3 Ways To Find Specialist Help For Your Startup Idea
Some of the most successful startups have been founded by people with little specialist expertise
Startup ideas can come from anywhere.
We’re all familiar with the image of the entrepreneur scribbling down ideas on scraps of paper during their day job. We all know the startup model where a common issue in an industry is transformed. Outside of the box ideas often come, quite literally, from outside of the box; entrepreneurs can offer perspective on areas they don’t know much about purely through creative insight.
What Elon Musk has shown the world is that you can create an idea that changes everything. From Tesla to PayPal to SpaceX, Musk has never let a lack of specialist knowledge get in the way of his vision. SpaceX for example, was founded in order to make consumer space travel a possibility. The huge obstacles to overcome in order to make this a possibility were navigated with relative ease because Musk got support from those with the insights to make things happen.
More generally, some of the most successful startups have been founded by people who aren’t specialists in the slightest- and there’s likely a good reason for this…
Specialists are often wrapped up in the issues that they face every day. Sometimes it takes the fresh perspective that entrepreneurs can provide to generate a truly innovative idea. These ideas often arise in one or more of these situations;
- An individual stumbling across a problem for the first time
- An individual noticing an emerging need for a new product
- An individual recognising a potential crossover between industries
Despite knowing the potential, setting out to do something in an area that’s not your specialism can be daunting. Though you might be wondering where to start, never forget that taking the steps into the unknown is what entrepreneurship is all about!
Finding a guide who has explored what you are exploring 10,000 times before is very likely to make things easier when getting your ideas off the ground. Trust me when I say this- my startup is in gaming… and I’m not a gamer nor someone with a background in tech!
If your startup is outside of your current field of knowledge, finding specialists who can guide you is key. They might be an advisor, someone you outsource to, or even a co-founder!
In this article, I explore some ways I’ve used to find the right specialist help for your startup idea.
What is a specialist?
Before getting into how to find them, it’s worth me defining what I consider a specialist to be in this context.
In short, specialists are people who you can use to check if your idea is going to work. Because they have a detailed understanding of an industry or area, they are going to spot oversights and potentially give your idea the edge. Business needs (and budget!) will dictate the capacity you can work with someone, from starting a business as a co-founder to hiring for growth. Specialists are the ones to help you achieve the vision!
The Founder of leading live stream service Twitch, Justin Kann, famously describes “turning a terrible idea into a billion dollar company” by hiring a specialist video game streamer. In 2005, when streaming was a relatively new concept, the average person didn’t have the equipment and software needed. Twitch started out as “Justintv,” a platform for Kann to show his day to day life. When Kann then, in tandem with his team of video game streaming specialists, made video streaming accessible for gamers, he did so at just the right time- a time when YouTube gamers were reaching their apex. These days, Twitch is the number one site for gaming content.
Finding Specialists
Utilising your existing network
Though I lived with three developers at University, I never understood what they did…
Then, years later, there came a time where they were invaluable to me. Speaking to them about a new startup idea was key to understanding whether the business idea was viable from a tech perspective.
I made the most of every existing connection I could think of. A cousin of mine worked for a major games publisher. My business partner had worked with some great product designers before. With every conversation we had, the idea- which had previously been simply a concept- began to take shape.
Seeking out a new network
Sometimes the insights you need will come from people who aren’t already in your network. I’ve said many times that making connections and networking wherever possible is key to startup success… and I’ll say it again!
Connecting with new people- whether via LinkedIn and social media or at online or physical events- is going to propel your business forwards in ways you might not even anticipate.
A great example of this comes from Netflix Founders Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings. What started out as a postal service for DVD’s, Netflix was powered by the insights of everyone the two came into contact with along the way. Early inspiration came from when Randolph asked whether he could change jobs to the mail section of the music publishing company he worked at. The personalised marketing tactics he deployed there became fundamental to the way the Netflix algorithm works today.
Making use of courses
Whether you are struggling to make connections or not, joining courses is always a worthwhile means of gathering insights for your startups. If you meet connections there, great. If not, the content you learn will still help you bridge gaps in your knowledge and accelerate your progress. There are plenty of affordable online courses that are well worth taking. I can’t say I’ve learnt to code, but at least learning a few basics has helped my discussions with the development team!
Books and podcasts are important too! Try to gather recommendations from people you respect wherever possible.
You’ll Know More Specialists Than You Think!
Making connections is great way to prevent imposter syndrome from getting the better of you, but if you’ve had a business idea, you can find the people and the insights to make it work!
You’ll also know more people than you think already. From distant relatives to friends of friends, your network has the power to give you the foundation and confidence to get out and speak to more people, to validate your idea and progress it onto the next level.
And who knows, one of your connections could even become a co-founder or integral part of your startup story!