Hi HN,
I am a long time lurker, and I have learned immensely over the last few years. With all the knowledge and advice found on HN, I thought I could solve a problem I encountered in medicine by using the internet and technology.
I did all the research in this particular segment of the market and started on my journey to create my first MVP. I realized I didn't know how to program, so I sat down and learned how to use Drupal. Drupal became too restrictive for my needs. I started learning Ruby and Rails. Learning how to program from scratch was not getting anywhere.
This is where I need your advice. I really want to get this product completed. Even if it doesn't make me any money, I think it fills a need and I think it would be great for society in general. I don't have the programming skills at the time to do it myself.
This brings up a few questions: (Please bear with me, I am new to this field)
1) I really believe in this idea and will invest to get a developer/programmer to do this for me. I looked at elance but there are wide ranges in prices. What resources do you guys use to get developers, or does everyone make their product by themselves?
2) I honestly believe in my product and I have the expertise for the medical part of it, however I would love to work with someone who has the other skills necessary for a start up. How do you guys find a cofounder?
3) I am willing to leave my high salaried physician job for this endeavor but how do you guys get mentors/investors/cofounders. I looked into RockHealth, etc, but they all seem to cater to 20 something out of college students with multiple founders.
Thanks in advance. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks again.
If anyone is interested in chatting, email me at admin@pillbox.me
- The cheapest option is not the best option.
- Chemistry is more important than price.
- A very busy consultant will not be very fun to work with. Will miss deadlines.
- Find someone who is good, but does not take a lot of work at a time.
- Don't stick to one languge/framework. Let the consultant help you pick.
- Pay for a sit down. This is when you talk to the consultant in order to weed out any details about your goals. Well worth the money.
- Don't focus on hourly costs. A weekly or monthly charge ends up being easier for both sides.
Now, in #3 you let me know that this is a busines syou believe will get traction. How good are your business skills? If you are like most physicians out there, then you don't have a good clue as to how to market a product. This is the most important part of the business. If you havent thought about marketing then do so now. Don't invest a penny until you have proven beyond reasonable doubt that this will actually sell.
If you'd like, we can chat more about it privately. My email is in my profile.