Outsourcing is the utilization of resources to accomplish projects/tasks outside of your company's resources. This is often associated with Software Development work that is done in offshore consulting companies located in areas such as India, China and Russia.
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Is hiring average programmers worse than staying solo?
I have a reasonably successful SaaS which is pretty much a one-man show; I always wanted a co-founder but never found the right person. It's been running for a number of years now, growing ...
28
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9answers
4k views
Dilemma: to outsource the coding or do it yourself
I develop and sell iPhone apps. I've released one app, and decided to build a few more, in parallel. I thought about outsourcing some of the coding, so I went on Elance and posted some jobs there. The ...
16
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12answers
1k views
Is Outsourcing Evil?
I find the topic of outsourcing incredibly interesting, and I propose the question:
Is Outsourcing Evil?
A recent blog post at onstartups got me going about even more about it.
Up until this week I ...
11
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9answers
837 views
Tips for running a virtual office
Having a virtual company empowers you to hire talent anywhere in the world and manage a team of employees using the wonders of modern technology. I have personally worked this way since January and ...
11
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3answers
484 views
How to start a company for my website and hire programmers without risk of losing my code?
I have a gaming website that is making me around 3000 Euros monthly. I see great potential to expand this website but it's not a 1 person job and I need to hire a programmer to help me speed up the ...
10
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9answers
730 views
New Startup - How to outsource everything without losing control
I run one technology startup now that takes up most/all of my time.
I have another idea for a technology startup and wanted to outsource everything either through contract workers or salaried ...
10
votes
7answers
685 views
I've got a great algorithm, now what?
I have an algorithm for doing OCR (Optical Character Recognition) in a way that no one has ever done before. I've built rudimentary prototype software and I've tested my algorithm against the existing ...
9
votes
9answers
718 views
Making The 4-Hour Workweek a Reality
After having read The 4-Hour Workweek, I'm left with the thought of how to make this concept a "practical reality".
What (specifically) have you done to successfully lessen your involvement in the ...
9
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11answers
2k views
Build in-house or outsource?
I'm working with a SaaS business with a non-technical founder/CEO and am looking for pros and cons for (1) building the software in-house vs (2) outsourcing version 1.0 to a consulting firm.
From ...
8
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7answers
673 views
Off Shore vs “Self Development”
After being a senior developer for quite a few years (more than 15) I would like to start my own business and implement a product that will be used for financial purpose (it will probably take 4-5 ...
8
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8answers
848 views
I think I've been scammed by a programmer I hired
I had this brilliant startup idea for a while, and finally had some small funds to hire a programmer. It's been about two months now with no functionality results, and only design/theme drafts.
I ...
8
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8answers
859 views
Tips for hiring a freelancer programmer?
I'll be writing my own web-site soon, and some parts of it I plan to outsource to developers (either people I know, or if I won't find any - developers from "freelancers sites").
Has anyone who ...
8
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10answers
812 views
Is hiring another software house to build my web-based app prototype a good idea?
I am starting up my web-based application business. I have an idea and already done some research on this idea. And now I want to realize it. There are two choices for me either to hire a soft ...
7
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14answers
2k views
How much should I expect to pay for design work?
I received a quote for design work for my web / iPhone startup - it was quite a bit higher than what I expected, but I wanted to check if my expectations are off. The quote is from an overseas agency ...
7
votes
4answers
274 views
Examples of tasks you have successfully delegated
I am looking for examples of tasks that you have successfully delegated to others - be it either in house staff, virtual assistants or outsourcing.
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2answers
370 views
Books / Advice on running an outsource software development shop?
So there's tons of documentation and books on project management, agile development, how to manage outsourcing projects, how to send our project offshore, etc...
But I'm on the other side, I'm ...
6
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11answers
782 views
Outsourcing SEO on sites like Fiverr
I saw a lot of posts on Fiverr where people who offer creating 1000's of backlinks to your website for a pretty low price.
Is it a good way to improve my SEO?
Is it safe to use this technique? I ...
6
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5answers
181 views
Is outsourced infrastructure bad for investors?
I did work for more than 6 startups. I never saw it. But I heard from a friend that is working for a network appliance startup, that his CEO, wants to keep the whole infrastructure in-house, because ...
6
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1answer
263 views
Our client wants ownership of the code + no competition clause, but we need to re-sell this program in order to make money. How do we compromise?
TL;DR: "A client contracts us to build the engine for Warcraft I, does client have right to stop us using the same engine for let's say.... Skyrim?" (No contracts have been signed YET)
Actual ...
6
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4answers
944 views
How do you use Mechanical Turk?
I'm a big fan of mechanical turk and often leverage it with smartsheet. I've used mturk for basic writing, gathering content from multiple sources, and some minimal research. However, I don't think ...
6
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4answers
221 views
Outsourcing Development
I've read all the posts and articles against non-tech founders, I get it. That's not my question (this time..) My question is how does everyone feel about the idea of outsourcing development to a ...
5
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12answers
2k views
Outsource basic webdev maintenance? (eLance vs oDesk vs Guru vs RentACoder)
I am considering outsourcing some basic webdev maintenance work.
Little tasks like: "Please add clock or other wait indicator when the AJAX is still processing." that should take less than an hour ...
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votes
11answers
1k views
Hire or outsource web design?
When building a website in a bootstrapped startup, is it better to hire a web designer or outsource the work? All of the founders are coders and don't excel in web design. Apart from that, if the ...
5
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7answers
284 views
Can mistakes be made because you are too close to your own product?
I am a web developer and designer, and am working on a business plan and essentials for a new product. After spending some time working on a logo for my product, I came to the conclusion that my ...
5
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5answers
440 views
Why can't I find any reliable web development help? What am I doing wrong?
