I'm in the same boat and did a lot of research and concluded the following:
1- Having an MVP built by a 3rd party will cost a lot of money. Hiring a contractor will also cost a lot. I would advise against hiring from fiverr/upwork, unless you want some minor work to be done or already know how a software is developped inside out. You can then cut the project in smaller chunks and tasks and seek someone to develop it for you.
2- Thinking that once you have your MVP you will be off the hook and can go try sell the product, get traction and some sales, and finally re-invest everything back in the buisiness will NOT work. You will need a developper/company on your side all the time, all the way trough your venture.
3- I was thinking of investing around $1k per month to get an MVP done, but this wouldn't have been good on a long run anyway.
4- I came to the conclusion, that it would be faster/easier just to learn programming from scratch instead. There are a lot of free resources out there. It takes time and persistence, but you will get there. This will save you long term, and even if your MVP fails, you would have learned programming and you can you that for another venture or get a job.
I was thinking about developing a really basic version of my product. I think having something tangible makes it easier to convince a good technical co-founder to join or to even get an investment.
I dont think that learning programming would be the most efficient way to spend my time. By the time I would get to the level I could create my application, the wave will have already passed. Furthermore, not everyone needs to know how to code, everyone should focus on what they're good at. I am good with sales, marketing, finance, and building websites. This of course puts me in a disadvantageous position when wanting to launch a startup.
You can use no-code tools for developing a really basic version of your product. (Bubble, Webflow, etc). Once you'll have something to show - you can pitch the idea to the potential tech co-founder. You can find them on relevant cofounder subreddit, IH (Looking to Partner Up), etc.
1- Having an MVP built by a 3rd party will cost a lot of money. Hiring a contractor will also cost a lot. I would advise against hiring from fiverr/upwork, unless you want some minor work to be done or already know how a software is developped inside out. You can then cut the project in smaller chunks and tasks and seek someone to develop it for you.
2- Thinking that once you have your MVP you will be off the hook and can go try sell the product, get traction and some sales, and finally re-invest everything back in the buisiness will NOT work. You will need a developper/company on your side all the time, all the way trough your venture.
3- I was thinking of investing around $1k per month to get an MVP done, but this wouldn't have been good on a long run anyway.
4- I came to the conclusion, that it would be faster/easier just to learn programming from scratch instead. There are a lot of free resources out there. It takes time and persistence, but you will get there. This will save you long term, and even if your MVP fails, you would have learned programming and you can you that for another venture or get a job.
Hope this helps.