You've got the vision. You've got the business sense. You don't have the technical skills.

That's fine. Most successful founders aren't technical. But you do need to work effectively with the people who are building your product.

Here's everything I wish someone had told me when I was on the other side of this equation.

Part 1: Communication

Explain the Why, Not Just the What

Bad: "Add a button that exports to CSV."

Better: "Our users are spending hours manually copying data into spreadsheets. They need a way to get their data out quickly."

When developers understand the problem, they often suggest better solutions than what you originally asked for. Maybe it's not a CSV button. Maybe it's an integration with the tools they're already using.

Be Specific About "Done"

"Make the dashboard better" is not a spec. Neither is "it should be faster" or "the design needs work."

Good specs answer:

What exactly should change?
How will we know it's right?
What's the priority relative to other work?

The more specific you are upfront, the less back-and-forth later.

Accept That Estimates Are Guesses

When a developer says "2-3 days," they're making an educated guess. The actual work might uncover surprises. This isn't incompetence — it's the nature of building new things.

Instead of demanding precise estimates, think in ranges and build in buffer. If they say 1 week, plan for 1.5.

Over-communicate Context Changes

If your priorities shift, tell them immediately. If you talked to a customer who changed your perspective, share that. If the business strategy is pivoting, explain why.

Developers need context to make good decisions. They're making dozens of small choices every day. Without current context, some of those choices will be wrong.

Part 2: Evaluating Work

You Can't Judge Code Directly (And That's OK)

You probably can't read code or assess architecture decisions. That's fine. Here's what you can evaluate:

Does it work?

Test the features they deliver
Try to break things
Get users to test and report issues

Is it improving?

Are bugs getting fixed?
Is the app getting more stable over time?
Are features shipping at a reasonable pace?

Can they explain it?

Good developers can explain technical decisions in plain English
If they can't explain why they built something a certain way, that's concerning

Watch for Red Flags

These aren't guarantees of problems, but pay attention if you see them:

Missed deadlines with no heads up. Things take longer than expected — that's normal. Not telling you until the deadline passes — that's a problem.
"It works on my machine." The product needs to work for users, not just on the developer's laptop.
Resistance to feedback. If they get defensive every time you report an issue, that's trouble.
Can't explain decisions. "It's complicated" shouldn't be the answer to every question.
No source control. If your code isn't in Git (or similar), you're taking a huge risk.

Green Flags Worth Noting

They push back on bad ideas (respectfully)
They ask clarifying questions before starting
They proactively report problems and delays
They suggest improvements you didn't ask for
They document their work

Part 3: Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Changing Requirements Constantly

Every time you change what you want, work gets thrown away. Some change is inevitable and healthy. Constant change means nothing ships.

Fix: Batch your feedback. Save non-urgent changes for the next sprint instead of interrupting current work.

Mistake 2: Micromanaging the How

You're the expert on what the product should do. They're the expert on how to build it.

If you're dictating database structures or code organization without technical expertise, you're probably making things worse.

Fix: Focus on outcomes. "Users need to find their orders quickly" is your domain. How they build that is theirs.

Mistake 3: Not Investing in Development Environment

"It takes 20 minutes to test any change" is a problem that compounds daily. Technical infrastructure matters.

Fix: Ask about their development experience. If basic tasks are painful, investing time to fix that will pay off.

Mistake 4: Ignoring Technical Debt

Every shortcut today creates work tomorrow. This is normal and sometimes necessary. But if you never pay down debt, the codebase becomes unmanageable.

Fix: Budget time for cleanup. Not exciting, but essential for long-term velocity.

Mistake 5: All Talk, No Documentation

If everything lives in Slack messages and verbal conversations, knowledge gets lost. When that developer leaves, so does crucial context.

Fix: Require written documentation for important decisions, how systems work, and how to set things up.

Part 4: Setting Up for Success

Clear Ownership

Who decides what gets built? Who prioritizes? Who approves designs?

Ambiguous ownership leads to conflict and wasted work. Establish decision rights early.

Regular Communication Rhythm

Weekly syncs are minimum. Some teams do daily standups. Whatever cadence you choose, be consistent.

Async updates (daily written summaries) work well for remote teams.

Access to Users

Developers who talk to users build better products. Let them see customer feedback. Invite them to user calls occasionally.

Reasonable Deadlines

Rushing leads to shortcuts. Shortcuts become technical debt. Debt slows everything down later.

If something needs to be fast, cut scope — don't just demand faster work.

Recognition for Good Work

Developers are humans who want to do good work and be appreciated for it. A sincere "this is great work, thank you" goes further than you'd think.

The Meta-Skill: Learning Enough to Communicate

You don't need to code. But you should understand concepts at a high level:

Frontend vs. backend: What shows in the browser vs. what runs on servers
Database basics: Where data lives and why structure matters
APIs: How systems talk to each other
Environments: Development, staging, production — and why they're separate
Deployment: How code goes from laptop to users
Version control: How changes are tracked and managed

You don't need deep knowledge. You need enough shared vocabulary to communicate effectively.

When Things Go Wrong

Sometimes it doesn't work out. The developer isn't delivering, or you're not clicking as collaborators.

Before firing anyone:

Have an honest conversation about what's not working
Check if the problem is them or the situation (unclear requirements, impossible deadlines, wrong skill set)
Give specific feedback and a chance to improve

If it's truly not working:

Make sure you have access to all code and systems
Document current state of everything
Plan for transition before ending the relationship
Leave on professional terms if possible

The Bottom Line

Working with developers is a skill you can learn. It's about clear communication, reasonable expectations, and mutual respect.

The best founder-developer relationships feel like partnerships. You're solving problems together, not just issuing instructions.

If that's not what you're experiencing, something's wrong — and it's usually fixable.

Need a Technical Partner?

I work with non-technical founders building SaaS products. Strategy plus hands-on development. Someone you can talk to who also writes the code.

Book a call — let's see if we're a fit.

The Non-Technical Founder's Guide to Working with Developers