HOW NOT TO START A TECH COMPANY

Here’s one thing I’ve learned the hard way: Everyone is an expert in  something —but that doesn’t mean your idea is automatically new. In my case, I spent over 30 years in healthcare. I knew the pain points inside and out. I saw the gaps in real-time. So when I came up with a tech solution, I was confident it was needed. And it was. But here’s what I didn’t do soon enough: ❌ I didn’t research if someone else had already solved it. ❌ I didn’t analyze the competitive landscape. ❌ I didn’t talk to other users to validate how  my  version would be different—or better. It’s a common founder mistake: assuming you’re the first to think of it just because you’ve  felt  it deeply. But passion doesn’t replace  product-market fit  or strategic differentiation. If you’re building something right now, here’s what I wish I did sooner:  1.  Google it. Ruthlessly. Find out what’s out there. Dig deep—not just first-page results. Look at app stores, industry s...

 Let me tell you how  not  to start a tech company. ❌ Don’t start with zero tech background. ❌ Don’t trust a developer who makes big promises and disappears when things break. ❌ Don’t assume passion alone will protect you from burnout or bad contracts. And definitely don’t try to build a tech platform while still working full-time as a nurse, managing patient crises, writing grants, and trying to hold your family together. (Ask me how I know.) But also… Do trust your instincts—especially when you’ve spent 30+ years seeing what others miss in the healthcare system. Do listen to what patients and providers  aren’t  saying. Do believe that experience—real, boots-on-the-ground experience—is a form of expertise no degree or developer can replace. I didn’t set out to start a tech company. I just wanted to  solve a problem . I was tired of watching patients fall through the cracks—because someone missed a homecare referral, or a caregiver was late, or a case manag...