How to decide to hire someone or do it yourself?

[Plushy]

I recently hired someone for a small part of my project by looking on UpWork, and the work they did was phenomenal. I had been struggling with this part of the code for 2 months, and they tackled it in 1 week. During that 1 week, I didn't hear much from them, so I panicked and thought they bailed on me and I wrote the stuff I was struggling with myself in a frenzy. So I actually did write the code I needed all along, that I doubted myself over. Then they delivered this morning. Their code was clean, good, maintainable, beautiful! Wow!

I almost wanted to hire them for more on the project. The years of experience they had was evident. It would take me years to get to where they are. I *can* do it myself, it just sucks significantly more. I am good at the art and UI, and I have a good design/idea.

My question is, how do you decide whether to hire someone, or to do it yourself?

Cons:

• The people I know tell me, do it yourself, less risky, you won't lose your money that way. But the people I know trade time for money. And part of me thinks, I should trade risk and leverage for money.
• Some books I read say, "it's okay if making money is easy, do the part you enjoy and love" or "leverage your money". But other books say, "the more work you're willing to do yourself, the better"
• And everyone knows the tales of people who lose all their money into their "business" and keep throwing money into a failing business with a poor plan and foundation. I don't want to become one of those "stupid businessmen" who uses up all their money on a lousy idea.
• Part of me deals with shame that I didn't do the work myself, and I "should" do it all myself. But does money care about that? Money just cares that I put something out there and make a sale.
• And I feel ashamed that I wasn't disciplined and motivated as my hired help was, and I should have that level of productivity.
• Then part of me fears that if I just hire people to do the stuff I don't like, this will set a precedence, I'll just keep hiring and hiring and hiring people instead of doing the work. And what if it doesn't pay off in the end?
• There is the risk that no one plays my game and I will have lost that money.
• I did ask my friends to help me for free, but by free that means at their own leisure, which means never. When I paid someone to do it, they did it quickly and professionally.
• And whenever I work with people, there's always the unexpected. People can quit, people can turn in something lousy or buggy or doesn't fit in with the rest of the game, etc. That's always a risk.

On the pro's side of hiring someone:

• I'll have access to higher quality work and get it done faster.
• There is the risk of NOT hiring someone : which is the game is shoddy and takes longer. and then, what if the quality is worse, and less people play it? So there is a risk to not using money either.
• I can focus on the stuff I'm good at and enjoy, which will increase the quality of the game.
• I can probably put out MORE games this year if I work with people, than by myself.

BTW! This game is not just an entertainment game, it's a productivity app, for a very important thing that I would personally use myself. There is nothing quite like it. So I'm not just creating mindless entertainment or subjective art. I think there is truly value to it, and I've been "working" on it for a year, though realistically it should've taken way less time if I was more experienced and professional.

I'm sorry I know I seem emotional and insecure. That is a huge problem I see in myself that affects attracting money. I don't know what to do. How do you guys decide whether to do the work yourself or hire someone?

Right now I am a student, so I don't work yet, and the money I have is just savings from investing in crypto a while ago, so it feels finite. But if I don't use it, it continues to sit in stocks not making very much other than breaking even and being an emergency fund.

Appreciate you guys reading this far. I think there are a lot of factors to juggle about whether or not to hire someone or do it yourself so sorry the post is long.

 

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[Two Dog]

Nz raitvoup ot, jux fu zua fidofi xjivjis vu josi tuniupi, us vu fu ov zuastimg?

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Og zua jef vji nupiz vu qez vjin, xuamf zua josi vji qistup vu fu nusi xusl? Tuapft moli ov. Tu vji qsucmin ot pu muphis "Jux fu O senq aq nz dufoph tlommt?" Ov't "Jux dep O dupvopai vu qez vjot qistup vu xusl gus ni?"

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Qsivipf zua fup'v iwip lpux jux vu vasp up e dunqavis epf gohasi uav ep eptxis vjev xuslt gus zua.