineer:

This first engineer is very important, he will be your UX/UI Designer in charge of your website performance.
His role will be creating a responsive web design for the sake of your future customer in particular by creating all the visuals, using image editing tools such as GIMP or Photoshop. He will have to know how to use web languages such as HTML and CSS or JavaScript and finally take care of the accessibility of your website.

He will be in charge of answering the question “What the company’s website/platform looks like?”.

– Back-End Engineer:

This second engineer is also very important, the fact that they are two means that they will be able to concentrate more on their tasks and help each other if needed. And since you are running a Tech company having another engineer is not a bad idea.
This one will be in charge of the scripting languages (like Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby…), all the database administration and transformation but also the security (authentication/backup and software).

To be clearer, he will be in charge of answering the question “How does it work?”.

– Marketing Manager :

This person is taking charge of a lot of important things, he will influence the future of the company. He will need to knows how to target your customers and tell them why a particular product or service matters to them. He will be in charge of developing the marketing strategy for the company in line with the objectives, values and resources of your company.
But also planning, preparing and coordinating marketing campaigns on every platform, support of your tech brand. Create a range of different marketing tools you will use every day. And finally, search for potential partnership and take care of collaboration.

– Sales representative:

The commercial represents the health of your company; he is the one who is bringing the money, the one who represents physically the brand. He also has a lot of tasks to do so make sure you are hiring someone who can understand and share your objectives and values.

Finding new clients: prospecting is one of the essential aspects of the sales profession.
Build customer loyalty: the sales representative has a list of customers with whom he has already signed one or more contracts. Its purpose is to renew those contracts and follow the client during all his experience.
Selling his products: the itinerant sales representative presents his products to his customers, highlights new products, takes orders, draws up contracts and negotiates with customers.
Supporting customers in their purchasing process: the sales representative is first and foremost at the service of the customer.

– Communication manager:

If you want to be known, recognized and sell more easily by building your reputation you will need a communication manager. This person will be in charge of all your communication campaign (print, TV, radio …), your press relation, social media… You need to have someone who understands how to be creative with your tech brand to help you stand out on the market.

One of his duty is also to make sure that internally, employees are aware of changes and projects within the company. This way, everyone has the same info and go in the same direction.

Once you have created your team, make sure they are to ensure that their energies go well together and that they share the same corporate values.
Don’t forget to involve key people in every step of the business so that they feel like they are important for the success of your business.
Don’t forget that you are a strat-up so you will probably have to work more than companies that are already present on your market because you have to launch and settle in your market.

This is why you have to make sure that all your future employees/ key people understand the challenge they are facing. Explain to them that their hours will be long and the work will be challenging, but the payoff can be extremely gratifying. We hope we could answer the question “What are the key people you need for your tech business”!

This article is also available on Medium.

You may also want to read “A-Z TO BUILDING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND IN THE TECH SECTOR”

Nowadays having a great tech business idea is not enough, you need funds and it’s not easy to get them. Find out how to get funding to start your tech business.

If you are launching a tech business you will probably need a website, a tech team, office space, and surely, at least enough cash coming in each month to cover your usual expenses. That funding will be useful to properly launch your company while having a decent way of life.

1. Self-Financing / Bootstrapping

Self Financing is an option that you can consider and can be very easy and practical BUT you need to have a lot of money in reserve and unfortunately, this is not the case for most entrepreneurs.

Bootstrapping refers to the fact of managing with your resources and the capital flows generated by the business to finance its launch and/or development. By bootstrapping, you put yourself in an economic logic where your guideline is to do the maximum with the minimum.

While self-financing your startup can be relatively easy, it comes with a big downside: you are in a really bad situation if the company does not succeed, all your savings will go to waste. That’s why before you finance your business yourself, you need to be sure of the strategy for your business plan.

But in any case, you have to make sure that your business plan is solid if you want to convince investors.

2. Friends and Family

Friend and family might seem a bad idea because you are afraid of their reaction and you don’t want to put them in a difficult situation. Don’t worry you are not going to lose your friends if you ask for help and at least they will be aware of your hard work and your ambition.

Even if they are your relatives don’t forget to show them a strong business plan, this one will probably help them realise the potential of helping your tech company. Moreover, this business plan needs to be understandable by everyone and they should be able to find all the information about the what you are selling, what you plan to charge, how you will earn money and whether you are asking for a loan, investment or donation (in the case they are investing or loan you have to explain when they will touch money and how much).

A very positive point of this solution is that having your friends and family helping you launching your company can be also motivating for you.

