Outsourcing or own staff for a startup?

Question

Startups

Our inquisitive minds gave birth to the idea of ​​a promising startup, conducted market research, sketched out a business plan, decided on marketing tasks and found funding for the project. The point is small - to implement it.

Here a serious question arose: to order the development of a service or hire specialists in the staff. If it plays a role, then there is a possibility of work both in St. Petersburg and in Moscow.

Realizing that the development of a service is a fairly dynamic process, interaction with the contractor promises quite a few difficulties in coordinating changes and improvements. Moreover, even according to our most optimistic forecasts, there will be more than one year of work (not to mention long-term support and development).

With the second option, one serious problem is seen: now there are no technical specialists in our team, which means it will be quite difficult for us to both form a team and control the development process.

What can you advise?

PS Most suggest to assemble a team. Let's try: habrahabr.ru/job/5006/

Answer 1

If a startup carries a unique functionality that will need to be gradually improved, and not just a website like an online store or a news portal, then working with the studio in this case will be long, expensive and inefficient. Hire a development team.
If it is enough for you to make a site once, just as a representation of your startup company, then work with the studio.

Answer 2

If I were you, I would find those. a lead who is essentially interested in the success of your project, and already he would begin to implement the project with his team. In the office or remotely - it seems to me that there should be no difference, because. a good leader should lead the project normally in both cases.

Answer 3

Well, firstly, hire specialists who equip the office of techies to the highest level, with specials. programs that will ensure that nothing is copied from you during the creation of your project.
Secondly, hire other specialists (not those who installed protection and equipment, because any competent specialist, when building something, creates his own ways to bypass this same protection.
Thirdly, do not let your employees who will implement your project work at home. For everything will go into other hands.
And fourthly, never tell a business plan, it’s better to give a specific task. Why do they need to know the whole essence of the project? For example, you can step by step: "Andrey, you have a database of all clients ; Vasya, you created a registration from scratch; Petya, draw a logo with a cat and the text "viva-la-BAM"

Answer 4

The difference between a startup and a project is that a startup does not "end". Hire developers - you will always need them, but you are going to develop, and not close or hand over work to the customer in six months. Take those who will burn with the idea.
Outsourcing is a separate story. It is only good when you know exactly what needs to be done and you have a lot of money and time to spare. Outsourcing will never give you new ideas. you hire contractors to do the work, not to invent. Consider this approach only if you don't have enough hands: set up and maintain servers, do bookkeeping, etc.
You can take on remote developers if you are on a tight budget. This is not outsourcing, if such a person will be “his own” for a long time.

Answer 5

First, find yourself a team of 1-2 techies, then look for an experienced mentor who could guide you on the right path in complex issues.

Answer 6

Own team is always preferable to outsourcing in startups. For an outsourcer, you are just another client. And for sure you will follow the knurled scheme, which essentially boils down to T&M in an intermediate result, which can be sawn by an outsourcer to the final state for an extremely uncertain time.
The main thing in a startup is a source of motivation, and external motivation works worse, tested on mice. =)

Answer 7

Another vote for the team: if you attract an investor, he will invest in the team, not in the idea.