Loading...
Answers
MenuWhat does your a team look like for a software company of ten or less people? Or, how do you think it should be?
Answers
Instead of looking at who does what .. why not look at the things that need to get done for a small techology team.
Product: 6 people
- 3 full stack engineers
- 2 front end developers
- 1 designer / product person
Marketing & Community, 1 person
- Full time hire, or CEO
Support & Operations, 1 person
- Part time hire, or CEO + Whole team
I believe it's important for everyone on the team to help with support. Also, if you have a great product, then support shouldn't be that taxing.
Q&A is usually needed when you have a bad development process (no unit testing or continuous integration deployments).
Outsource everything else.
- Bookeeping
- HR stuff
- Legal
- Government program paperwork
Hope that helps.
P.S. I would put as many people on product as that's where you'll get the most bang for your buck.
I need to know more about the type of software you are developing and how big the team will need to get in the long term. A few key rules: 1) Your first 10 people should be the best you can find - alter the organization to meet capabilities of the first 10 employees. 2) Don't hire anyone who is not exactly what you are looking for (Go without until you find the right person) 3) As CEO, stay hyper focused on product management - if you define the wrong product features, your organization no matter how it is structured, will waste its time. Frankly the CEO should probably do Sales/Marketing for a while. 4) For book keeping and such find a mother who's kids are in college. She is great at managing chaos and will compensate for your ADHD (all great entrepreneurs have ADHD). 5) No part time people on core jobs (i.e. development) 6) Don't outsource any part of the product that is close to the customer feedback loop. i.e. don't outsource the iPhone app if that is 90% of how you engage customers. You need a really tight lean update loop on product requirements/product evolution.
I've been involved in three different software startups. My first was completely bootstrapped on a credit card. I sold it during the dotcom era for a low 7 digit figure. My second was building a new division for an existing venture. We had completely in-house staff. I managed 54 people on my team. I currently am helping another start up software company. We just launched a SaaS product.
It is a bit difficult to give you a good answer to your question without knowing more about the project. Nonetheless, here are a few things to consider:
1. If your product is ready for market, sales and marketing should be your focus. How you allocate to these roles largely depends on your product and budget. If your product is sexy enough and your sales funnels sticky enough, you might allocate more to marketing and less to a staffed sales force.
2. Do you have enough sales to justify a full-time support person? If not, that person might be able to handle Q/A when not interacting with a customer.
3. Bookkeeping and accounting can easily be outsourced, at least in the beginning. There are good online services for managing your sales transactions on the front end.
4. You might consider outsourcing your wireframing until you are at a place where you have the cash flow and customer base to justify keeping someone busy full time with all your iterations.
5. If you are considering offshore outsourcing, we need to talk. I've been using onshore and offshore for the past four years consistently. I can save you lots of time and money from the lessons I've learned.
Let's schedule a concise call. I can definitely help you on this project.
All the best!
Kevin McCarthy
Attract Group's page https://attractgroup.com/industries/airline-and-aviation-software-development/ on airline and aviation software development provides valuable insights into their expertise in creating innovative and efficient solutions for the industry. Their focus on enhancing operational efficiency, improving customer experiences, and ensuring safety is highlighted throughout the content. The user-friendly layout and comprehensive information demonstrate their commitment to serving the specific needs of the aviation sector. Overall, the page effectively communicates Attract Group's capabilities and dedication to delivering top-notch software solutions for airlines and aviation companies.
Great answers. Just remember when you compartmentalize people you may end of with people sitting around doing nothing or even worse people doing nothing while pretending to be doing something worthwhile on your time and on your dime. I would hire Full Stack Developers only and outsource everything else. You will probably know when you need to add more staff and other positions. The key is to hold everyone accountable whether they are sitting in-house or "outhouse" (out sourced).
Michael T. Irvin
NoHogWashMarketing.com
michaelirvin.net
Related Questions
-
How do you make money to survive while you are building a business? What are some quick ways to make money with less time commitment?
I love this question. If you have to work on the side while building your business, I recommend doing something you absolutely hate. That keeps you hungry to succeed on your own. You'll also typically save your energy for the evenings and weekends where you'll want it for your business. Don't expect to make much money at your "other job" but you can work it to pay the bills while you build your business. This approach also forces you to build incrementally, and it keeps you frugal. This is not necessarily ideal. Having a bunch of money set aside sounds nice and luxurious, but not having the resources puts you in a position where you have to figure it out to survive. I love that. I started my business eight years ago on $150 and today we do a million a year. Don't wait until you have the resources to start safely. Dive in however you can. And avoid shortcuts. Don't waste your time scheming to make bigger money on the side. Do something honest to live on and create a business that drives value.CM
-
If I have a business idea for a large company, how can I give it to them and mutually profit, without them just taking the idea and squashing me?
