Creating something that people want to use every day and asking the question of whether or not it is something people would want to pay for is crucial to building a successful e-commerce site, according to Tech4Africa and Wedo founder Gareth Knight.
Following a clearly defined process, Knight said, it is always good to know where the company is, so as to optimise and plan.
“Too many cooks are a recipe for disaster, so it is good to eliminate ambiguity in order to succeed,” Knight said.
“The best technology is the one you can use now, become as agonistic about technology as you can.”
Open source software, he said, is the company’s friend and enemy too. Use of library and framework is recommended.
Knight recommends treasuring users as the key to every business, treating them as part of the family and not letting them down. He said ignorance of the user will cause failure.
He added simplicity should be every startup’s goal, coming up with something that is basic and true.
Execution is everything and it is the difference between winning and losing. He recommended constant iteration as a weapon, getting out as quickly as one can and fixing problems. “Done is better than perfect,” he added.
