Non-technical person considering learning programming or should I not?

I might be the only one here that don't recommend hiring a coder through sites like elance.com or rentacoder. You can not really get a quality that you want and it's very hard to control someone that is working overseas. It's better to approach a geek (that you know very well) but not so good in business. But instead of looking like to use them for your own benefit, try to share the vision and and don't be afraid to tell what both of you can get out of this investments. Think about mutual benefits when sharing your vision.

I've also written a blog entry on why you should learn programming and learn django if you want to. I think django is a perfect fit for a startup and non-technical people like you.

Judging by the way you format your text, you need to sort out some other things before considering becoming a programmer. Becoming a decent one will take months, and you're better off just doing what you're best at right now.

I might for example be interested in helping you put out your dream, but I'm not from Canada, so how do you think this looks for me, when you expect me to work for free, for the promise of some equity?

Unless you can find someone locally and go set up all the legal stuff, it will be hard to find someone that is interested to work with no compensation, since your project might take months to be finished, and people need to eat ;).

Learning to write code for release takes a long time, regardless of the language or framework, so your best bet is to develop a network that includes developers, so you can be the idea person, and the visionary, and they can help implement your idea.

That being said, it helps to know how to flesh out your idea so that it is easier to explain, so you may want to look at my answer to this question, as it relates to your question also. http://answers.onstartups.com/questions/2455/where-can-i-learn-the-basics-of-software-development/2477#2477

As a programmer I'll say that I sometimes wonder whether I should learn design, marketing or sales. And the answer is no, I don't have the chops to become any of those, I'd be mediocre at best and I'd be holding back my ideas.

Learning to program can be related to learning to play an instrument, you can play a tune on a piano in a month of trying, but it takes several years to be good.

Citing Joel Spolsky:

For some reason most people seem to be born without the part of the brain that understands pointers. This is an aptitude thing, not a skill thing – it requires a complex form of doubly-indirected thinking that some people just can't do.

You might very well have a brain that can do doubly-indirected programming, but would you bet your startup on you becoming a proficient programmer?

Before you consider studying coding learn to do something every more valuable. Learn t create wire frames of your proposed site. From there you can learn to create interactive wire frames with software that is far easier to learn than the hard core stuff. Start at the lowest level of abstraction and learn where your level of comfort and natural ability is.

You don't need to be a programmer to get a program - there are many other options.

If writing code is something you want to do, then go ahead and learn how to do it, regardless of wanting to own a web business.

You need to figure out exactly what you want, down to the page an button. Once you know that, place a bid on rentacoder.com

If you have technical friends, ask them to help you with the initial design, as it is important to get it right.

You can also choose to have the code written in-house, which would require you to hire a programmer or have one as a co-founder.

Learning how to write code is only one option, outsourcing, hiring or finding a co-founder are some of the others

If you are good at selling and talking, you should not waste any time learning programming. Keep looking for a solid technical co-founder. There are so many people who can program, but can't sell.

Do not go to eLance or similar outsourcing sites. You'll get their help to design a cool logo for your site, but not your core offering.

I partially agree with blekkzor...

Programmers need a highly developed logical way of thinking - seeing the big picture, then analysing things to the small details. Software Engineers treat programming as a mixture of Engineering, Science and Art.

Programmers also need to be very organized - every space character out of place and lack of spacing between paragraphs makes text annoying to read, but code really hard to read.

Choosing a programming language to learn is mostly irrelevant - the concept of how to write programs is mostly the same and either you can grasp it or you can't. Even if you can grasp it, it takes years of learning, mainly by experience to get to just a good level.

Programming is a matter of passion, if you have it you must learn more and more, if you don't, then you are wasting your time. (A bad programmer does more damage to the programs he/she is developing then good.)

Instead of learning to program, learn to communicate with programmers - learn to convey what you want.

E.g. I want a program that does A, the program is to be used by B, B should tell the program C, then the program should calculate D and tell E about it.

Try and make a PowerPoint presentation that conveys what it looks like and what it does.

I don't think learning to write code is going to help you at this point.

You have a business problem, solve it like you're a business person. You need to start networking with developers. Go out and meet some. Share your ideas openly (in person) and see if anyone bites. Your humility is your biggest advantage; developers hate nothing more than smartass business types with zero respect for technical skills.

I believe scarcity (lack of funds) is a great thing, bootstrap breeds creativity

Be careful there. I think I know what you meant, but most businesses fail do to lack of capital, not too much. Sure, too much funding made for some spectacular failures (webvan.com, pets.com, etc...) but those were just big in scale, not in numbers.

Getting creative with Ramen noodles isn't the type of creativity you want deal with. It's better to have your finances in order to properly sustain yourself and your business for the first year because you won't be profitable.

I get a little disgusted when I hear tech people denounce non-techies who have visions for a start up, like they are the only ones who are entitled/allowed to create an tech start up. Please tell me how hackers/programmers are any different to any other skilled labor.

I have started/still run a couple of brick and mortar companies where I only had limited industry knowledge/technical skills. I put in sweat equity, sought traditional funding sources and hire skilled labor to realize my vision. The first projects took some time, but that's the way it is when you have limited capital or technical skills.

Now I am currently starting all over again with a tech start up.

Anyway, there are plenty of ways to skin a cat, just don't let the naysayers knock your confidence or vision.