Who Should Join Colchester Dev Club

I've got many half-finished tech projects. As a developer, I'm great at turning ideas into "almost" products and services. I get excited about a concept, spend weeks building it, get it to maybe 99% complete, and then... start something else. The coding part is fun. Taking it to market? That's a different beast entirely.

But my customers projects always get finished and go live. The difference isn't the quality of the idea or how much I care about it. The difference is the team around me. People who are invested in seeing it through. Someone focused on marketing while I'm fixing bugs. Someone who actually enjoys the parts I find tedious.

So I started Colchester Dev Club. Not another networking event where you swap LinkedIn profiles and never talk again. A place where things actually get built.

The problem with doing it alone

You get so far and hit a wall. Or you get an idea, take it as far as you can, and then something in your head says "leave it there, do no more." Not because the idea's bad. Not because you lost interest. You just can't push through that next phase alone.

I see this all the time. Someone builds a beautiful MVP, then it just sits there. Because going from "it works" to "people are using it" requires a completely different skillset, and most of us don't have all those skills.

Building alone is hard. You need other people in your life who are actually building, not just talking about building at networking events.

Who this is for

You want to be a founder

Maybe you've got a business plan for a great idea. Maybe you're working a job thinking "I could do this better." Maybe you're sketching app ideas during in your spare time.

The problem isn't your idea. The problem is you need people. A technical co-founder if you're business-side. Someone who understands go-to-market if you're a developer.

This is where you find them. Not through entrepreneurial big-ticket events with a bunch of strangers all hoping for a master blue-print plan that 1000% works every time. But, by actually knowing others locally who can help, can complement and want to participate.

Doesn't matter if you're fresh out of uni or you've run businesses for twenty years. The club doesn't care about your CV. We care if you show up and do the work.

You know you're not ready yet

You want to be a founder eventually, but you're not there yet. Maybe you're learning to code through YouTube tutorials. Maybe you're reading startup books. Or you just don't know where to start.

Work on someone else's project for a while. Gain experience and knowledge. Learn what you need to learn, and when you're ready to start your own thing, you'll have people who've seen your work and want to join you.

You're good at what you do but don't want to lead

Not everyone wants to be the founder. Some people are brilliant at their craft and have zero interest in fundraising or business models or being responsible for payroll.

If that's you, join projects you believe in. Contribute your skills without carrying the whole thing. Get equity or side income or just experience, whatever makes sense.

You can dip into three different projects, helping with specific problems. Or commit deep to one startup as their first proper hire. You pick projects, you don't get assigned to teams like some corporate initiative.

You have ideas, but no interest in executing them

Not every idea person needs to become a founder. Perhaps you want to create change, but you don't have the time. Remember, great ideas generally come from people with a lot of experience and vision.

So, if you've got a good idea but you know you're never going to build it yourself, put it in the hat. Someone else will run with it. You get to see your idea become real without the stress of actually doing it.

If you want to stay involved as an advisor, great. If you want to walk away entirely, also great.

How it works

You're not joining a network. You're getting access to other people trying to build things.

Work solo on your own project and ask people for help when you need it. Feedback on pricing. Someone to test your app. Or find a co-founder. Or assemble a small team for a specific project.

The club creates the opportunities. You decide what to pursue.

Members make their own agreements. Splitting equity? That's between you and your co-founder. Hiring someone for a percentage? You two work that out. The club isn't managing your startup or mediating disputes. We're just making sure you can find each other.

Common worries

"I'm not experienced enough." Half the best founders had never built a company before their first one. Experience helps but drive matters more.

"I don't have a fully formed idea." Good. Fully formed ideas are usually over-thought ideas.

"I'm not technical" or "I'm not business-minded." That's why you need other people.

"I don't want to commit to working with random people." You won't. You choose who you work with.

"What if I start solo and need help later?" Then you've got a room full of people who've watched you build and might want to join.

Should you join?

If you want to build something and you're tired of doing it alone, yes. If you've got skills and want to use them on projects that matter, yes. If you have an idea but need a team, yes.

We meet in Colchester. We're small enough that you'll actually get to know people.

Come build something - Apply to join today.