Found+READ: Comments by Jimmy Huen

Jimmy Huen — Tue, 22 May 2007 23:33:16 GMT

Looks like I’ll have to be real careful myself as I am going through the same thing except that my employer is not aware that I am moonlighting as a founder of an Internet startup. Good info you provided.

Jimmy Huen — Tue, 22 May 2007 21:38:50 GMT

I echo the sentiment that this is something only you can answer for yourself. Each person’s situation and reason for going this route are different so only you can make the call if it is a good deal or not.

I had been in your situation and I am doing something about it. I’ve been blogging in real time about the entire process of my current startup in hopes that others can follow and learn from my triumphs and defeats.

Jimmy Huen — Thu, 31 May 2007 04:56:56 GMT

Nicely put Christina. I guess if there comes a time when one has to make that decision, then it just means that one is getting really close to realizing his/her entrepreneurial dreams.

When and if I ever come upon that day, I would be LOL of joy like you did too.

Jimmy Huen — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 18:12:04 GMT

Good Analysis.

From my own experience, I would like to add that outsourcing can be done with a decent budget even if it is your entire project.

I posted my project on Elance a few months ago and got over 20 bids. I took the time to interview all of the potential providers and narrow them down to 2 or 4 serious contenders before negotiating project scope and price.

Even that is no guarantee that it will ultimately be the right decision, but if that is the only way you can afford to launch your prototype due to a shoestring budget, then it is worth it. Another issue to look out for is that if you can afford it, make sure you hire a team that has done the type of work that you are looking for, and can show you their past work that are similar to what you need (speaking from experience here).

My outsourced project is still less than half way complete so I am learning as I go. One thing that I make sure I anticipate from the beginning is this: being a programming project, it won’t be on time and on budget, and I mentally added extra time and cost to my original estimate and agreement.