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Tell HN: I will build you a working MVP for $2,345

prototypefor2345.com

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Re: Tell HN: I will build you a working MVP for $2,345

#71

Post by cwilson »

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone to build a marketplace that connects folks who need a quick MVP built with freelance developers. You could go a step further and break it down by back-end, front-end, design only, or all of the above (because maybe you already fill one of those roles yourself).

You can bake in the idea of a cash/equity split if the freelancer was interested as well.

The idea would be to limit projects based on time, scope, or budget from the get-go and stick to the MVP market niche.

Edit: Thinking about this idea more and reading more comments on this thread gave me another idea. Many people have commented that it might be a good idea to have your app fully wire-framed and thought out first. Need help with this specific stage before getting into the development of the MVP? Just another channel on the marketplace.

Idea Consulting -> Wire-frames -> MVP Development -> Design

All of course are optional and you could obviously swap Development and Design.

Re: Tell HN: I will build you a working MVP for $2,345

#72

Post by redindian75 »

_g2lm wrote: post #55

Thanks for all the helpful advice! Totally didn't expect so much feedback. Question for the more experienced people here: if I changed it to "$2,345 per week, and it'll take 1-3 weeks" instead of "$2,345 for up to 3 weeks," would I lose anyone I shouldn't be losing?

think if fivver has a complicated pricing or higher cost, would it be as popular as it is now? It would be completing with 1000s of other apps which does this thing.

Reduce scope or draw boundaries, but dont bump up the magic number :)

Re: Tell HN: I will build you a working MVP for $2,345

#75

Post by joshlegs »

zavulon wrote: post #57
joshlegs wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

nightwatch was a terrific movie, btw. just curious, but what kind of business model did you end up going with?

Yeah, book is much better though, if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it! I wasn't able to find a way to present what we were doing as a product, and kept going with a traditional model of getting project specs, doing discovery on requirements and budget and then putting together a quote.

yeah, it seems the movies veered off a good bit, based on the wikis i read ;)

interesting. I think that's the basic business model my boss has. it seems to be working now, but i'm always curious as to what other models are out there

Re: Tell HN: I will build you a working MVP for $2,345

#76

Post by Nanzikambe »

_g2lm wrote: post #20
jack_jennings wrote: post #18

Maybe you can roll the numbers up a digit for each successive job… Having done "MVP" work before, I wouldn't undervalue your work like this for to long or you'll be facing burnout quickly.

Hm, I'm hearing that a lot. Is $2,345 really that little? I've been living near the poverty line by choice, and $2,345 lasts me about two months. In either case, I guess it would turn off half the visitors if I just changed the price right now.

> Is $2,345 really that little?

Yes. if you're living near the poverty line "by choice", having money isn't a problem you're trying to avoid, it's spending it. The two aren't related.

If your goal here is to build customers, portfolio and reputation, do as others have suggested - feature a rolling price. It'll get you want you want, and set you in a better light.

Re: Tell HN: I will build you a working MVP for $2,345

#77

Post by cmapes »

This is ballsy but cool. Being a full stack business guy, full stack developer, and someone who had done years of freelance in the past, I'd be afraid of the scope creep and complexity issues that are going to rear their head. But more power to you for choosing to try to tackle them, I hope you end up on top.

Re: Tell HN: I will build you a working MVP for $2,345

#78

Post by mlangdon »

_g2lm wrote: post #6
robinhoode wrote: post #4

I like the idea, but: $2,345 / (40 * 3) = $19.5416666667/hr I guess if you're just starting, that's decent money, but I don't think I could run with the same idea myself. I'd probably need to add a 1 to the front of your number.

To be honest, I said 3 weeks just to be safe (the old rule of doubling what you think you need). The plan was also to work on multiple projects in parallel. You're right though, I am just starting off, and already feel a bit guilty asking for anything north of $5k.

Maybe I have too much fun in my jobby job, but it would be tough to pull off entry-level dev pay (50k-ish in the US Midwest) at this level and probably not as fun as some regular jobs with minimal skin in the game.

Plus (again if US) you'll pay more taxes if self-employed.

If you lived near me, I'd seriously consider hiring you. And you'd get to play in python with lasers and robots (sometimes). And have a guaranteed revenue stream.

Re: Tell HN: I will build you a working MVP for $2,345

#80

Post by bra-ket »

Turing_Machine wrote: post #64
al2o3cr wrote: post #53

My biggest concern with doing something like this would be that you'd burn all your time negotiating - because clients are going to show up with a "3 months to implement" idea, and you're may spend more (unpaid!) time stripping the thing down to a reasonable MVP than actually coding. "We'll agree beforehand on a list of features" has a lot of complexity hidden inside; if a client shows up with an idea "be the next Go…

I know you were joking, but I once had a guy complain about just that. I contributed a (very basic) search feature to some FOSS software and a user complained because it "wasn't as good as Google". My response was something like "If I could write a search engine as good as Google in my spare time, I'd be living a lifestyle somewhat more luxurious than the one I actually have."

you could have used Google API to index that site, https://developers.google.com/custom-search/docs/api
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