Time or Money?

It seems most every decision in building technology products (or probably any business) revolves around one of these two constraints, often times both. However, you invariably have less of one than the other.

If you’re building your technology product and have lots of time but no money, what should you do? Learn how to build the product yourself. Take courses online, find a mentor, go to a class, whatever it takes. Throw your TV in the trash can (or at least put it in the closet) and dig in. By doing so, you significantly increase your chances of success. You’re not dependent on someone else giving you their money or their time to make your product a reality. It might take you months to get up to speed, but you’ll recoup those months on the back end, even if you end up hiring someone else at some point.

What about the other scenario, where you have money but no time? As someone once told me, if money can solve the problem, it’s not a problem. There are always people out there who will do what you need them to do for money. Finding them can be a challenge, but they’re out there.

You might be saying “I can’t learn how to code.”  OK, then your full time job is to find the money. You have to solve one or the other.