You have a great idea for a startup, a need that hasn’t been filled. You know what you want it to do, what features it should have, but you’re not sure how to develop it. You don’t have a coding background and you’re not a cyber security expert, so you have to hire someone to help you. The problem is there are a lot of companies out there which promote product origination, so how do you decide which company to hire? Here are four tips on what to look for when hiring a company to build your product:
Expertise
You want to look for a company that has real-world experience. They are people who have funded and run their own startups, they are entrepreneurs. They understand the process and what it takes to get a business off the ground because they’ve been in the trenches. It’s like a player who becomes a coach in sports. They don’t just have coaching knowledge, they know what it’s like to be on the field, to feel the pressure, to take the hits and get back up. That’s what you want in the experts you hire, not just someone who knows how to build your product, but someone who can guide you and teach you how to get that product off the ground.
Necessary Steps to Take
The company you hire to build your product needs to know not only what steps to take, but the order in which those steps come. You can’t learn to run before you learn to crawl, so knowing which steps to take and when is very important. This is why expert experience matters. A company which has done this numerous times, with their own startups and for others, is going to be vastly more effective than a company which didn’t have to tough it out at the beginning.
When it comes to product development, understanding that you can’t go from an idea to a full-fledged product overnight is key. It takes time and there are fundamentals that need to happen before all of the features you want to implement can happen. A company that understands that and can help you understand why these things need to happen first is paramount.
Number of products created
As stated above, finding a company which has people who have funded and built startups from the ground is game changer. They understand what it’s like to get their hands dirty, to go through the hardships and how to overcome them. But you also want a company which has already helped other startups create products as well. They have seen it form both sides, so you want to look for a company which has more than a handful of created products under their belts. Having an idea is hard enough, creating a product is difficult, but getting to and through a successful launch is what separates companies from the pack.
Security/Compliance Knowledge
It’s not just enough that a company has the expertise, knowledge and resume. You need a company which also understands how build your product in a secure manner, how to keep your product on the right side of compliance so you don’t end up paying exorbitant fines. This part is the most important piece of the hiring process. You can have the best idea in the world and create a world changing application that helps people globally. But if it fails or breaks on a regular basis, or it fails compliance and regulation, then your startup is is dead on arrival.
Product origination is something that a lot of companies can offer. But there’s more to it than just designing a product and setting it free. Picking a company which understands the ins and outs of starting a business as well as how to be secure and compliant is what will set your product apart, and determine your success or failure.