Is It a Good Idea for Business Owners to Learn How to Code?

Alright, picture this: You're a business owner sipping your morning coffee, and you see yet another article about the wonders of coding. It's like everyone around you is suddenly fluent in this mysterious digital language. If you scroll on LinkedIn, there’s a super high chance that you’re seeing all these different coding languages; if you’re friends with anyone in tech, they’re probably talking about it, too.

Basically, it’s everywhere, so is it a business mistake if you’re not knowing anything about this? Actually, should you join the bandwagon and become the next coding prodigy, or is it okay to stick to what you know and leave the tech stuff to the experts? It’s a pretty hard question, right?

So, there might be a debate in your head on what might be a good idea and what might be a bad idea. So, should you try to be a coding guru or not? Spoiler alert: it’s not a one-size-fits-all answer, but we’re going to explore both sides to help you decide.

Why Learning to Code Could Be a Game-Changer

Now, most industries and most business sizes can benefit one way or another when it comes to learning how to code. But how exactly?

Potentially Less Hassle

Knowing your way around code can seriously boost your tech understanding. Even basic knowledge can help you communicate better with your developers and make smarter tech decisions. To a degree, you need to have some basic understanding if you do not want to constantly hire or outsource people.

So, with some coding knowledge, you can better judge what’s doable in your projects. This can keep you from asking for the impossible and make your discussions with tech teams more productive. But overall, coding is all about solving problems. These skills can spill over into other areas of your business, helping you tackle challenges more logically and effectively.

Saving Money

So this was mentioned a little bit above, so it needs to be emphasized a bit more. So, learning to code can be a real money-saver, especially if you're running a small business or a startup with a tight budget. For example, a website is a must-have these days. You basically have no choice; you need one. So, just by learning to code, you can build and maintain your own site, cutting out the need to pay a developer.

It’s the same for automating tasks, too, do you really want to throw money at a virtual assistant if all it takes is a little coding to automate things for yourself? Besides, doing this can streamline your operations and boost efficiency.

More Control and Flexibility

Well, to a degree, there’s some control, and that’s what really matters. So, just knowing how to code gives you more control over your digital stuff and lets you make changes whenever you need to.

For example, if you want something specific for your website, well, you’ll have to figure this out yourself, or you can try to pester a developer to do it for you instead (which might not be ideal).

Why Coding Might Not Be Necessary For Every Business Owner

All right, so the benefits above sound pretty great, right? Honestly, who doesn’t love having 100% control and saving money? It’s perfect! However, despite the benefits, learning to code might not be the best move for every business owner. So, with that all said, here are some reasons why you might skip it.

There’s No Real Issue Having to Rely on Experts

Sometimes, it’s better to bring in the pros who live and breathe code. They can get it done fast, they’re not always expensive, and even if you know code, you can still make mistakes (especially if you’re new). Plus, there are plenty of freelancers and agencies out there that can do an incredible job with their knowledge, be it software development, games, web development, and whatever else.

There’s Plenty of No-Code Platforms

Sure, at one point in time, coding was necessary- to a degree now, it is. But it’s not 100% needed like it was compared to a decade or two decades ago. Actually, nowadays, there are a lot of low-code and no-code platforms. Even when it comes to website builders like Wix, WordPress, and Squarespace, it’s almost all drag-and-drop.

So you don’t even need coding. The same can be said for a lot of tools out there such as HubSpot CMS tool or even automation tools like Zapier- you don’t really need code. Plus more companies and services see this and they’re going to keep churning out no-code platforms and services too.

You Can Stay Focused on Core Business Activities

Sometimes, you should just do what you do best, so why code if you can hire someone to help you with anything code-related? You made your business for a reason: to do what you do best. Why topple yourself with other things?