3. The traditional way

Nowadays get bank credit is a real obstacle course. In fact, bankers have become much more cautious so your business plan must be really solid. Moreover, you must be patient to get an answer to your request, but if this is accepted at least you will have the required finances to start your business properly and stress-free.

4. Search for angel

Another good way to get funds is searching for angel investors, usually established business professionals with high net worths who are looking to invest in promising tech companies. Typically, if your business plan please an angel investor this one can give you a lot of funds to grow your business and also help you with the development thanks to his network.

5. Crowdfunding

A participative tool in full development crowdfunding can be the perfect way for you to raise funds if you think your idea can please internet users.

Many crowdfunding platforms exist, you need to do a few research before putting your idea on one of them to find the perfect one for your business.

Then, you will have to decide what you will ask and the different types of financing you will propose: donations (to sell a product or to collect small sums), loans, or even fundraising. Then you have to invest in marketing your fundraising campaign because a successful crowdfunding campaign requires as much effort as convincing a banker. And above all, assess whether your project is “sexy” enough to seduce Internet users.

6. Venture capitalists

A venture capitalist is a person or company that invests in a business venture, providing capital for startup or expansion. Venture capitalists (VCs) are more likely to require a very strong business plan that includes every possibility, but they can also give you larger amounts of money.

This option needs to consider if you think that crowdfunding, Bootstrapping and relatives funding are not enough.

It’s very difficult to convince Venture capitalists because they receive a lot of propositions and since they are putting a lot of money in your business they need to make sure that this one is going to pay off a lot.

We hope that this article will help you find the best solution for your tech business launching. And as we like to say at 3 Colours Rule you must believe in your idea if you want to convince anyone, so stay motivated and pursue your goals!

This article was written by Ambre Kerleau

We are here to help you elaborate on your brand identity and strategy articulation. Visit our website and discover the different solution we propose for tech companies and find the one that suits best your needs.

This article is also available on medium

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When we hear “startup” we always envision the warm Silicon Valley overhanging by young geniuses and we imagine them all financed by huge venture capital firms. However, the reality is far: not all startups require millions in funding to hit the ground running. For example, some businesses are home-based and so require low upfront investments. These tech businesses can get started for £2500 and even less. You are wondering how to finance your great business idea on a shoestring budget? Discover here how to start your tech business on a budget.

Starting Off

Your first step is to build your product. As a tech company, it would be advantageous to have someone with a technical background in your team. You don’t need any money to build a product, in particular for a software tech company.

start you tech business on a budget

Start small

Minimise your spending, in particular in the early stages. Don’t spend if you do not have to. You may dream of an amazing logo or new website but you have to resist the temptation. You will make your adjustments along the way. Keep in mind that your expenses should remain low.

Before spending any dollar, ask yourself this question: “Will this help me acquire new customers?” If the answer is “no, not really” and it doesn’t help you to grow, simply skip it.

Start keeping everything simple.

There are some ways to incorporate your company without spending thousands. In fact, you can register your private company limited by shares (Ltd.) for less than £50 without legal assistance.

Moreover, to avoid renting an office space, consider working from home. If you need outside help, hire freelancers and virtual assistants. You don’t need to hire full-time employees yet.

Creating and writing a business plan could be intimidating. Instead of trying to fill the blank pages, start with a Lean Business Plan, a one-page document. That will save you time but that will also allow you to build several different business plans trying out different ideas.

Finding Talent

As a startup, outsourcing is probably not the best strategic option. If you need talents to build your product and/or your company with you, or simply add people to grow your talented team, consider attending meet-up and networking events. Leverage your network to find the right people.

The Marketing Part

According to popular belief, building the product is the hardest part. What about getting users, consumers, people to know who you are, what is your company and what you do? Your product is only the beginning, now you need to get the attention of your target.

Learn to use your constraints as an advantage. In fact, having no money is not only a disadvantage but could be one of your strength. Grow your audience without pouring thousands into ad campaigns like most of the tech startups that just raised fundings.

Here is a list of some free marketing techniques you can use.

• Identify where your target market spends time online.
  • Be part of their communities through Facebook/Linkedin groups
  • Use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram to the fullest
  • Websites/platforms specific to your target market
• Participate in networking events that involve your target market.
• Score media coverage. Write a press release and send it to relevant journalists or use some platforms like Help a Reporter Out. This platform connects journalists to founders and entrepreneurs and will allow you to present yourself to bloggers, journalists and other relevant persons.
• Have your own blog page on your website. It will help you to position your tech business as a thought leader in your market while attracting organic traffic to your website. According to Hubspot, businesses with blogs generate 126% more leads than their competitors that run their businesses without a blog.
• Reach out to your contacts, someone may be interested in pre-ordering your product.
• Use email marketing campaigns. It has been proved to be the most effective way to promote your product/service. Collect prospect’s email addresses using your website. That will allow you to nourish them with great and valuable content.
• Get partnerships with companies and organisations. your tech business on
  

Sell Before You Have the Product

Contact your target and tease them your product/service as it’s already built and ready to be launched. However, be careful, don’t tease people years before the launch or they will be tired of waiting and you will lose their interest. If people are interested, give them some early birds: “if you pre-order now, you will receive a unique significant discount”.

