Tips on finding software/web developer for an idea

[GeoffP]

Hello all,

I'm working on an idea for an online application where people enter information and the program populates some forms and gives them options for self service (you print and mail the forms), assisted service (call center helps you with the forms), and full service (we connect you to a vetted professional to finish the forms for you). In an ideal world, this would be able to read information like tax returns and bank statements and paystubs and auto loan statements.

Any ideas on where I can find someone to program this or quote out what it would cost to build? For those of you who think I could find someone on Upwork, I'd appreciate recommendations for programmers.

More than happy to provide additional information if needed (but if you take the idea you owe me $10m jk jk jk)

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[peddletothemetal]

(Disclaimer: this is entertainment and I don't know what I'm talking about)

Hit LinkedIn first and try to grow your network out until you connect with people you know who are now programmers and/or are known by people you know. Ask if they'd be interested in consulting and a possible subsequent project.

Once you find someone who will offer consulting, and has a long enough career record on their profile, pay them hourly for discussions. They should be able to tell you what will be hard and what will be easy. However pay attention to how much they use the word "just". Saying it would just take or just need etc several times is an indication they're an idiot or very green in their career (regardless of years of experience), and you should find someone else.

If you don't have money to pay up to this point, your enterprise ends.

They should be able to tell you for instance that scanning in paper won't work cost effectively due to reliability, but what will work too. They should be able to mention some 3rd party services that will do some parts of what you want. If they say 100% should be custom coded from scratch, walk away, unless they explain how the most popular 3rd party services don't cover what you need (which indicates they've actually considered them).

After that you can pay them to write up a plan of how to build the limited MVP you both agree would adequately test the market and most likely be within your budget, how they recommend it be built, and with them adding their quote at the end to build it themselves.

Both the cost of writing the report, and the quote at the end, must be fixed prices. If they use the word "estimate", firmly tell them no, and say you will only agree to a fixed price for a fixed scope of work. If they mutter something about "agile", or won't agree to fixed projects, walk away. But if they agree, don't try to talk their price down. That's the price.

If they present a fixed price to implement what you have discussed would be a good MVP, you will then immediately think the price is "crazy" or the like, and that you will be "clever" by instead having someone in Bangalore you found online build it for you. You will then join the swollen ranks of failed wannabe internetpreneurs who had an idea but got "screwed over".

Alternatively, you aquire funding for that quote, and proceed.

Once that MVP is live, and you've marketed it, and you have confidence that its got interest, it's OK after that point to work out a more flexible development pricing (like hourly or closer to it), and at that point you'll probably want to approach investors.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I'm confused. Do they upload PDFs and you need some type of OCR recognition?
Or are they manually entering data from these tax statements, etc.?

 

[kubikdanon]

I am a software developer. PM me if you want some help.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[GeoffP]

I'm confused. Do they upload PDFs and you need some type of OCR recognition?
Or are they manually entering data from these tax statements, etc.?

The ideal is for there to be OCR recognition off PDF files. Future versions would (hopefully) be able to export the info from something like TurboTax.