I want to build a startup product! What should I do first?

Güçlü Talu

Co-founder @Smartup Network

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Believe it or not "looking for a developer" is not the first thing you should be doing after you have have solidified your idea and are ready to start building your product! Here's a step by step guide to what you should do:

1. BUILD MOCKUPS FOR YOUR PRODUCT

Software should always be documented before starting development. Because you are building a startup product and not a complex banking software worth millions of dollars, you will not write thousands of pages of analysis documents but still you should have someting written that specifies the scope of your small software project. For startups, mockups are the best. Mockups are basically the screens of your app with arrows, decision boxes and notes to specify functionality. Remember that mockups do not have any visual or aesthetic value, they do not have to look nice but they should contain every details of your product's functionality, flow and navigation. Mockups do not represent your app's visual design but they will be an important input for your visual design process along with many other crucial project documents including but not limited to your wbs and project plan!

2. Build a WBS

3. Build a Project Plan

4. Start Backend Development - Start Visual Design

4. Start Front End Development

5. Start Testing

SMARTUP NETWORK

Smartup Network is a team of entrepreneurs that have experience in building, raising funds and selling startups. Our mission is to support entrepreneurs with bright ideas who don't have the proper team to turn their ideas into products. Our three main areas of expertise are:

Technical
We build their products for entrepreneurs whether they are at idea stage or post-MVP stage.

Product Management
We work alongside entrepreneurs to find the ideal product user experience for their target markets.

Finding Investment
Once our entrepreneurs' products begin showing traction, we get them in contact with the right investors.

So far, we have had the opportunity to build startup 35 products in 16 countries, for entrepreneurs from all over the world including San Francisco, Seattle, Amsterdam, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Dubai, Johannesburg, Accra, Quito and Istanbul. You can find some of the latest successes of our entrepreneurs' apps through this link. Smartup Network partners with well known startup hubs all over the world. Including but not limited to, Switzerland based Seedstars, which supports startups in developing countries, Boston New Technology Group in the United States and Impact Hub Istanbul, the world-renowned startup hub for social entrepreneurs. Startup experts from all over the world such as. Trivago founder and CEO Rolf Schrömgens and Sina Afra, who was named One of Top 100 Most Influential Tech People in the world by Wired Magazine. Our goal is to support as many entrepreneurs as possible realize their dreams.

Smartup Network
Technical Partner For Your Startup