It is surely challenging to start a tech business on a very limited budget, but it is not impossible. Keep in mind that it is an advantage: by starting lean, your approach will be more disciplined and the habits you will get will help you to take your company to the next level.

Do you need bespoke marketing and branding advice? Click here to contact us and discover how we can help you.

You may also want to read

How to create your tech brand story step by step

If you suffer from low energy, no motivation and stress due to your business. Do you have the impression that you never succeed in achieving your objectives?
Rest assured we will give you some advice on how to maintain strong stamina in the world of tech

Make sure you have a good organization

a. Organise your workspace

Clean everything that is useless and that clutters your mind in your working environment. You are using the same desk, the same tools every day at work and we all have the tendency to stay focus on our work and we don’t take time to refresh our workspace. Throw away things that are no longer useful to our work, take time to organise everything, it can be on your desk but also on your laptop, phone, paper but also your car…

b. Go for mini-goals!

Sometimes large or longer-term goals can be overwhelming because you can’t see where you are and where it finished.
Create mini-goals, short-term objectives and stay focus on them, this way you will be more motivated and efficient in carrying out major tasks.
And don’t forget to celebrate each one and reward yourself!

c. Keep on track

Keep in mind your objective by noting all the small advances you have made. A good idea can be to create a checklist, this way you will know what it takes in order to reach a goal and what exactly needs to be done.
Stay positive and be inspired by your small victories.

d. Engage yourself in what you are the best for

You stay enthusiastic when you are doing work you are good at. And of course, you are more motivated so it boosts your stamina.
So if you don’t feel too effective and useful. Go back to tasks where you know you are good for. Don’t be modest and trust your capacity and skills!

Takes care of yourself because if you want your business to stay healthy, YOU have to stay healthy!

a. Healthy body

Do exercise, eat healthily we all know the importance of staying active and eating well for your body. It is easy at work to stay in bad eating habits. Prepared dishes, snacks and a 7 pm aperitif…
If your body is healthy, you will feel more motivated and at your full potential to achieve great things at work, trust us.

b. Healthy mind

In all aspects of life, it’s never a good use of energy to spend our time focusing on the things we simply cannot control and negative things. Work is no exception to that. To stay as motivated as possible, you have to stay positive and concentrate on each advance you have made during the day. This strong stamina and positive attitude will help you in the world of tech and your business will seem easier.

c. Be inspired

Surround yourself with people who are enthusiastic and help you stay motivated at work. You don’t need a negative attitude in your work environment.
Get inspired by developing your culture and knowledge, go to museums, conventions, events, travel and open your mind to new things that can help you find solution and ideas.

d. Boost your self-esteem

Your stamina may be down because you don’t feel that you’re capable of reaching your goals. You think that you don’t have what it takes in order to achieve your aspirations, and you suffer from that. If this is the case, make sure to take steps to increase your self-confidence. There are many methods to do this, you will have to find the best one for you.

We know that after being motivated at the beginning of your company/work, staying motivated can be hard and you start losing your stamina and energy.
We hope that our advice will help you keep strong stamina in the world of tech and you will continue achieving great things for your tech business. Don’t forget to set your goals and do your best to reach them!

Now live your best life and enjoy every part of your work!

This article is also available on Medium. 

This article was written by Ambre Kerleau

You may also want to read more on our blog!

There are no highs without lows. The innovations of tomorrow are created with the failures of yesterday, so failing can have unexpected benefits. Keep in mind that ingenious products may die but they often pave the way for the building of others. These products/services are, today, known as some of the biggest technology failures ever invented, but, what could we learn from them?

– Palm Pilot    pilot

Originally called Palm Pilot PDA, this was the first gadget that fit our digital lives into our pockets. Its release in 1997  as a great success, selling 1 million units of the product. Unfortunately, the same year, Microsoft was making a $150 million investment in Apple, thus the story of iPod and iPhone began and the Palm Pilot fell into neglect.

Being unable to adapt successfully to the changing markets, Palm Inc eventually turned into a ‘zombie brand’ continually mounting lacklustre attempts to market/sell their product resulting in a near void in sales.