I operate a web development firm with an increasing volume of work. Rather than hire local developers as full-time employees, I've taken the approach of working with a network of remote developers ...
5
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7answers
1k views
Feedback on Build-Operate-Transfer Outsourcing Model
Our company is investigating a couple of outsourcing companies and operating models and one that we're starting to lean towards is the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model with a firm that has some ...
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8answers
302 views
How much do you trust cloud services / outside hosts with proprietary info?
I've long been of the opinion that the core assets of a software company (e.g. source code and any system that touches it, continuous integration environments, internal wikis containing ...
4
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9answers
708 views
How do you find good professional help? (Lawyers, Accountants, Graphic Designers, etc)
Business accounting and legal work are mundane-but-required tasks for any startup. However, until the company is large enough to hire on dedicated staff for that work, how do you find qualified ...
4
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3answers
338 views
What are the top problems (and solutions if they exist) with outsourcing software development overseas?
I've tried outsourcing software development (I'm a developer but don't have time to do all that I need to).
Some issues I've had:
Poor Unit Testing skills : the developer does not test the units ...
4
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4answers
1k views
Is it legal to pay outsourced hourly contractors less than minimum wage if they are based in the U.S.?
If I hire someone on oDesk or a similar website by the hour and they are based in the U.S., will my company get in trouble for paying that person less than minimum wage?
I've found some answers on ...
4
votes
3answers
382 views
Best way to get a developer working for you?
I would like to know what is the best way to hire someone to help you building a web-site. I heard about guru.com and elance but I am not convinced that I can get someone from there who can help me to ...
4
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7answers
2k views
Software Outsourcing Price Comparison
Does someone know where to find any information about price comparison for Software Outsourcing across different countries?
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5answers
198 views
I need a solution for getting about 1K business cards into CRM
My CEO is a very public figure. She is at multiple events every night and rarely comes back with less than a huge stack of cards. I need to make sure the follow-up system is there, so I need all those ...
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7answers
639 views
Ideas for outsourcing to a virtual assistant
Especially when working on a startup, the more time consuming tasks you can outsource, the better. Is there a forum or community that would be a good resource for ideas on how to outsource more tasks?
...
4
votes
4answers
300 views
Technology cofounder vs outsourcing
I plan to start an innovative e-commerce service on mobile and web. I have the idea and industry knowledge, but very basic technical knowledge (hardware, software etc). I decided to find a technical ...
4
votes
6answers
514 views
Is hiring a virtual assistant (VA) a good idea?
I read in "The 4-Hour Workweek" book about a VA firm called Brickwork India.
I am looking for someone that will help me create some content for my website, like newsletters, etc. Is this a good ...
4
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1answer
2k views
Finding a client for software development outsourcing project
I have led an established IT-company in Ukraine for several years now. The company's business is in the different fields, including an outsourced software development. Currently I realize that I am ...
4
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4answers
185 views
Time Keeps On Slippin…So Stop Already!
As an entrepreneur, I'm always looking for ways to use my time more efficiently. Several years ago I took a time management course while working on my dissertation in which the primary message was to ...
4
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1answer
147 views
Interviewing virtual teams
How is interviewing virtual team members different from ordinary staff hiring, if speaking about software outsourcing? When the personal meeting is impossible, what are the key actions that help find ...
4
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2answers
85 views
How to manage phone support to the US?
We're a two-member team operating from Asia but incorporated in Delaware (for various reasons), and we'll soon release our first webapp. Since the target audience of our app would be US and European ...
4
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2answers
133 views
What do software startups do for support type tasks once the product/site goes live?
For those of you that sell a software package that is installed within an organization (web based or not) how do you handle support? Do you hire a few people to take calls, e-mails and handle the ...
4
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1answer
95 views
Build an appliance
We develop a bunch of software applications. Instead of shipping the software we want to build an appliance, using generic hardware components (and Linux) and sell the appliance in the USA and India.
...
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8answers
4k views
Need to create a professional Demo / Video Tutorial for my Software Application
I am creating a desktop application and i'll need a video tutorial / demo for the app, to put on my company website.
The purpose of the video is to obviously explain how to use the program, but to ...
3
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6answers
1k views
Hiring a freelancer to build an app
I'm deciding to hire a freelancer to build an app from one of the following websites: GoFreelance, ODesk, Rent-a-coder, eLance.
The thing is that I don't know how much my app will cost me. I have ...
3
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8answers
317 views
looking to form start-up and outsource web services but all local web design firms have quoted me too much
I am looking to start a company based around a website which would list merchandise in retailers. I have most of the specifics worked out (ie. name, business plan, etc), however, all the web design ...
3
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6answers
167 views
How do investors feel about investing in an outsourced MVP?
We are a semi non-technical team, that has access to technical people that will oversee the technical side of the build. Our thoughts, are to use the working MVP to validate the idea, and hopefully ...
3
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6answers
397 views
How does one find an illustrator?
On one hand we have designers readily available, people we can hire to create something with direction or concepts already available.
On the other hand, we have sites like 99 Designs and Crowdspring ...
3
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5answers
603 views
Paying workers over the internet?
A lot of startups involve not just receiving payment, but also disbursing payment:
WOrker crowdsourcing (mechanical turk, crowd flower), code + design outsourcing (Odesk, Elance, crowd spring), ...
3
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3answers
406 views
Development (as a non-developer) Outsource v Inhouse
What are the pitfalls and advantages to outsourcing the development of a start up's product. I am not a programmer, my background is in business. I am more inclined to outsource as I am not located ...
3
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2answers
362 views
Your experiences outsourcing product fulfillment?
I am looking for feedback from people who outsource their product fulfillment on the pros and cons of their service providers! I think the information will be helpful to the community. What should ...
