9 Things We Learned Building a Tech Startup

To build a tech startup, you need a whole raft of different people, with different skills and personalities.

I know what I’ve gotten out of working in tech. I’m more conscious of how I organise my day. I think about the invisible work that went into the apps I’m constantly using. I pay more attention to how much influence tech companies have on our culture and our way of living.

Here’s what the team at Timely have learned:

Ryan Baker (CEO)

The #1 one thing I’ve learned about building a tech startup is that it’s all about people. It’s an infinitely complex activity but, when you strive to create the right conditions for great people to do their best work, your customers get the benefits.

Ryan Dickison (Developer)

I learned that business success depends heavily on finding out from your customers what their needs and values are, rather than guessing what they are.

Sam McEwan (Developer)

Measure everything. Wherever you get the opportunity chuck a metric in there and use it to make good decisions.

Some things succeed unexpectedly, some things fail.

Marlia Morris (Account Executive)

The only constant is change. I also feel like everyone has the freedom to take initiative and suggest ideas, even those that go beyond the scope of your defined responsibilities. Better yet, people actually listen!

Israel Butson (Head of Sales)

You need to stay agile. The word ‘agility’ gets thrown around a lot in startups, but it’s actually a hard thing to sustain as you grow. Get past a handful of people on your team, and the natural way to manage that growth is to fall in line behind your developing playbook and slow down on being creative.

Stay allergic to inefficiency, and don’t let that playbook go stale.

Maddy Stumbles (Marketing Communications Manager)

I’ve gained confidence in my abilities and learned how to be comfortable with consistent change. In a smaller company, it’s easy to view the data to see the impact I’m having both as an individual, and collaboratively with a group of people who are motivated to perform.

Strahan Cole (Customer Support Specialist)

Above all, I’ve learnt flexibility. You never know when you might have to take on a new responsibility. You’re kind of growing in your role in the company at the same time that the company’s growing in its role in the industry, so things feel pretty dynamic.

Sarah Ley-Hamilton (Customer Support Specialist)

Being in a tech start up has opened my eyes to the exciting and fast-paced world of innovation, forcing me to embrace change, stay agile and focussed, and trust my instincts.

On top of the raw knowledge around our ever-evolving product, I’ve gained an invaluable insight into the significance of clear and compassionate communication, which has been an asset to my personal and professional life.

I am grateful to be a part of the incredible Timely crew, which has helped me to realise that being in a tech start up is far more about the organic components (people, culture), not simply the 1s and 0s.

Rosa Anderson-Jones (Content Writer)

Working in a start-up you learn to be creative on a budget, and this can be super rewarding. Your best assets at this stage of a company are your team members, your networks, and your creativity.

You also need to be aware of change, be agile, focus your energy on what works and ditch what doesn’t.

Use your resources wisely!