# startup\_coach Published articles for startup\_coach. This is one page of public article previews, not the complete archive. Follow Next page to continue. Summaries are not the original full articles. ## Startup Coach 02 - How to Learn Technology Stuff Quickly Part 1 DevFeed: [Startup Coach 02 - How to Learn Technology Stuff Quickly Part 1]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Fuzzygroup Published: 2020-01-12T00:00:00Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Scott Johnson]() Topics: [Learning](), [Programming](), [Product Management]() Tags: [how-to](), [learn](), [learning](), [programming](), [startup](), [startup-coach]() ### AI overview This first part of Startup Coach explains how a business-oriented founder can learn technical subjects quickly. The author recounts learning through repeated reading of Byte Magazine and previews recommendations for approaching technology learning in 2020. ### Source excerpt There are typically two types of folks that want to have their own startup: Engineers / Technical folk who have the ability to create their own products / services / mobile apps / SAAS apps Business Folk who have a concept but don't have the ability to create their own technology There are exceptions to the rule - sometimes you will see someone who straddles these lines (I do; I'm both more than business savvy and I write code like demon every damn day) - but, generally, this is the split that you see. This post is written for the business person who finds themselves with the need to learn technical things quickly. I'm going to tell you how, decades ago, I learned how to learn technology stuff and then, in part two, I'm going to give recommendations for how I'd approach this in 2020. How I Learned Technology Stuff - in April, 1982 I date my technology education back to April 1982 (it was likely earlier since this was a cover date on a periodical and magazines come out before the date on the cover so they have news stand time but we'll go with April). Going on that date, this puts me at: 2.7.0 :038 > birth_date = Date.new(1967,11,20) 2.7.0 :039 > magazine_date = Date.new(1982,04,01) 2.7.0 :040 > (magazine_date - birth_date).to_f / 365 14.372602739726027 so let's call it 14 years old. At this point I was likely a sophomore in high school with no formal computer training save for I owned an early personal computer which I mostly used for playing games. And then I walked into the local Walden Books and discovered Byte Magazine: You can read this issue online here. and I was just plain fascinated. What I discovered was that not only did I not understand this magazine, I maybe understood only every 15th word (generally pronouns). But what I did was this: I simply read it even though I didn't understand it I bought the next issue And I read that and I understood a bit more Lather; rinse; repeat And then, five years later, I started my first software company based on what I ## Startup Coach 01 The Opportunity Profile DevFeed: [Startup Coach 01 The Opportunity Profile]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Fuzzygroup Published: 2020-01-04T00:00:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Scott Johnson]() Topics: [Development](), [Google]() Tags: [blog-post](), [how-to](), [opinion](), [startup](), [startup-coach]() ### AI overview The first post in a planned Startup Coach series explains how to create an Opportunity Profile at the beginning of an entrepreneurial project. It recommends documenting the initial idea, including the product, business model, competition, development approach, marketing, and pricing, and sharing the document for feedback. ### Source excerpt This is the first blog post in what I hope becomes a series that I'm calling "Startup Coach". I have a friend who wants their own business and I offered to write a blog post a week along the veins of how to do a startup. Each week I plan to take a single topic and discuss it . If you'd like to suggest a topic then my email address is fuzzygroup at gmail and I'd be happy to slot something into the queue. Today's topic is what I refer to as the Opportunity Profile. This is a single document that I write at the very beginning of anything that even smells of being entrepreneurial. The idea behind the opportunity profile is to document the opportunity - in as much detail as you can at the moment of the initial idea. Everyone's opportunity project is always going to be a little bit different depending on how you conceptualize an opportunity. My personal opportunity profiles tend to be heavy on product focus and less focused on business side issues simply because that's how I roll. If you, for example, were strong on the business side then your opportunity profile might sketch out the entire business model and then have a place holder called "Product Goes Here". Here are the topics that I usually put in an opportunity profile: Overview Tag Lines Business Model Product Overview Competition Development Approach (how I would tackle development) Marketing Pricing This document might be nothing more than a set of bullet points. It might be fleshed out. The important thing is to capture that initial ideation moment when the problem you're trying to solve is crystal clear and you have that rush of intellectual adrenaline. And I would note the last sentence doesn't resonate for you, perhaps, you're not cut out for founding a startup. And, yes, that's harsh and I apologize but I'm a pretty big believer that you are either a startup person or you aren't. The way that I recommend writing these, in 2019, is as a Google Doc. The reason for this is that one of the very best actions you