Co-Founder Help

I am only 14, so I don't have an immense amount of money to make my idea happen. While I am very technical, I can't write code from scratch. I am very good with selling my ideas and getting people on board, which I have done with my current idea. My programmers are in India, and they are basically co-founders, they are going to receive 30% equity of the company. It has been a month, and they have not done really that much. They just don't seem to care or be interested that much in the idea, and are classifying it as a low level project basically. I have people, many people who are already helping, but I need to find a partner, who is very good with programming, and enthusiastic like me. I don't have any money, I was planning on having a pretty much complete product, and then do crowd funding to take care of hosting and etc. Where can I find a programmer that won't take advantage of me due to my age, and that is really willing to work at the project. I keep trying to pep the guys up, but I am getting no where. Thanks - Brandon

You have

• Energy
• Braveness
• Possible brilliant ideas other elders may not know

But you don't have

• Programming skills
• Market verified idea, or the experience to judge the idea from market perspective
• Money


• Good team or friends with same interest.

I won't say 14 is too young but I suggest you get at least two in things you don't have before starting.

While your age limits your ability to enter into a contractual agreement, many of the problems you cited are not age related.

You mention that you are able sell ideas. The question is, to whom? Its pretty easy to get people on board when they are being paid, gain equity and can (likely) walk away with little impact. What you really want to do is validate your idea by getting your idea in front of people who will buy your product. If you can ask the right questions and then build what THEY want to buy (not what you think they want to buy), then you have a business.

I also wouldn't be so quick to dismiss your ability to program. There are many frameworks out there that make it simple to put together a working system. And if you're technical, you should learn how to create wireframes / mockups. Having a clear, documented wireframe mockup helps to take whatever is in your head and show it in a way that others can see and comment.

I suggest you read a few books on Lean Startups. They are not the stuffy books you read in school courses... they are filled with practical advice on how to go from concepts to delivering products. Google Ash Maurya's "Running Lean" and Eric Ries "The Lean Startup" to get some ideas.

If i can just give you an advice, try to not offshore product development especially for programming languages. Most of the code they will give you will be poorly written and nonfunctional.