I want to develop one project to support young professionals in Europe. In the team I have the designer (me) and 1 talent for PR and marketing. And we really need a developer because, apart from the local events, the project will also have an application in browser. This app is very important for the project evolution. So we really need a developer to enroll with us in this journey.
However, the challenge is that we have no funds at this point. I just started with the idea 2-3 weeks ago, and now we are defining the overall strategy. So it might take time to raise money. However, I will also consider loaning money to pay the developer.
So, could you kindly advice how should I attract a good developer and make him stay all the way for better or for worse?
Thank you!
Raluca
The simple answer is: good developers get paid.
You have a few options that each come with different risks.
1. Find a development agency looking for equity projects. There are more out there than you would expect but be prepared to show them all the details. They are going to want to see that you've done ALL your homework.
2. Find a freelancer looking for passion project. This is hard. Really hard. Try places live Reddit to post what you're looking for with as many details as you can share.
3. Create a "simple-er" MVP. Can up just design a mockup and sell that to investors or customers first? Can you find a way to do it without coding?
People will see value in a lot of ideas but the more you can show them that you've put time into the idea and have hard plans for success, the better the likelihood of finding someone for your project.
Hope that helps!
Let me ask you this: have you engineered the program? Have you gamed it? Drawn action cases...such as: say I want to register...what actions must I take? Have you accurately defined it each functionality and exactly what you want it to do, what steps are needed for each course of action. How one portion interacts with another?
The worst thing is to have a foggy idea, with out step by step pencil and paper action board designing and just have a programmer start programming. Most of your work should be done before the programmer starts to program. Otherwise you get worthless or even worse then worthless spaghetti code.
A blend of retainer ship and equity (may be sweat) should be the optimal way to move forward. Retainer ship will make the developer be serious about the roles/responsibilities and equity will provide enough value to possess holistic outlook of future. Just make sure the individual shares the passion of working with a startup and is open to count his/her individual growth with business.
Look beyond the usual suspects i.e. someone on a job hunt. Your requirement isn't for an employee but a kick-ass individual seeking startup date.
