Smart Entrepreneurs know how to code

woman sitting at a laptop with code on the screen
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Knowing how to code is an essential part of business today.

As entrepreneurs, there are a few things that are required to be successful.

One of those is a website.

Do you build it yourself, or do you pay someone else to do it?

Either way, you still need to know some code.

Why would I learn to code if I can pay someone else to do it?

For many non-technical founders, getting someone else to build their website is an excellent option.

But you still need to know some code.

I didn’t build my car. But I do know how to put fuel in it, change a tyre, top up the oil and check the radiator coolant.

Same goes for your business website.

If your business has any sort of growth, your site is going to need updating, upgrading and maintaining fairly often.

You don’t have to go back to uni and endure a 3-year Computer Science degree to learn a little code. Learning just the basics can take you a long way. We run intro workshops that go for three hours! I’ve had multiple attendees of that workshop contact me telling me how they now maintain and grow their websites on their own.

Your website is a huge part of your business – you need to understand it

If you don’t understand it, how can you understand the costs involved?

You can’t be in business in Australia without at least a rudimentary understanding of the tax system, GST, claimable items etc. Coding is no different.

In all Meeum coding workshops, we use the analogy that building a website is very similar to building a house.

In short:

  1. Web designers are like architects;
  2. Back-end developers are like plumbers and electricians;
  3. Front-end developers are the builders, putting it all together.

The point is that if you are getting your house built, or you’re renovating, or just getting a small amount of work done, you understand what all of those people do. You don’t call an electrician when the sliding door comes off its hinges and you know that your tiler isn’t going to be able to fix the toilet that your 3-year-old just threw 14 oranges into.

Some examples:

Spending money to get scripts ‘installed’

I’ve seen businesses charge hundreds of dollars to ‘install’ Google Analytics and other similar scripts (Facebook pixel, Mailchimp tracking code etc) for people who don’t realise they’re being taken for a ride.

All of those tools mentioned are one line of code each that can easily be copy/pasted into your website in less time than it takes to open your wallet.

Own your SEO

I was recently talking to a student who was quoted thousands of dollars for an SEO audit and fix for her underperforming business website.

She did one of our workshops and did the work herself, saving thousands in the process (and yes, improving her SEO rankings vastly as well).

“Learning to code is useful no matter what your career ambitions are.”
Arianna Huffington
Founder, The Huffington Post

Learning to code will save you money

Having the ability to update and maintain your own site/s as your company grows gives you an enormous advantage over your competition. You can react quickly to changes in the market, advertise new products faster, and keep your site regularly updated without shelling out big dollars to developers.

Now, don’t get me wrong- I’m a web developer, and I still build websites for people, including entrepreneurs and small business owners. The difference is that building sites with people who understand what I do is immeasurably easier for me, and therefore vastly cheaper for them.

You’re also future-proofing your skillset.

Oh- it’s also a tax deduction if you are a business owner who learns to code.

“Learning to write programs stretches your mind, and helps you think better, creates a way of thinking about things that I think is helpful in all domains.”
Bill Gates
Co-Chairman, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Co-Founder, Microsoft

Bring your ideas to life

You’re a business owner. An entrepreneur.

So am I.

I don’t know one of us who doesn’t have multiple ideas for other side businesses. I know a few who can code who have realised those ideas and prototyped sites and/or apps and have subsequently had those ideas take off.

You can actualise your ideas rather than just keeping them in your head or a piece of paper somewhere. You can make them real.

Just give coding a try

Learning to code is no longer just for weird geniuses or geeks.

Apart from all the business reasons, coding can actually be quite a lot of fun.

The question is no longer “will I learn to code”, it’s “when will I learn to code”?

Take a look at Meeum’s self-directed video workshops, as well as live online custom training.

Anyone can do this.

And if I can’t convince you, then maybe Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, will.i.am and others can.

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Avatar for Sam HemphillNow a digital veteran, Sam Hemphill initially trained as a drummer and high school teacher and spent 10 years as a touring musician and tour manager. During that time, he...

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