Tech for Non-Techies

To have a thriving career in the Digital Age, traditional business skills are not enough. But taking tech course after tech course isn't helpful either.

Follow this three step framework to transform your career:

1. Learn to speak tech
2. Get involved with the right projects
3. Tell the world about whom you have become

Get the Speak Tech Guide - FREE guide to the top 10 concepts all business leaders need to know.

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• Reach senior leadership positions in Big Tech firms
• Lead digital transformation in established businesses
• Create tech businesses as non-technical founders
• Pivot into careers in venture capital

If you want to have a great career in the Digital Age, then APPLY FOR A CONSULTATION CALL.

What happens when you apply for a consultation call:

1. Sophia and her team will look through your application. If they genuinely think Sophia could help you, you will get a link to her calendar..
2. You will have a 20 – 30 minute call to discuss your goals and see if you are a good fit for each other.
3. If we establish that Tech for Non-Techies courses + coaching could help you and believe we would enjoy working together, we will discuss a relevant approach to suit you.
4. The aim of the call is not to sell you on anything that is not right for you. We both win if you get results, but we both lose if you don't.

We love hearing from our readers and listeners. So if you have questions about the content or working with us, just get in touch on [email protected]

Say hi to Sophia on Twitter and follow her on LinkedIn & Instagram.

Following us on YouTube and TikTok will make you smarter.

What kind of doorbell do you use? A buzzer? A door knocker or a Ring smart doorbell system?

Right now, you can see all three inventions in use: one that has been around for millennia, and another that was created just 20 years ago.

This shows the wide gap between tech invention and its wide-scale adaption. While the Ring doorbell system is now well known, some people still prefer to use a door knocker – a system that was developed before Biblical times.

This gap between a product or an idea existing, and its wide scale adaption, is where the biggest opportunities lie.

Listen to this episode to learn how to capture them, as a corporate leader, founder or investor.

Apply for the

Plan your year like a Digital Leader workshop

Live online: 5 February 2023, 11 am EST / 4 pm GMT

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If you like learning about how tech products and profits get made, you'll like our newsletter.

It's funny too. Sign up here.

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• Reach senior leadership positions in Big Tech firms
• Lead digital transformation in established businesses
• Create tech businesses as non-technical founders
• Pivot into careers in venture capital

If you want to have a great career in the Digital Age, then APPLY FOR A CONSULTATION CALL.

What happens when you apply for a consultation call:

1. Sophia and her team will look through your application. If they genuinely think Sophia could help you, you will get a link to her calendar..
2. You will have a 20 – 30 minute call to discuss your goals and see if you are a good fit for each other.
3. If we establish that Tech for Non-Techies courses + coaching could help you and believe we would enjoy working together, we will discuss a relevant approach to suit you.
4. The aim of the call is not to sell you on anything that is not right for you. We both win if you get results, but we both lose if you don't.

We love hearing from our readers and listeners. So if you have questions about the content or working with us, just get in touch on [email protected]

Say hi to Sophia on Twitter and follow her on LinkedIn & Instagram.

Following us on YouTube and TikTok will make you smarter.

Digital Transformation is going to continue being a huge force in business, but the way it's being done is changing. People, not tech tools, are the new priority.

Listen to this episode to learn how to make the most of this opportunity.

Learning notes from this episode:

• Global digital transformation spending is forecast to reach $3.4 trillion by 2026, from around 1.6 trillion today, according to Statista,
  • This high growth means opportunity for corporate leaders, entrepreneurs and investors.
• When companies first attempted digital transformation efforts, the emphasis was on implementing new tools.
  • These transformation efforts were usually led by the Chief Technology Officer or Chief Innovation Officer, with the rest of the organisation often able to ignore this change.
• While some of these efforts were successful, a lot of money was wasted. McKinsey estimates that 70% of digital transformation programmes fail to meet their goals.
• This is why, digital transformation efforts in 2023 and beyond will focus on putting people first, and tools second.
  • By first educating the entire workforce and updating traditional business thinking to digital mindsets, organisations will be able to reap the benefits of the tools they implement.
• Because Digital Transformation 2.0 is people first, tools second, there is demand for a new type of employee: a person who speaks tech and speaks business.
  • People with this dual business and tech skillset of are the people who are going to lead in the Digital Age.

