Read on Twitter
Good quality software engineering is expensive. It isn’t cheap, it’s expensive.
And good software isn’t a function of code alone. For every good product you see/use, a lot of things happen behind the scenes to make it happen.
And good software isn’t a function of code alone. For every good product you see/use, a lot of things happen behind the scenes to make it happen.
The one constant thing I hear every other week is that “we are too expensive” and I quite understand why people say so. The Dollar to Naira ration isn’t helping. I get that and I truly feel the pain of aspiring founders.
But there’s another way to look at it, before you make that final call, ask yourself this question “will I rather pay this premium and get people who understand product, engineering and a little bit of business do this for me ”….
or “should I go with this other person who is cheap, they are charging 1/5th of what AL is asking, but I will have to feed them everything, chase them around and even fight them to see what they have done and they lack the requisite skill to question my product assumption"
Coding is the easiest part, but building a product that can actually solve real problem is where the work lies.
That cost you are saving today will cost you 10 if not 100x in future.
That cost you are saving today will cost you 10 if not 100x in future.
A while ago, we had a prospective client who wanted to build X. We sat down with her, helped her think through the product and came up with a solid PRD that will work for her V1. We gave her our quote and defined our working methodology. 1. We will add her to the project board
This means she can track and see progress in real time. 2. I will lead the team, which means she has access to me and can ask questions and get clarification always. 3. We were going to provide feedback 3x a week with one large summary every Friday at 4PM on the dot.
Then we handed her the quote. She balked at the quote and we both shook hands and went our ways. A few months later, she reached out. She found some people that were going to charge her 1/5 of our quote and she even handed our PRD to them. No hard feelings.
The problem was, after many months of these people “posting” her, they stopped taking her calls. She didn’t even see a “coming soon” web page, talk more of a poorly built product. Nothing existed. Her money was gone and she didn’t know hotw to find these people.
She gave me names and asked if I knew them and how she could reached them. Unfortunately, I didn’t know them.
To this day, she hasn’t seen her product or her money. The fair bargain she thought she was getting ended up costing her….
To this day, she hasn’t seen her product or her money. The fair bargain she thought she was getting ended up costing her….
Lastly, if you know you can’t build a product, for the love of Christ and everything else that is beautiful, don’t take money from anyone.
If you did and you ran into issues because you underestimated the work, do the right thing and refund the client.
If you did and you ran into issues because you underestimated the work, do the right thing and refund the client.
Client’s, if it’s too cheap, ask yourself again “will this end in tears?”
You can’t get a Tesla on a Corolla budget. Good products don’t come cheap.
Do have a great week ahead.
Selah...
You can’t get a Tesla on a Corolla budget. Good products don’t come cheap.
Do have a great week ahead.
Selah...
