Think like a Business
Many software developers, especially junior folks, do not approach their career in software Developer as a business. Don’t be deceived; when we start writing code for a living, we are no different than a tailor, trader, barber, or electrician setting up shop. Begin by thinking like a business or as someone who is running their own business. Getting that attitude will change our way of seeing and thinking about our careers and eventually increase our productivity.
Now, let’s talk about how and what exactly it means to think about ourselves as a business.
Starting the process
We can start by understanding what makes up a business. First, we need a product or service. A business without something to offer doesn’t have a way to make money because they have nothing to sell. What are we selling? What is our service or product? Software developers generally sell their ability to take an idea and turn it into a digitized reality.
Note: The service we provide is to create software that solves a problem.
As a software developer, the service we provide has a tangible value. It’s our job to communicate the value of our services and what makes us different from the thousands of other software developers out there. This brings us right back to marketing. It’s not enough to have a product or service on its own; we need to spread the word!
If we want to make any money, we need to let potential customers know about the product or service we offer. You may have noticed how people who sell shoes or clothes put lots of pictures of their products on social media. When they upload these images, everyone knows that they sell shoes.
Do your close friends or family members know what you do? Are they aware that you write code and build software? When we build something (a website, an app, etc.), no matter how small you may think it is, push it out for everyone to see.
Letting everyone around us know what we do is a first step to self-marketing and creating awareness of what we can offer, which may in turn result in referrals and contracts.
The superpower
Take a look at Spiderman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, or Flash; what do they have in common? They help people. They make an effort to make life easier for those around them.
As a software developer, we have a superpower as well. We create software that has a significant and positive impact on those around us and the world in general. I strongly urge every developer to have an entrepreneurial mindset, not necessarily to become an entrepreneur.
Having a superpower is one thing, but using it is another.
As a developer, learn to create! Our responsibility doesn’t end with code; instead, we should strive to make an impact with our code. In summary, do not follow the crowd. Be different and do not do what they do. Rather:
- Reflect on what services we have and how those services can be promoted or marketed.
- Think about ways our offerings and skills can be strengthened.
- Consider how the services we offer can be tailored to serve the needs of different types of customers or industries.
- Reflect on being a professional who provides for a specific customer type with a unique set of services. That way, we are going to have a sales advantage.
- Think like a business-minded developer.
It’s all about thinking outside the box and starting to think like a business. What is the best way to attract customers and how can we convince them of the value of our services? If we can answer this simple question, we will be poised to start our career with a bang!