Apply for the

Plan your year like a Digital Leader workshop

5 February 2023, 11 am EST / 4 pm GMT

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Episode130. Lessons for Digital Leaders from the London Stock Exchange - Microsoft deal
• Episode 96. How to innovate at a corporate: lessons from Apple and Intel
• McKinsey: Perspectives on transformation
• Statista: Spending on digital transformation technologies and services worldwide

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If you like learning about how tech products and profits get made, you'll like our newsletter.

It's funny too. Sign up here.

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• Reach senior leadership positions in Big Tech firms
• Lead digital transformation in established businesses
• Create tech businesses as non-technical founders
• Pivot into careers in venture capital

If you want to have a great career in the Digital Age, then APPLY FOR A CONSULTATION CALL.

What happens when you apply for a consultation call:

1. Sophia and her team will look through your application. If they genuinely think Sophia could help you, you will get a link to her calendar..
2. You will have a 20 – 30 minute call to discuss your goals and see if you are a good fit for each other.
3. If we establish that Tech for Non-Techies courses + coaching could help you and believe we would enjoy working together, we will discuss a relevant approach to suit you.
4. The aim of the call is not to sell you on anything that is not right for you. We both win if you get results, but we both lose if you don't.

We love hearing from our readers and listeners. So if you have questions about the content or working with us, just get in touch on [email protected]

Say hi to Sophia on Twitter and follow her on LinkedIn.

Following us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will make you smarter.

Despite the many press releases touting Silicon Valley's diversity efforts, the majority of funding from this innovation will still go to white males in 2023.

While this reality is not what many of us want, it is an opportunity for investors and innovators to capture overlooked user markets.

Learning notes from this episode:

• A product is a solution to a problem a human is experiencing. Innovators make solutions for problems they are familiar with, which means that homogeneity in founders means homogeneity in products.
  • This means there is more competition amongst products that solve problems experienced by male founders, such as laundry services and food delivery apps, than in other niches, such as female healthcare.
  • While funding will be harder to get for products not aimed at the white male market, competition in these sectors will also often be lower. Ultimately, this means big untapped opportunities.
• Companies ran by founders who are not white males are often undervalued.
  • This is an opportunity for investors to get lower risk for higher return, as angels, VCs and corporate investors.
• These are not market dynamics that we want, however it is the world we live in today. By focussing on finding opportunities, Digital Leaders are more likely to win in the long run.

-----

If you like learning about how tech products and profits get made, you'll like our newsletter.

It's funny too. Sign up here.

-----

• Reach senior leadership positions in Big Tech firms
• Lead digital transformation in established businesses
• Create tech businesses as non-technical founders
• Pivot into careers in venture capital

If you want to have a great career in the Digital Age, then APPLY FOR A CONSULTATION CALL.

What happens when you apply for a consultation call:

1. Sophia and her team will look through your application. If they genuinely think Sophia could help you, you will get a link to her calendar..
2. You will have a 20 – 30 minute call to discuss your goals and see if you are a good fit for each other.
3. If we establish that Tech for Non-Techies courses + coaching could help you and believe we would enjoy working together, we will discuss a relevant approach to suit you.
4. The aim of the call is not to sell you on anything that is not right for you. We both win if you get results, but we both lose if you don't.

We love hearing from our readers and listeners. So if you have questions about the content or working with us, just get in touch on [email protected]

Say hi to Sophia on Twitter and follow her on LinkedIn.

Following us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will make you smarter.

The biggest gains and innovations will come from digital technologies in healthcare in 2023.

Big Tech firms have already entered healthcare, with Amazon buying One Medical and launching Amazon Clinic in 2022. But, healthcare tech innovation is happening across the board: from start-ups to hospital systems.

Learning notes from this episode:

• As Big Tech firms' valuations have fallen, they have become less attractive places for people to work. This means that working at a promising health tech start-up is now a much more tempting option for talented managers and engineers at Meta and Alphabet.
  • All things being equal, most smart experienced people would rather contribute to saving lives rather than driving attention on a social media feed.
• The gap between innovation and adaption is narrowing in healthcare. Many startups with innovative technologies that have been around for years are seeing an increase in demand, as hospital systems go digital and and more doctors use digital tech tools.