– MySpace

MySpace was the largest social networking site in the world from 2005 to 2009. Its basis is a social networking website from which people were able to launch music and films careers. The platform at one point even surpassed Google as the most visited website in the US in 2006.

Unfortunately, the website was slow to innovate and seemed unable to keep up with its ageing audience whilst still catering to the newer users. MySpace failed to adapt to changing users tastes while Facebook was learning from them. Then, in 2009, MySpace was overtaken by Facebook in the number of unique worldwide visitors and was surpassed in the number of visitors and the rest is history.

– Google Glass

The world collectively gasped when Google announced, in 2012, that they had invented a gadget that allows your eyes to be your tool. It was one of the first tangible VR creations that made people believe that a ‘Ready Player One’ type world was upon us. 

No one ignored the potential of the product. In fact, few gadgets have debuted with as much buzz as Google Glass and with this one, Google had and still have one of the most-hyped gadget launches of all times.

So what went wrong?

One of the big “reasons why” is the privacy this product would disrespect. Making it that easy to record discretely led many private places like restaurants and bar to ban the gadget with lightning speed.

Google had created this gadget ignoring the needs of the market. From conception to delivery Google made several major mistakes. It felt like Google tested the glasses on people after they had launched them, meaning that the actual usability of the glasses was more than a stone’s throw away from what people would actually use. 

– QR Codes

QR Codes were supposed to be the tool that made everyone’s life easier. Instead of typing an unwieldy URL in the search for something on the Internet, you could scan the barcode directly for more information about a real-world object.

Unfortunately, the ease of QR Codes was in reality not that. Scanning a QR code proved to be much more of a hassle than searching for the things we want directly. Greenpeace, for example, made an advert solely consisting of a huge QR code. However, who will take the time to have to walk to the opposite side of the street just to be able to scan code which you don’t know the purpose of.

The technology is still there but is not really used. For example, advertisements including huge QR Codes are very rarely utilised. How many times have you seen someone taking a picture of a QR code?

What can we learn from them?

The idea of scanning real-world objects with smartphones remains with the rise of apps allowing you to scan and analyse everyday physical items to help you find them or at least similar items online or at least find out the value of items in question. 

– HD-DVD

In 2006, the High Definition Digital Versatile Disc was released. It envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format with the support of Toshiba.

Unfortunately, two years later, Warners Bros Studio announced that they will abandon the format to exclusively back the rival format Blu-ray, and so did Toshiba. Then, Microsoft announced that it has stopped using the HD-DVD format for its Xbox 360 Console and that officially signed the death of the high-definition format.

According to TIME Magazine, Toshiba lost almost $1 billion supporting the format before abandoning it in 2008. There are several factors explaining why major film studios let HD-DVD for Blu-ray format. One of them is that Sony was more effective at convincing film studios to release high definition editions for Blu-ray.

– Windows 8

Microsoft announced, in 2012, Windows 8 as a breath of fresh air. This software was presented as a soft association between modern and classic computing environments. But, unfortunately, they went too far, and then, Windows 8 became the biggest mistake of Microsoft to date.

The new interface was usable to surface tablets however the nightmare was very apparent on the desktop version. From the fundamental issue in the removal of the Start Button to the ‘hot corners’ which resulted mostly in accidental clicks from users when trying to ‘go back’ with an open window. The system was a mess. Users called for the old version back or at least a complete rethink of the new one.

What can we learn from them?

The largest oversight on Microsoft’s part is arguably the lack of any tutorial. There is nothing to explain how to use this new version of Windows. Consumers have to discover the update by themselves. The intentions were there, however, the product itself and the delivery were lacking. It’s even worse when this is the first time you’ve changed your functionalities drastically in 20 years.

– Blackberry

Nowadays, Blackberry’s are largely a prehistoric relic of the mobile industry however we cannot forget there was a point in history when they were the ultimate phone you needed to have.

In fact, those devices were the first smartphones able to send and receive emails and to connect to the Internet. We cannot forget the famous brand new BBM chat with other users of any Blackberry device.

We should not forget the outsiders of iPhone and Android as they were the inspirations of both of these platforms. Thirteen years ago, neither Google nor Apple had established a loyal customer base. Furthermore, they did not utilise users for feedbacks to strengthen their consumer proposition.

What can we learn from them?

The company failed to keep up with changing trends in the mobile arena. It has reached a point where a Blackberry’s only USP is its non-touchscreen keyboard which is still preferred by some people, especially in business. Blackberry paved the way for the smartphones we have today but is now only a shadow of its former self. 

