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Ask HN: How to hire freelance developer for an MVP?

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Re: Ask HN: How to hire freelance developer for an MVP?

#21

Post by mettamage »

Jack000 wrote: post #18
kofejnik wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> qualified devs all seem to be overbooked. did you try giving them more money?

yes, I did. to add to this - I pay exactly what the freelancer asks, and not a single person I've worked with has ever asked me for an increase in rates, even when I would have gladly accepted. When I offer more money proactively, it's usually when they're dropping the project and I really want them to continue. Unfortunately money doesn't seem to be the issue in these cases - the two instances were "got a job" and "…

If you're looking for another freelancer (2 days per week), then allow me to rectify the HN record. I'd specifically like to freelance for you as I have a hunch that you'll give feedback in a straight manner and that happens to be how I communicate (most Dutch people do).

My email is in my profile.

Re: Ask HN: How to hire freelance developer for an MVP?

#22

Post by ronakjain90 »

As a software consultant with decade worth of experience, I've seen non-technical founders getting ripped off and getting substandard product. It's generally because, while they do have a clear vision of what they want, they do not have the ability to gauge the skill set of the agency/freelancer they are dealing with. In one case, despite paying full, my client didn't have access to the code and the agency became hostile when they started to feel the client slipping away. We had to send legal notice to get access to the code.

Here are some tips:

1. Check for their LinkedIn profile and actually do attempt to talk with their clients. Do your research well, cold email should work.

2. See how old their clients are and if they are still in business. Substandard product reduces the probability of the project to succeed.

3. Involving external consultants to help you evaluate the Agency/Freelancer suited for your business. They would provide unbiased opinion which would help a lot.

4. Always go slow, it might even make sense to comission 5-10% of the project and see how they perform. It reduces your overall ridk.

5. Check their GitHub account for open source projects to gauge on technical competency.

6. If you can't afford an architect, I'd still recommend getting few hour worth of their time to sense how the project is progressing technically. They would assist like a consulting CTO.

There are scammers everywhere, the onus is on us to be diligent.

Shameless plug: I run an agency, email in my profile. Do send me an email if you need any help.

Re: Ask HN: How to hire freelance developer for an MVP?

#23

Post by wmark »

Jack000 wrote: post #18
kofejnik wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> qualified devs all seem to be overbooked. did you try giving them more money?

yes, I did. to add to this - I pay exactly what the freelancer asks, and not a single person I've worked with has ever asked me for an increase in rates, even when I would have gladly accepted. When I offer more money proactively, it's usually when they're dropping the project and I really want them to continue. Unfortunately money doesn't seem to be the issue in these cases - the two instances were "got a job" and "…

I am curious to know how in the world someone with $100/hr could not provide a professional service?

Doesn't lower hourly rate means less experienced professional?

I should probably increase my rate from $45/hr to at least $60/hr considering that I don't annoy my clients like you in Upwork.

On the contrary, getting clients to actually pay over $100/hr is a holy grail. How many clients did these guys had in their history?

Re: Ask HN: How to hire freelance developer for an MVP?

#24

Post by [deleted] »

alt_f4 wrote: post #6
bitesociety wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry I meant general tips apart from where to find them. Planning to post on various freelancer platforms. eg- how to qualify good ones, what should I look for in applications etc

Your first mistake would be using those platforms. You're just going to get spammed by Indian devs that didn't even read your post.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: How to hire freelance developer for an MVP?

#26

Post by cp18101985 »

I would suggest to hire no-code developers. Most of them are people who are non-technical, but are well versed in creating online technical tools via no-code tools, which can be handed over to you in a way that you can manage and scale it by yourself in future, without the need to have any technical knowledge, except what's the workflow of your product.
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