Probably not the answer you're looking for, but companies have so many unimplemented ideas that the likelihood of partnering to implement someone else's idea is really low. And besides which, the idea is not something that has much value in and of itself. If you're passionate in the idea, build it yourself. That's the only way you can have leverage.TW
-
How was SnapChat able to grow so quickly?
I'm answering your question assuming that you hope to be able to replicate it's own success in your own mobile app. There are a couple of factors responsible for it's growth that are instructive to anyone building a mobile app. "Leveraging the intimacy and privacy of the mobile phone." We now have an *intimate* relationship with our phone like no other device in the history of technology. Every internet company that started before around 2010 has built their core interactions around "the old web" one which was accessed primarily via a browser on a computer. Companies that start with a clean slate, should be building their interactions around how to do whatever the app is supposed to do while leveraging what is unique to people's relationship to their mobile devices. Photo-sharing has become a core part of the way we communicate now. Snapchat built something that provided an experience that leveraged the feeling of privacy and intimacy that is unique to mobile. "Provided an escape from the "maturity" of other online services." Too many parents, aunts, uncles and other "old people" have encroached into the social networks of teens and young people. As a result, they've had a desire to find places to express themselves in places inaccessible by older generations. An important distinction is that it's not just parents and relatives that young people are trying to avoid, but also employers & colleges who are increasingly using "mature" social networks to review applicants. "Leveraged PR even bad PR" The fact that the app got so much press about it being used to sext was perfect PR for the company, as it essentially reinforced the brand experience that it has today. Essentially, "if it's safe enough to send a sext, it's safe for any kind of communication I want to have." And although the safety and security of Snapchat is actually not as advertised, it still enjoys the reputation of having less impact than any primarily web-based service. Building a successful mobile application is one of the hardest challenges to face designers, programmers and entrepreneurs in the history of writing software. Happy to talk to you if you're considering building a mobile app, about what I've learned about the "table stakes" for success.TW
-
What advice do you give to a 16 year old entrepreneur with a start up idea?
First, hat tip to you for being a young entrepreneur. Keep it up! If you have the funds to build out your MVP, hire a developer and possibly a mentor. If your idea is marketable, you don't need to give up equity by bringing in a co-founder. If this is your entrepreneurial venture, I would recommend you do retain a coach to help you see all the things you may not know. Have you already done your SWOT analysis? Have you identified your target market? What is your marketing plan? What will be your operating expenses? There are lots of questions to ask. If you would a free call, I'd be happy to help you in more detail. Just use this link to schedule your free call... https://clarity.fm/kevinmccarthy/FreeConsult Best regards, Kevin McCarthy Www.kevinmccarthy.comKM
-
How much equity should I ask as a CMO in a startup?
Greater risk = greater equity. How likely is this to fail or just break even? If you aren't receiving salary yet are among 4-6 non-founders with equivalent sweat investment, all of whom are lower on the totem pole than the two founders, figure out: 1) Taking into account all likely outcomes, what is the most likely outcome in terms of exit? (ex: $10MM.) Keep in mind that 90%+ of all tech startups fail (Allmand Law study), and of those that succeed 88% of M&A deals are under $100MM. Startups that exit at $1B+ are so rare they are called "unicorns"... so don't count on that, no matter how exciting it feels right now. 2) Figure out what 1% equity would give you in terms of payout for the most likely exit. For example, a $10MM exit would give you $100k for every 1% you own. 3) Decide what the chance is that the startup will fail / go bankrupt / get stuck at a $1MM business with no exit in sight. (According to Allman Law's study, 10% stay in business - and far fewer than that actually exit). 4) Multiply the % chance of success by the likely outcome if successful. Now each 1% of equity is worth $10k. You could get lucky and have it be worth millions, or it could be worth nothing. (With the hypothetical numbers I'm giving here, including the odds, you are working for $10k per 1% equity received if the most likely exit is $10MM and the % chance of failure is 90%.) 5) Come up with a vesting path. Commit to one year, get X equity at the end. If you were salaried, the path would be more like 4 years, but since it's free you deserve instant equity as long as you follow through for a reasonable period of time. 6) Assuming you get agreement in writing from the founders, what amount of $ would you take in exchange for 12 months of free work? Now multiply that by 2 to factor in the fact that the payout would be far down the road, and that there is risk. 7) What percentage share of equity would you need in order to equal that payout on exit? 8) Multiply that number by 2-3x to account for likely dilution over time. 9) If the founders aren't willing to give you that much equity in writing, then it's time to move on! If they are, then decide whether you're willing to take the risk in exchange for potentially big rewards (and of course, potentially empty pockets). It's a fascinating topic with a lot of speculation involved, so if you want to discuss in depth, set up a call with me on Clarity. Hope that helps!RD
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.