Are my friends and family crazy?
Hello,
My name is Rob and I can't believe I'm writing this.
Here goes.
I have been on the sidelines reading Hacker News for 3 years now and too scared to ask any questions because I am just a regular Joe with no technical background....NONE!
The Story;
I have an idea for a online marketplace website. The user base I am catering to is huge.
Hint:
My users are a lot like me.
We barely understand how a computer works.
We can barely type.
We don't Tweet.
We do not have books with Faces on it.
We do not use Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat or any other social platforms. I know, how can we function on this planet without any of these things in our lives.
My users are smart, work hard and this country could not survive without them. They are the forgotten ones with all this high tech hoopla.
I know the trendy word nowadays is it "disruptive"? The answer is yes.
I have presented my idea to friends and family and the general reaction is usually ..... holy crap! They joke with me and say the market is in the Godzillions. Are you hiring? Hahaha!
I am a family guy and I'm concerned. I'm sure most of you all have heard or read about the poor guy who pissed off his kids college fund on a pipe dream but I can't and won't let that happen to me. That's why I need your help.
So, my question to you is; How do I find the right person or company to help me build this thing?
For me it's all about trust.
Thank you for not laughing at me too hard and helping me chase "the dream". I look forward to your advise.
Thank you! Rob
21 comments
[ 104 ms ] story [ 1095 ms ] threadGood, don't do that. Web-based applications can be developed fairly inexpensively, especially if you were willing to learn to code yourself. Otherwise, try to spend other people's money (but with the caveat about being careful about how much equity you give up if you get this thing going and start raising money).
Another thing you have to consider... if you want this built, you have three realistic options:
1. Learn to code, and do it yourself, at least through the initial stages.
2. Subcontract the work to somebody on a pure "work for hire" basis
3. Bring in a co-founder who receives a share of the equity in exchange for building the site.
In many ways, (3) above is the most attractive, but in this case, you face an interesting conundrum... you have an idea, but a potential co-founder is going to ask what else you can bring to the table? If you aren't going to code, what are you going to do? If all you have is the idea, and the other person(s) have to do all the work, they are (rightly, IMO) going to want the lion's share of the equity. You, as the originator of the idea, may not be so comfortable with such an arrangement.
Given that, unless you have some money you are comfortable spending on option (2), I seriously recommend considering (1). It wouldn't be the first time a non-technical person learned to code and built their own prototype and then used that to work their way forward... once you have a prototype, you're in strong shape to seek a co-founder or outside investment.
All of that said, if you want to subcontract the work out to somebody, feel free to shoot me an email. I might be able to help you find somebody.
I'd suggest finding a small, local consulting shop and asking them to build it for you as a work-for-hire giving you full copyright ownership. Full-time consulting orgs will have no interest in stealing your idea as it's their lifeblood to build out other people's ideas. Meet with the owners, see their offices, evaluate their past work, get a free consultation, and only pay what you can afford.
Finding a co-founder is also hard. I think it's the same success rate of starting a rock band. And I think it's more likely to have a bitter end where you're trying to divide a baby.
If you're really interested in subbing it out, ping me directly, I may be able to help you find somebody.
taking a step back though, before plunging headlong into this journey, I would seriously consider all the steps between thinking about the prototype and the 'godzillions' to be had. Just like with almost every other startup, the initial reaction to your prototype/MVC is going to be that the market doesn't care (shocker!)..maybe you get lucky and get some traction. The data you get will be clear as mud. Would you persist and continue with iterations to uncover the real market fit?
also, it doesn't matter if you are tech savvy yourself. are you at least completely comfortable working with a strong tech person without letting them completely run the show? If you are unsure, I would recommend going to a few local tech conferences/meetups and get to know the people. Maybe you'll come away with an arrangement where someone talented is willing to work part time on your time for some equity.
take your time finding the right partnership arrangement; don't worry too much about the fact that you have this brilliant idea someone else will beat you to it.
I'm soon available and want to work on some projects for fun anyway. Let's chat on https://vline.com/ about the idea and vision, if you want.. I'll do it, if I believe in the idea, otherwise you can create a profile of what type of developer you need and what needs to be done and post it here or on some job board. (post your email or other contact info on your profile so that people can reach you)
Look, what people here are telling is almost completely true. You've heard that ideas are cheap and execution is hard or that ideas are pipedreams and don't mean anything without "proper execution". The essence of this is true, but there is a part to that picture that is missing. Insider knowledge and making the product so that it's effective and efficient at what it needs to do is what ideas can't offer. That is what you shouldn't share, except with those who you need to share it with.
Nobody will steal your ideas and become a billionaire with it without putting a lot of effort into it. And if they do that, it doesn't mean that they will be any successful by a long shot. That's because there is only so much that can be winners, the rest is doomed to work or to become "the losers" in this race. Someone needs to believe as much as you do into the idea to make it.