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I've never had much luck with outsourcing dev or marketing Prob mainly because I only wanted to spend relatively small amounts A grand a month for dev Less f

I've never had much luck with outsourcing dev or marketing Prob mainly because I only wanted to spend relatively small amounts A grand a month for dev Less for marketing I always thought there would be people out there like me when I was younger Hustling picking up side work on Craigslist Often for very little money I still think there is a way Maybe it's just finding the right provider I've always imagined a upwork-for-indie-hackers marketplace that provides services at some fixed rate like $5/hr, and all the money has to flow through a single payment gateway so that everyone gets paid In theory this is what upwork and fiver and the rest already do Minus the revenue share Ideally it'd be revenue share and equity share over time That's part of my motivation for most things I have ever tried to do -- find some mutually beneficial situation I don't know what it's like for the contractor who have done work for me Do they think I'm too cheap? Or just suck? Or I'm just a contract and if it doesn't work then onto the next one? For my part, I often or always get work that does not work So right now I have an app I need fixed but I don't want to go back to the dude who did it for various reasons So my execution is shit I've learned but it's gd expensive to learn

hetspookjee 5y ago
Sounds a bit like your wishes are unclear, and you struggle to screen the right developer that will confront you by communicating clearly what they're expected to deliver. Which I think is because the rates are too low for the wishes you have. Good work is plain simple expensive, or you need to be real lucky with finding the right person in their right stage (just starting out and not knowing their worth entirely). Also, if taking on any work, have clear definitions on what is considered done. If it looks nice but doesn't work (like you currently seem to have), it's not done and not all money should be handed over. Good luck.
rfrey 5y ago
When you offer somebody a revenue share or future equity, you're proposing a very unbalanced deal. You get a product (one that's the basis of your company, your company can't exist without it). You have it, you start making money from it. It's unlikely it can be taken away, it's tangible. You get it right now. If the person is unreliable or doesn't deliver, you don't pay, you find someone else. Your "partner" gets a promise of some future benefit from somebody they don't know. They have to rely on future work and investment from somebody who is currently demonstrating they don't want to work or invest. If the person doesn't produce they get nothing. There are a million ways they will get nothing even if the person does succeed. This is not a "mutually beneficial arrangement". This is exploitation of desperate people. Furthermore, there are twenty guys a day asking "mutually beneficial arrangements" like this from programmers: it is not a unique opportunity for anybody. Outside the work-paid-for-with-hope scenario, you're talking about $5/hour? If the going rate for landscapers is $15/hour, what quality of work do you think you'll get if you hire somebody for 75 cents per hour? Roll up your sleeves and learn how to program. You're not going to find a sucker to do your work for you.
SheinhardtWigCo 5y ago
You’re underpaying, obviously.

hetspookjee 5y ago

Sounds a bit like your wishes are unclear, and you struggle to screen the right developer that will confront you by communicating clearly what they're expected to deliver. Which I think is because the rates are too low for the wishes you have. Good work is plain simple expensive, or you need to be real lucky with finding the right person in their right stage (just starting out and not knowing their worth entirely). Also, if taking on any work, have clear definitions on what is considered done. If it looks nice but doesn't work (like you currently seem to have), it's not done and not all money should be handed over. Good luck.

rfrey 5y ago

When you offer somebody a revenue share or future equity, you're proposing a very unbalanced deal. You get a product (one that's the basis of your company, your company can't exist without it). You have it, you start making money from it. It's unlikely it can be taken away, it's tangible. You get it right now. If the person is unreliable or doesn't deliver, you don't pay, you find someone else. Your "partner" gets a promise of some future benefit from somebody they don't know. They have to rely on future work and investment from somebody who is currently demonstrating they don't want to work or invest. If the person doesn't produce they get nothing. There are a million ways they will get nothing even if the person does succeed. This is not a "mutually beneficial arrangement". This is exploitation of desperate people. Furthermore, there are twenty guys a day asking "mutually beneficial arrangements" like this from programmers: it is not a unique opportunity for anybody. Outside the work-paid-for-with-hope scenario, you're talking about $5/hour? If the going rate for landscapers is $15/hour, what quality of work do you think you'll get if you hire somebody for 75 cents per hour? Roll up your sleeves and learn how to program. You're not going to find a sucker to do your work for you.

SheinhardtWigCo 5y ago

You’re underpaying, obviously.