How to benefit from this trend for Digital Leaders

• If you already work in a Big Tech firm, start working on a healthcare project. Even if that particular project does not work out, it will be an important area of growth for the company and a useful experience.
• If you are an investor, but have no experience in healthcare, this is an area to explore but don't throw money at it if you don't have context. Good deals come from a good network, so build your network among innovators and investors in the space first, as a foundation to investing.
• If you have nothing to do with healthcare in your career, you can learn about design and innovation as a Beta tester for a new product. Giving feedback as a Beta tester to designers and product managers is a great way to see how products get invented from the inside. It is also a free and low effort way to learn.

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If you like learning about how tech products and profits get made, you'll like our newsletter.

It's funny too. Sign up here.

-----

• Reach senior leadership positions in Big Tech firms
• Lead digital transformation in established businesses
• Create tech businesses as non-technical founders
• Pivot into careers in venture capital

If you want to have a great career in the Digital Age, then APPLY FOR A CONSULTATION CALL.

What happens when you apply for a consultation call:

1. Sophia and her team will look through your application. If they genuinely think Sophia could help you, you will get a link to her calendar..
2. You will have a 20 – 30 minute call to discuss your goals and see if you are a good fit for each other.
3. If we establish that Tech for Non-Techies courses + coaching could help you and believe we would enjoy working together, we will discuss a relevant approach to suit you.
4. The aim of the call is not to sell you on anything that is not right for you. We both win if you get results, but we both lose if you don't.

We love hearing from our readers and listeners. So if you have questions about the content or working with us, just get in touch on [email protected]

Say hi to Sophia on Twitter and follow her on LinkedIn.

Following us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will make you smarter.

At this time of year, many ambitious professionals sign up to education programmes to take their career to the next level. Here's a guide on how to choose the right course for you and make the most of it once you've signed up.

How to choose the right online course for you:

1. Familiarise yourself with the instructor's work and point of view
   • Invest your time and energy before you invest your money. If the instructor has a podcast, listen to it. If they have written articles, read them.
2. See who the instructor's community of students is and see if they inspire you.
3. Be aware of the pricing: if it seems too good to be true, it often is.
4. Take courses that have case studies because we learn best from stories.

To get the most out of a course:

1. Set aside a regular time in your week as your class time, as if you were going to a real university lecture.
2. When you are taking the course, regularly ask yourself: what insight did I get from this?
   • By doing this, you take responsibility for your own learning and results.
3. Do what the instructor tells you to do. You paid for their expertise, so use it!

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If you like learning about how tech products and profits get made, you'll like our newsletter.

It's funny too. Sign up here.

-----

• Reach senior leadership positions in Big Tech firms
• Lead digital transformation in established businesses
• Create tech businesses as non-technical founders
• Pivot into careers in venture capital

If you want to have a great career in the Digital Age, then APPLY FOR A CONSULTATION CALL.

What happens when you apply for a consultation call:

1. Sophia and her team will look through your application. If they genuinely think Sophia could help you, you will get a link to her calendar..
2. You will have a 20 – 30 minute call to discuss your goals and see if you are a good fit for each other.
3. If we establish that Tech for Non-Techies courses + coaching could help you and believe we would enjoy working together, we will discuss a relevant approach to suit you.
4. The aim of the call is not to sell you on anything that is not right for you. We both win if you get results, but we both lose if you don't.

We love hearing from our readers and listeners. So if you have questions about the content or working with us, just get in touch on [email protected]

Say hi to Sophia on Twitter and follow her on LinkedIn.

Following us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will make you smarter.

If you're feeling guilty about switching on yet another streaming series, here are three shows you can watch to learn about tech in your downtime:

1. General Magic - tells the tale of how a great vision and an epic failure changed the lives of billions. It is a documentary about the people and the technologies that led to the creation of the iPhone.
2. Silicon Valley by HBO – comedy series about a start-up called Pied Piper and its founding team. Painfully close to the chaotic reality of running a start-up. Fun and useful for those who want to start a tech venture or invest in one.
3. How will businesses use the metaverse? YouTube documentary by The Economist. The documentary is one of the very few things that both question the hype around the metaverse, while also showing its promise.

The documentary features interviews with Matthew Ball, author of the excellent The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything.

