

Ask HN: Entrepreneurs and Freelancers - teddytruong7

What should a new entrepreneur know before sending their project\idea out to a freelancer or freelancing website (elance.com)<p>Appreciate ALL input!
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jeffmould
If possible try to create as much of a wireframe (even if hand drawn) and
application flowchart of what you want. Don't worry about the look/feel at
this point, as so much getting the flow of your application or site
documented. Being able to clearly explain what you want the site to do and how
you want it to do goes miles. It is always easier to change the look/feel of
the site compared to the underlying operation. This is not to say that you
should not be considering the look/feel at this point though. You should also
be providing the freelancer as much detail as you can of what your ideas are
and how you would like it to look.

Come up with a wants/needs list based on your requirements. What is needed to
get the site going and to MVP. Then what you would "want" out of the site long
term. Come up with project milestones based on this. Define your budget and
payment terms based on the milestones.

You may find that you have a freelancer who is excellent at the backend
programming and sucks at design. You should consider that you may need to hire
two people to fill these roles compared to one. Always ask for references,
check the references, and find out what the person's skill set or
strengths/weaknesses are. Be upfront with them and encourage them to be
upfront with you.

Don't always look at price when comparing freelancers. The old saying of "you
get what you pay for" comes into play here. You want to get the most bang for
your buck here though.

Live and die by your payment terms. Always keep a clear and open line of
communication between you and the freelancer. Realize that they may be in
different timezones and that the "emergency" you have at 3pm may not be an
"emergency" to them at 12am when they are home with their family.

Overall, most importantly, ensure that expectations are clearly set before
engaging anyone. Make sure that you both know what is expected of each other
in terms of payments and deliverables.

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teddytruong7
Jeff thanks so much for your input, I really appreciate this. It's probably
going to guide me for this long haul in getting my iPhone game out there.

Looks like I'm going to buy my copy of Balsamiq today!

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systemtrigger
Your requirements and your budget. Clearly document both.

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teddytruong7
bump

