7 ms·
Founder of a solo dev $500k/year agency here. 10000%. I topped out around $500k/year. Just naturally settled there after aggressively optimizing my process.
by pxue 3y ago
Founder of a solo dev $500k/year agency here.
10000%.
I topped out around $500k/year. Just naturally settled there after aggressively optimizing my process.
This is with 1 dedicated sales person who's entire job is to minimize and replace churn.
Good to see there is a mathematical proof haha.
I've been exploring productization and have made it a goal for 2024, to possibly breaking this ceiling without hiring any one else.
- froggertoaster 3y agoI have a $2 million/year dev agency w/ 7 employees (50% gross margin) and am curious - how did you land on the salesperson you have? I have not had a single salesperson yet and am wanting to grow, but am afraid of hiring someone who will just waste time.
- pxue 3y agopoached from a competitor, they tried to sell the exact same service i provide to my product company, and they did a great job.
- alexander2002 3y ago[flagged]
- tomcam 3y agoNot GP but love your attitude. Downvotes lame in this case.
- irjustin 3y agoAgreed, i upvoted as well!
- Aromasin 3y agoI understand the sentiment, but I'm also aware of quite a few forums that have been swamped with legions of people looking for work. There's a meaningful risk that because HN has enough employers, the flood gates will open if this behaviour is tolerated (if not celebrated).
- zo1 3y ago[flagged]
- badcppdev 3y agoSo much wrong with your comment. Interns working for free and blatant racism. A good sales person knows they need to be able to connect with their customers and not piss them off with stupid unnecessary comments.
- fragmede 3y agoThat's disgusting. The only thing you know about them is the handle "alexander2002", and that they have an email address that has "bilal" in it. Sadly you, and people like you, still sit on hiring committees.
- zo1 3y agoSigh. Everyone gets a clean slate with me when it comes to hiring programmers, no matter what - results and demonstrated ability trump all.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- tasubotadas 3y agoSend me your CV. Our team works 100% remotely.
- ipaddr 3y agoHiring a sales person is easier than a developer because they will accept commission as part of their pay package. Commission aligns your goals with their goals. The more they sell the more they make. Hire a few because they will compete and be even more productive. Fire if targets are not met. Your wasting your own time not hiring. Sales targets are the easiest to measure.
- dotBen 3y agoBut not in the grandparent's business (solo dev). There is a natural cap on the amount of work the solo dev can complete in a year (point of the article) and as such there is a natural cap on the amount of work the sales person can sell and fulfill in a year, which caps their sales bonus. It might not even be that big.
- xwdv 3y agoHow did you go about hiring your one dedicated sales person and what’s their compensation like?
- tootie 3y agoWhy 1 sales person? Last agency I worked for had like 25 people dedicated to sales and everyone in leadership of every discipline participated in pitches. We did something on the order of $50MM/year. I'd strongly caution against productizing unless you have inputs telling you customers want it. It was tried at every agency I've worked at and failed every time.