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Sure, it's a very targeted product and we're still in the process of refining the business requirements, so apologies for any vagueness. The firm (which I have

Sure, it's a very targeted product and we're still in the process of refining the business requirements, so apologies for any vagueness. The firm (which I have done work for) focuses on various tax matters for international corporations and high net-worth individuals. The product will streamline certain compliance tasks performed for clients. Initially, they requested this as a private project, but given the fixed costs, they have agreed to explore offering the product to other firms. Specifically, if anyone can provide some advice on recruiting a partner for a product with a built-in customer, I would be grateful. In my mind, this minimizes risk and introduces a different dynamic than you would find with an unproven product and no revenue. I'm not so concerned with the getting version 1 out the door, but having someone to help with more scalable deployment, on-going maintenance and devising/implementing a product roadmap would allow me to focus on marketing the product after the initial launch (the alternative is to outsource for any help I need and keep this as a private project, but it seems like a straight-forward opportunity).

troels 16y ago
OK, I'm not sure how valuable my advice can be, since I'm usually not in your situation, being a tech person myself. But I think you would be better off with a technical partner than with a small development shop. A shop is generally going to try and deliver a finished product in a given time frame. They will not take the long perspective on things. A partner would do that. If you're going to persuade someone to partner up with you, I would question what you can offer to him. Having a customer is obviously a big plus, but I wonder - What are you -personally - bringing to the table? Why shouldn't he cater directly with the customer and leave you out?
- joelhaus 16y ago
  Thank you troels. I agree that it's important to bring something valuable to the table and my technical expertise is limited (but improving). Can you give some examples of things you would look for? Without knowing your answer, I would point to my long-term relationship with the customer, domain expertise, industry connections and some relatively successful business exits under my belt. P.S. Just thought of something; a search of public code repos for tax related software might be a good place to look. P.P.S. The tax software industry is ripe for disruption. I've used many of the popular commercial programs and they are horrendous!
  - troels 16y ago
    Connections (including that to the customer) are fine, but those are not skills that you can apply - They are more like something you've inherited from your past. A deep knowledge of domain is useful, but a developer could pick that up over time, given that he has access to customers. So while it works for the short term, you need to have something for the longer term as well. I would look at what you can actively do for the project. In particular, I would look for a genuine interest (from you) to partake in the product development - even some of th things that you may consider technical. Of course, if you can pay a salary, then it will make it easier to get someone on board. The tax software industry is ripe for disruption. I've used many of the popular commercial programs and they are horrendous! I believe that. Accounting is not something that most developers find sexy/interesting, so it's probably a rather underdeveloped field. Just thought of something; a search of public code repos for tax related software might be a good place to look. I would suggest that you look for a personality first, and specific technical skills second. Perhaps you could go to a http://startupweekend.org/ http://startupweekend.org/ event, if there's one near your location? You don't have to pitch this particular idea, but it is a great opportunity to find a potential partner.

troels 16y ago

OK, I'm not sure how valuable my advice can be, since I'm usually not in your situation, being a tech person myself. But I think you would be better off with a technical partner than with a small development shop. A shop is generally going to try and deliver a finished product in a given time frame. They will not take the long perspective on things. A partner would do that. If you're going to persuade someone to partner up with you, I would question what you can offer to him. Having a customer is obviously a big plus, but I wonder - What are you -personally - bringing to the table? Why shouldn't he cater directly with the customer and leave you out?

joelhaus 16y ago
Thank you troels. I agree that it's important to bring something valuable to the table and my technical expertise is limited (but improving). Can you give some examples of things you would look for? Without knowing your answer, I would point to my long-term relationship with the customer, domain expertise, industry connections and some relatively successful business exits under my belt. P.S. Just thought of something; a search of public code repos for tax related software might be a good place to look. P.P.S. The tax software industry is ripe for disruption. I've used many of the popular commercial programs and they are horrendous!
- troels 16y ago
  Connections (including that to the customer) are fine, but those are not skills that you can apply - They are more like something you've inherited from your past. A deep knowledge of domain is useful, but a developer could pick that up over time, given that he has access to customers. So while it works for the short term, you need to have something for the longer term as well. I would look at what you can actively do for the project. In particular, I would look for a genuine interest (from you) to partake in the product development - even some of th things that you may consider technical. Of course, if you can pay a salary, then it will make it easier to get someone on board. The tax software industry is ripe for disruption. I've used many of the popular commercial programs and they are horrendous! I believe that. Accounting is not something that most developers find sexy/interesting, so it's probably a rather underdeveloped field. Just thought of something; a search of public code repos for tax related software might be a good place to look. I would suggest that you look for a personality first, and specific technical skills second. Perhaps you could go to a http://startupweekend.org/ http://startupweekend.org/ event, if there's one near your location? You don't have to pitch this particular idea, but it is a great opportunity to find a potential partner.