If you’ve already launched or will launch a startup in the foreseeable future, you’ll require help from an expert. That’s because a fifth of startups fail within the first year, and approximately 90% fail eventually. So, never dive headfirst into your entrepreneur’s journey without a consultation beforehand. There are numerous independent tech startup consulting firms and experts to help you with this.
However, you must understand the difference between a consultant who assists a startup and a business consultant. A startup expert acts as an advisor and mentor to new organizations and provides them with valuable insights into their industry and target market. On the other hand, a business consultant works with established companies and helps them with their business strategy and operations.
Of course, a tech startup consultation will focus predominantly on the tech aspect of your business. A good consultant will meet with you and your team and accurately assess your tech infrastructure. The goal is to determine whether or not your current infrastructure leads to efficient business processes, improved productivity, better products, quicker time to market (TTM), and immunity to cyber attacks.
If your infrastructure does not meet these requirements, the consultant will compile a report with the action steps you need to take. You may need to invest in better staff management software, change your tech stack, or bolster your security systems. The consultant can assist with the suggested tech infrastructure upgrades, particularly implementation and training.
Why Should The Tech Startup Consultant Be Independent?
The consultant should be independent because you need an unbiased view of your startup, especially its tech infrastructure. That means the consultant must not be a close business associate, staff member, or connected to your organization in any form. Thus, there won’t be any personal biases or emotional or monetary ties to your startup that can cloud the consultant’s viewpoint.
Ideally, the tech startup consulting process must reveal critical flaws within your startup that eluded you for so long. For example, your startup’s agile management tool was why your teams were experiencing project backlogs, but you didn’t pick this up. Instead, you thought the backlogs were due to poor staff productivity and decided to issue written reprimands, ultimately lowering staff morale.
But now that the consultant has accurately identified the problem, you can replace your agile management tool with a better one. Your staff will finally be in sync, morale will improve, and your projects will be completed on time.
Moreover, an independent consultant will look at your entire tech infrastructure from every angle to determine whether it can sustain your organization during current and forthcoming customer and technology trends and market pressures.
Will A Tech Consultant Augment My Staff?
Only tech startup consulting firms can offer this service. It’s unlikely that a solo consultant can play more than an advisory and mentorship role. Yet, even consulting firms will have a cap on how many engineers they can deploy and the tech stacks they have experience in.
The Bottom Line
A consultation with an independent tech expert is worthwhile, especially if you care about the health and efficiency of your tech infrastructure. The consultation will also reveal issues you weren’t aware of so you can deal with them before they become detrimental.
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