-----

If you like learning about how tech products and profits get made, you'll like our newsletter.

It's funny too. Sign up here.

-----

• Reach senior leadership positions in Big Tech firms
• Lead digital transformation in established businesses
• Create tech businesses as non-technical founders
• Pivot into careers in venture capital

If you want to have a great career in the Digital Age, then APPLY FOR A CONSULTATION CALL.

What happens when you apply for a consultation call:

1. Sophia and her team will look through your application. If they genuinely think Sophia could help you, you will get a link to her calendar..
2. You will have a 20 – 30 minute call to discuss your goals and see if you are a good fit for each other.
3. If we establish that Tech for Non-Techies courses + coaching could help you and believe we would enjoy working together, we will discuss a relevant approach to suit you.
4. The aim of the call is not to sell you on anything that is not right for you. We both win if you get results, but we both lose if you don't.

We love hearing from our readers and listeners. So if you have questions about the content or working with us, just get in touch on [email protected]

Say hi to Sophia on Twitter and follow her on LinkedIn.

Following us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will make you smarter.

This December, Microsoft (founded in 1975) took a 4% stake in the London Stock Exchange (founded in 1698). As part of this deal, the LSE will spend at least $2.8 billion on Microsoft's cloud related services in the next 10 years.

Big Tech and finance have been getting closer and closer in recent years. The CME has a deal with Google, AWS has a deal with Nasdaq, and almost all banks and insurers now use big tech's cloud services.

This is a sign of things to come for all industries, and carries lessons for Digital Leaders.

Lessons for Digital Leaders:

• The senior management of the London Stock Exchange today has to have a different skill set to what it had 10 years ago, because digital technologies are now an integral part of the business.

  • The same logic either already applies or will soon apply to other industries. If you want to have a future proof career, you need to learn to Speak Tech and collaborate with your technical colleagues.

• This is a case study of Big Tech strategic partnerships: cloud providers are taking stakes in businesses that need lots of data storage and data processing.

  • Other industries also need to store and process lots of data, such as media and healthcare. What other industries share similar characteristics? How could strategic partnerships with cloud providers help companies in these sectors thrive?
  • Answer these questions in a post on LinkedIn and share it with your network. In order to really elevate yourself into digital leadership, you need to learn to speak tech AND make sure that people know about your new skillset.
  • You can learn how to do both in our Digital Leadership program.

• This latest deal by the London Stock Exchange, a 300 year old company, shows that to be a successful business, you have to keep reinventing.

  • You can thrive as a Digital Leader in every industry, but not in every company.
  • Are you in an organisation where you can be a digital leader? If the organisation is not adapting and the senior leadership isn't open to change, then it is time to change course.
• Listen to 125. Introduction to Cloud Computing for Non-Techies to learn the basics of what cloud computing is and why it matters.

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If you like learning about how tech products and profits get made, you'll like our newsletter.

It's funny too. Sign up here.

-----

• Reach senior leadership positions in Big Tech firms
• Lead digital transformation in established businesses
• Create tech businesses as non-technical founders
• Pivot into careers in venture capital

If you want to have a great career in the Digital Age, then APPLY FOR A CONSULTATION CALL.

What happens when you apply for a consultation call:

1. Sophia and her team will look through your application. If they genuinely think Sophia could help you, you will get a link to her calendar..
2. You will have a 20 – 30 minute call to discuss your goals and see if you are a good fit for each other.
3. If we establish that Tech for Non-Techies courses + coaching could help you and believe we would enjoy working together, we will discuss a relevant approach to suit you.
4. The aim of the call is not to sell you on anything that is not right for you. We both win if you get results, but we both lose if you don't.

We love hearing from our readers and listeners. So if you have questions about the content or working with us, just get in touch on [email protected]

Say hi to Sophia on Twitter and follow her on LinkedIn.

Following us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will make you smarter.

(Photo by Klaudia Piaskowska Unsplash)

Joining the advisory board of a promising tech start-up will teach you vital skills, build your network and transform your professional brand.

It is a great way to reshape your career, while still working in your current role.

