243. How to Work with Developers: A Guide for Non-Technical Leaders Feb 26, 2025

If you're a non-technical founder or leader, you might find developers frustrating to work with.

(They also think the same thing about you)

Developers resist quick changes, seem annoyed by status meetings, and always want the most expensive equipment.

That's not because they are prima donnas.

...
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239. Do you really need a co-founder? Jan 29, 2025

Do you really need a co-founder? There's intense pressure in the startup world to find co-founders, but the data tells a surprising story.

MIT research shows that solo founders are actually more than twice as likely to succeed compared to teams, while Harvard research reveals that 65% of high-po...

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177. Where business schools fail in the Digital Age Nov 15, 2023

A top MBA can be the best investment you make in your career. BUT most business schools haven't adapted to the Digital Age, despite pressure from employers & students.

Listen to this episode if you have an MBA, are considering one, or work at a business school.

You will learn:

  • What's missing in
  • ...
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170. Advisory Boards: why join them & why have them Sep 27, 2023

If you want to run a start-up, get to the top of a corporate, get headhunted for board roles or become a Smart Money investor, joining an advisory board is a smart move.

But, for advisors, boards can can also become a time drain and a risk to your reputation. 

For founders, advisory boards can be ...

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112. The three stages of start-up teams Aug 17, 2022

A tech start-up begins its life with a tiny team. The founders are either technical or tech savvy, but as the company scales its team has to change. 

Learn about the three stages of start-up team growth here.

Learning notes from this episode:

  • At stage 1, the start-up is focussed on building its
  • ...
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85. "Don't be afraid of the tech," lessons from a non-technical founder Feb 09, 2022

Nasi Rwigema doesn't have a background in software, but that didn't stop him from building his tech platform: Umwuga, a social network for blue collar workers in South Africa. To his surprise, he found that figuring out what people want is much harder than learning about tech.

Nasi is one of Sophia...

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75. Do this before hiring developers Dec 01, 2021

Money isn’t enough to hire the best product teams. If you want to hire great people to build your product, you need to convince them that your vision has potential. To do this, techies and non-techies alike need to come prepared.

Learning notes:

  • A product is a solution to a problem someone is ex
  • ...
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68. How smart start-ups and corporates hire product teams Oct 13, 2021

What’s technology for? Tech products can make our lives better and make businesses a lot of money. But, without a focus on the user and on the business, technology is an academic project at best, or just an expensive hobby.

In this episode, you’ll hear from Elisabeth Bohlmann, VP of strategy at Dec...

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64. Product Management at Apple vs Amazon Sep 15, 2021

Product managers combine user perspectives, business needs and technology capabilities in one job. But, what they do day to day varies widely. In this episode, you’ll hear how what PMs do differs between Apple and Amazon from Souvik Bhattacharya, who has worked at both.

This episode is for product ...

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61. How To Hire Product Teams: Outsourcing vs In-House Aug 25, 2021

Hiring developers and designers to build your tech product is always risky, because as a non-techie, you're hiring people to do things you don't know how to do.

Is outsourcing more risky because you're far away from the team? Or is in-house more risky, simply because it usually costs more? Listen t...

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How To Hire Product Teams: A Guide For Non-Technical Founders Feb 22, 2021

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva covers how to hire product teams to make your tech idea come to life. As a non-technical founder, you will not be able to supervise developers directly, but it doesn't mean you need to rely on a CTO co-founder either.

If you have an idea for a tech based business an...

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