Here’s the deal: you would like to start an outbound marketing campaign by sending your customers a monthly newsletter. But how can you add a newsletter signup form to your website? Or one of the pages on your website is down, but you don’t know what the problem is, let alone how to get it fixed ASAP. And have had a great idea for a new app–a brand new platform for your customers to interact with you and shop or book appointments: how much will it cost to build and how long would it take? Let’s not forget you also need to implement a new SEO strategy across your site, but don’t know the best way to implement and use keywords to maximize organic visits.
Understanding coding fundamentals can significantly improve your ability to communicate with and manage your tech team. For example, knowing how long it takes to implement certain features helps you set realistic deadlines and appreciate the technical challenges your team faces. This insight leads to more efficient project management and product development cycles.
According to LinkedIn’s 2023 Workforce Report, software development skills were among the top 10 in-demand skills globally. Research by McKinsey indicates that tech-savvy entrepreneurs have a 33% higher chance of securing venture capital funding, highlighting the competitive advantage of coding proficiency in entrepreneurship.
They may seem across the board and varied, but the answer to many common questions like these lies in coding.
Top Skills for Entrepreneurs
Coding is an incredibly useful skill to have in the digital age, for a variety of reasons and specifically for entrepreneurs. It lets you perform and understand a range of tasks, aiding you in making faster decisions and perhaps tackling certain issues hands-on by yourself. Coding is a useful asset, regardless of whether you run a software company, an e-commerce store, or a brick-and-mortar store.
So here’s the key: if your business has a website or any kind of online presence, it would be especially useful to learn how to code.
Why Entrepreneurs Should Learn to Code
Whether you need to understand how an interactive web page functions and is built or wish to develop your own programs, apps, or video games, coding provides you with the knowledge and skills to do it. Simply by knowing major coding languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and Ruby (and their functions!), you’ll be empowered to make decisions that will improve your business.
Some businesses rely on coding more heavily than others; apps, for example, are built entirely on code. But almost all businesses require some degree of coding, whether for internal processes or public, external activities, and in particular when it comes to online marketing.
Photo by Microsoft 365 on Unsplash
Building Relations With Your Team and Evaluating Resources
Outsourcing tasks such as building an app or developing a website can be very costly, so understanding how to do this yourself is an invaluable skill to have. It will not only let you perform these tasks independently, but it will also help you understand developers, tech teams, and the struggles they may encounter. Plus, any entrepreneur that knows how to code will be able to provide better guidance to their employees.
Understanding how coding works helps you to plan, set deadlines, and be aware of each step in a given project. Additionally, learning how to code empowers entrepreneurs when it comes to sourcing new employees or freelancers with which to work: understanding their background, programming qualifications, and experience will ensure you are better equipped to find the right people for the task at hand, which will ultimately serve your business well.
Cost effective
Upskilling yourself can also help you save costs as you will be able to share some of the workload yourself; whether it is adjusting a feature in an app, uploading a new form to your website, or testing if a piece of existing code is working correctly, you will be able to tackle both large and small tasks independently and resolve issues that could otherwise take days or weeks to fix if outsourced.
Coding skills are also beneficial in simply estimating the costs of a project, whether that’s building an online shop or ensuring that your website is optimized both for desktop and mobile, such as making sure it runs properly across all browsers and devices. The cost of such tasks is easier to assess when you possess some coding skills and knowledge yourself.
Photo by AltumCode on Unsplash
Better decision making
All entrepreneurs have to make decisions daily; many are the CEO or hold another other leadership position, regularly making calls and decisions. Understanding the processes and steps involved in computer coding means entrepreneurs have greater insights into the technical side of any business, be it working with particular software, building an app, updating the website, or branching into a new business area. For faster planning and more creative output, coding is a highly useful skill to have.
Boost your creativity and critical thinking
Although coding is straightforward and relatively easy to learn, putting it into practice does require a lot of focus and planning, not to mention creativity. Challenges can arise during the coding process, no matter which programming language you are using, and can sometimes require you to think outside the box. Practicing these skills uses logical thinking alongside problem-solving skills, thus helping you stay sharp and on the ball.
Learn How to Code
With all the benefits it brings, coding is a relatively easy skill to acquire. Starting with the basics, you can quickly gain an understanding of the processes involved in programming and the various languages that are available to you. Each coding language has its own unique traits and functions and the more you know, the more potential you will have to develop your business.
Entrepreneurs with coding skills are generally more aware of the opportunities available to them, both in terms of running business day-to-day and innovative new avenues that could be captured.
Source: Statista
Coding bootcamps
Once you understand the fundamentals, it’s easy to build on that knowledge and add to your coding skills as needed. But as with any kind of training and development, it does take an investment, speaking both time-wise and financially. The benefits far outweigh the costs, however, for anyone in entrepreneurship, and a leader with coding knowledge can greatly strengthen the potential behind any start-up or established business.
Steps to Start Learning to Code for Entrepreneurs:
Identify Your Goals: Determine why you want to learn to code and what you aim to achieve.
Choose a Programming Language: Start with beginner-friendly languages like Python or JavaScript.
Enroll in Online Courses: Platforms like Coursera and Ironhack offer great starting points.
Practice Regularly: Dedicate time each day to practice coding and work on small projects.
Join Coding Communities: Engage with online coding communities like Stack Overflow or GitHub to seek help and collaborate on projects.
You can get started and learn how to code with our Web Development Bootcamp, which will help you get the ball rolling with the necessary knowledge and skills within three months. Ready? Let’s get started.
About the Author:
Juliette Carreiro is a tech writer, with two years of experience writing in-depth articles for Ironhack. Covering everything from career advice and navigating the job ladder, to the future impact of AI in the global tech space, Juliette is the go-to for Ironhack’s community of aspiring tech professionals.