Some of these tech failures were not failures until something else came around and beat them at their own game. In other cases, the few companies were simply ahead of their time. But not only: some failed to pivot and adapt to the new trends and to the needs of their customers. However, they brought concepts of evergreen wealth to both technology and its development. 

This article is also available on Medium

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This is a content teaser for the upcoming B.I.G. Workshop. Michael Abtar from IG Smart is one of our experts. The B.I.G Workshop, London’s first-of-its-kind, interactive tech workshop for tech startups looking to elevate their brand and improve the industry.

Michael is a unique data protection and cyber security consultant with a law background. His 10 years of experience working in the information law and governance arena has led him to manage all levels of programmes and projects from sub-regional to international. He is also a regular keynote speaker and moderator. The bridge between what companies are trying to achieve and what the law allows has large disparities in many cases but with Michael’s comprehensive knowledge of both law and cybersecurity, he is able to help companies lock down their data.

Tech companies (like all companies) can ensure they implement effective data protection within the core of their business by embedding data privacy, security and quality into all systems, processes and technologies by design and by default. Although, doing so can be easier said than done, depending on the nature and complexity of what a tech company does with its data.

For example, multi-national tech companies like Microsoft, Google and Facebook that provide a multitude of solutions and products (both new and legacy) across a wide range of data protection jurisdictions, will almost certainly find it more difficult to implement effective organisation wide data protection measures, compared to a small tech company that sells a single solution within a single jurisdiction would.

The issues surrounding large volumes of precious data

One of the biggest challenges tech companies face is often the sheer complexity of what they do with large volumes of data (data which can often be unstructured and therefore sometimes more difficult to manage). Increasing the risk of technology companies falling foul of data protection laws, notably the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and falling victim to increasingly malicious cybersecurity threats…

[click here to read more about the B.I.G Workshop]

Today, more than 1 million apps appear in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Most of the apps didn’t obtain the success they deserved because of common mistakes they could have avoided. Every company is looking for mobile apps that satisfy their prospects the most. With a focus on the tech industry, you will learn the biggest mistakes that you need to avoid.

Weight up the Pros & Cons of creating an app for your tech company

The biggest mistake is also the most obvious. However, it is very common to see companies investing millions of pounds to develop an app that actually doesn’t bring any added value to the business.

There can be a lot of different reasons for your company to develop an app:

• To be connected to a product you offer. Samsung has for example lighting devices, smart scales that work with their app.
• Improve your customer service. Some banks apps include a direct contact with a personal adviser.
• Improve your website navigation on mobile. Amazon has transformed their website into an app format to offer an adapted product and service experience.
• To increase your brand experience. Ikea offers its augmented reality experience to fully emerge prospects.

Investing in a mobile app is not always compulsory and could be a waste of money.

Make sure your app design is suitable for your sector

As for your website, you must pay special attention to your app design. It is an extension of your business so it should always reflect your professionalism and credibility.

The key rule is to keep a certain consistency between your website and your mobile app.

In a competitive market, make sure your app design is aligned with your competitors and your sector.

Don’t forget to consider app development costs 

Developing an app is costly and is worth it as far as it has sufficient users and/or generates leads. Apps associated with a product or service should always be free. No one likes surprises, your clients would be unhappy to discover that they have to pay for an app in order to use a device or service they purchase from you.

Thus most of the companies develop free apps to be used with their device or service. In this situation, they must consider the cost of the app with the opportunities this app might generate.

Be careful, the cost of the app doesn’t only include the development but also includes future updates and bugs fixes. If you never update your app or fix bugs, your clients may leave negative reviews for your inability for your brand to stay relevant.

Complex software or websites must be rethought for mobile apps

When you want to do a porting of your existing software, you must take into consideration a new ergonomy. Therefore, you won’t be able to simply transcript a software. You may also have to delete some functionalities if they aren’t adapted to the mobile experience.

The ergonomy must be reworked to offer a straightforward experience to your users. This rework will be an investment that you have to take into consideration before deciding to do a porting.

The Adobe Photoshop app is created to do small photo retouching. It’s less complicated that the software you have on your computer.

General mistakes that could apply to any sector as well

The four previous mistakes were specific to the tech sector. However, there are some general mistakes that every sector must avoid including tech companies.

• Developing mobile apps for multiple platforms. We recommend launching your app on one platform. Once everything works perfectly, consider developing other versions to satisfy every smartphone users. Of course, this would not apply if you sell connected devices.
• Ignoring negative feedback. Your app reviews can make your success or your failure. This must be one of your key point of attention.
• Expecting an instantaneous return on Investment. Developing an app is a long-term strategy reinforcing your brand experience and credibility when done wisely.