Here is how to do it:

1. Remember the difference between boards of directors and advisory boards. The former have fiduciary responsibility and the ability to hire / fire the CEO. The latter do not.
2. Work out what the start-up needs and give it to them, before asking for an advisory board position. For example, if they need introductions to potential customers, make the introductions.
   • Have the conversation about formally joining the advisory board only after you have proven your value to a start-up founder.
3. Be aware of the company's stage: tech start-ups rarely need in depth financial analysis but do need introductions and help with operations. Don't offer advice based on your experience. Offer advice based on the start-up needs.
4. Do not view this as a way to get rich via advisory options. Some start-ups have option schemes for advisors, others do not. The aim of being an advisor is for you to learn, network and transform your career, not to strike it rich from their options. (Obviously, if that happens, that is a welcome bonus, but should not be your aim).
5. Once you are on a start-up board, be helpful, be humble and be kind. The start-up founder is likely to be over-worked, underpaid and very stressed. Offer them advice that they can genuinely use, pick up the burden when you can and do not use this as opportunity to show off how smart you are.
6. Update your LinkedIn profile and professional bio. Telling the world that you are actively involved in tech innovation will help you get found for other exciting opportunities.
7. For more, listen to episode 31. How To Transition Into Venture Capital (interview with Nilesh Trivedi)

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If you like learning about how tech products and profits get made, you'll like our newsletter.

It's funny too. Sign up here.

-----

• Reach senior leadership positions in Big Tech firms
• Lead digital transformation in established businesses
• Create tech businesses as non-technical founders
• Pivot into careers in venture capital

If you want to have a great career in the Digital Age, then APPLY FOR A CONSULTATION CALL.

What happens when you apply for a consultation call:

1. Sophia and her team will look through your application. If they genuinely think Sophia could help you, you will get a link to her calendar..
2. You will have a 20 – 30 minute call to discuss your goals and see if you are a good fit for each other.
3. If we establish that Tech for Non-Techies courses + coaching could help you and believe we would enjoy working together, we will discuss a relevant approach to suit you.
4. The aim of the call is not to sell you on anything that is not right for you. We both win if you get results, but we both lose if you don't.

We love hearing from our readers and listeners. So if you have questions about the content or working with us, just get in touch on [email protected]

Say hi to Sophia on Twitter and follow her on LinkedIn.

Following us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will make you smarter.

There is plenty of hype about AI, but most organisations are still using old precesses to make decisions.

We are in the Between Times: "after AI's clear promise and before its transformational impact," as described in the book Power and Prediction: the disruptive economics of Artificial Intelligence.

In this episode, Professor Joshua Gans, one of the book's co-authors explains why organisations are not yet adapting the full power of AI and what will happen when they do.

Learning notes from this episode:

• Artificial Intelligence is a prediction machine, which supports decision making.
• Today businesses often use AI for one or two processes, but most decisions are still made by humans. Technology first companies and start-ups often have more AI-based decision making, because they do not have to replace legacy processes.
• Business leaders should not accept AI as just a black box. In fact, Professor Gans argues that business brains might be better equipped to question AI and its benefits, than the engineers who build the algorithms.
• Here are three questions business leaders should ask to understand an AI system:
  • What is this AI predicting?
  • How will that prediction affect decision making?
  • What is the decision maker's tolerance for errors?

----

If you like learning about how tech products and profits get made, you'll like our newsletter.

It's funny too. Sign up here.

-----

• Reach senior leadership positions in Big Tech firms
• Lead digital transformation in established businesses
• Create tech businesses as non-technical founders
• Pivot into careers in venture capital

If you want to have a great career in the Digital Age, then APPLY FOR A CONSULTATION CALL.

What happens when you apply for a consultation call:

1. Sophia and her team will look through your application. If they genuinely think Sophia could help you, you will get a link to her calendar..
2. You will have a 20 – 30 minute call to discuss your goals and see if you are a good fit for each other.
3. If we establish that Tech for Non-Techies courses + coaching could help you and believe we would enjoy working together, we will discuss a relevant approach to suit you.
4. The aim of the call is not to sell you on anything that is not right for you. We both win if you get results, but we both lose if you don't.

We love hearing from our readers and listeners. So if you have questions about the content or working with us, just get in touch on [email protected]

Say hi to Sophia on Twitter and follow her on LinkedIn.

Following us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will make you smarter.

(Photo credit: Joshua Gans photographed by JOHN HRYNIUK PHOTOGRAPHY)