Given the option, I would joyfully opt to visit the grocery store in a Ferrari Monza SP2. The sheer exhilaration of its extravagant features would undoubtedly bring a grin to my face.

Forget the trunk space. I may not return with many groceries but I could always go back a second, third or fourth time.

Despite my pro-environment stance, and the tinge of guilt burning fuel solely for pleasure, the primary reason I don’t lead such an extravagant lifestyle boils down to a simple factor – I lack the financial means to do so.

The same reasoning should be applied to the responsible advisory of technology. Developers are always going to have their preferred stack and platforms of choice, but the necessity of using a stack purely due to luxury should be questioned. It is important to understand budget constraints and advise as if you were to “open your own wallet”.

• Would an application benefit from an entire testing suite? Sure.
• Would the convenience of an entire automated server environment and deployment pipelines be useful? Definitely.
• Would load balancing provide longer term peace of mind? Yes.

But do you need this on day one? Likely, no.

Every aspect of technology carries cost implications, starting from the planning stage to ongoing maintenance. It is crucial not to dive into it blindly without considering the financial factors.

Front Edge Digital collaborates with a wide range of clients, including start-ups and Fortune 500 companies, offering specialized guidance on technology solutions and architecture. We also provide staff augmentation services. While our revenue stems from the continuous development of your applications, it is our duty to assist you in effectively managing your budget to facilitate market entry and provide ongoing support for your business.

This sometimes means understanding the technical debt created by getting an MVP into users hands. It may mean prioritizing feature development over test cases or manually deploying code up environments. But mostly it means understanding, “What is enough?”

“What are we trying to achieve?” and “What does success look like?”, need to be at the forefront of building a technology business. The answers to these questions need to be flexible.

Whether you are self-funding or going after seed-money, there is a financial runway that needs to be understood if the business is going to be successful. Break your idea into consumable pieces and be ruthless with yourself in understanding how you can define success in phases.

If you believe that you can’t take a product to market without your entire feature set, then be sure you understand the investment and have a clear pathway in front of you.

If you can launch, and release code in phases, not only will you get invaluable “actual” user feedback, enabling you to pivot, but you are also managing your budget. Choosing the Fiat over the Ferrari may not seem quite as fun in the short-term, but you will have built the foundations for the next iteration while managing any financial stress.

Some important questions for Start-ups:

1. Can you support the ongoing life cycle of a digital product?

The cost of developing software is one thing, but do you have the means to support it after launch? Can you ensure the product remains secure and can unforeseen issues be addressed? Your product will give you valuable data but it will also give you technical challenges, so make sure you can cover these costs long term.

2. Do you need a technical partner?

Should you be undertaking such a venture without in-house or trusted guidance? Can you prioritize the laundry list of technical tasks both by budget and also by technical necessity?

3. Can you step back and get an unbiased, holistic view of what you are trying to achieve?

Investing your own money is emotional and you will want to see your entire vision come to life but you need to step back and to understand where your value lies and to better define the path to achieve success. It can be challenging to separate yourself from your longer term goals.

Building applications can be extremely fun and exhilarating but remember that you are building a business and businesses need ongoing care. Be mindful of your budget and partner with someone that both understands technology, your vision and can help you manage your requirements inline with your finances.

Enjoy the process with both eyes open.