Business idea

[RikaKazak]

So I have an idea for a new business but I'm not sure how to get it off the ground. The main component of the idea will require a site that's very similar to craigslist.

I was curious if anyone knew of a "place" where I could go and hire a freelancer to build me the site.

I was also curious if anyone knew of any good books that could walk me through start to finish how to oversee a project like this, to ensure I pay a fair price, and that I have the smallest chance possible of them stealing this idea and making their own business.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[cntgetmedown]

I hear this site is good: http://www.elance.com/
I don't know of any advanced books on this topic, but some of the stuff I read that I found helpful for a basic understanding of web entrepeneurship were "4-hour Work Week" by Tim Ferris and "You Call the Shots" by Cameron Johnson. That's also where I have the link from. You may have to skip ahead to the relevant chapters, but there are some tips in there.

[bubsodian]

I think the dilemma u face is similar to that of Willie Wonka's where he was forced to hire (capture) oompa loompas and keep them in his factory to prevent normal workers taking his candy and ideas (normal sized people consume more candy so midget's are the obvious solution). I would recommend finding a really short web designer inviting him 2 ur house where your partner waits with a large butterfly net and you let him go after he has created ur site.

In seriousness just have whoever is doing this for you sign an agreement which will prevent them from using ur idea I'm sure a competent lawyer will be able to draw up a contract which will be enough to stop anyone from thinking about hit'n running u. (also gives u more choice for who u can employ.

[RikaKazak]

Sweet guys...thanks for the tips so far.

I'm ordering those books from amazon now

[Probability]

It is next to impossible to find a good programmer. If you do find one they are $100HR+.

[RikaKazak]

Anyone ever used a company from India before? they seem to get a fair amount of good reviews, but I'm concerned about the language barrier and the quality of the work.

[WhiskeyFish]

In terms of hourly rate, the most affordable way to get programming is to outsource it to India. You can do this through elance, or countless other places. I've had both good and bad experiences doing this. You need to have your product extremely well thought out and specified so there's no room for misinterpretation, and so there's not a lot of changes during development that could give them a reason to alter their time/cost estimates for the project.

In your case, though, I doubt that's the best way to go. I would suggest that you find a local young, talented programmer who buys into your idea. Instead of paying him a full salary, pay him as much as he needs to survive and make up the rest with equity in your company. This will save you money and also increase his incentive to perform well.

You can protect your IP by having all prospective employees sign an NDA before you discuss what you're doing. However, in the space you're in, you're not really going to be able to prevent competition. Your best protection is to grab market share as fast as possible.

[Probability]

Originally Posted by RikaKazak

Anyone ever used a company from India before? they seem to get a fair amount of good reviews, but I'm concerned about the language barrier and the quality of the work.

I have spoken with people who have and the general consensus is the quality of work is terrible. The other issue is when working across time zones projects drag on forever since you communicate through emails mostly and what could be a 5 min convo has turned into a 6 day email fest.

[Probability]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyFish

In your case, though, I doubt that's the best way to go. I would suggest that you find a local young, talented programmer who buys into your idea. Instead of paying him a full salary, pay him as much as he needs to survive and make up the rest with equity in your company. This will save you money and also increase his incentive to perform well.

i think this is a great idea if you can find a very motivated individual.

[RikaKazak]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyFish

In terms of hourly rate, the most affordable way to get programming is to outsource it to India. You can do this through elance, or countless other places. I've had both good and bad experiences doing this. You need to have your product extremely well thought out and specified so there's no room for misinterpretation, and so there's not a lot of changes during development that could give them a reason to alter their time/cost estimates for the project.

In your case, though, I doubt that's the best way to go. I would suggest that you find a local young, talented programmer who buys into your idea. Instead of paying him a full salary, pay him as much as he needs to survive and make up the rest with equity in your company. This will save you money and also increase his incentive to perform well.

You can protect your IP by having all prospective employees sign an NDA before you discuss what you're doing. However, in the space you're in, you're not really going to be able to prevent competition. Your best protection is to grab market share as fast as possible.

This is usually the route I like to go in start up businesses. However tbh I'm pretty optimistic about this business and would actually like to keep 100% of the equity myself

Do you think maybe a flat hourly plus a % bonus of net profit at the end of the month might work instead? (for a fixed number of months)