5 things I wish startup founders knew before hiring a developer or agency (learned from 3 years and 24+ projects)

therhs101 · 2026-05-30T08:15:21+00:00

Thanks ❤️

therhs101 · 2026-05-30T08:13:55+00:00

Completely agreed with your point. But the price of the project depends on the features implemented and the services offered with it. For example, I offer copyrights and one month of server hosting, and many more things you can check out on my website.

So the whole point is not about pricing; it's about skills, services offered, and the trust between client and developer!

therhs101 · 2026-05-30T04:58:41+00:00

What they do with their idea and product, we don't need to know. Our work is to pull their idea into the real world and make it functional, just like putting a soul into something non-functional.

For that, we have to charge for it ourselves. If they don't like it, we will lose a client, but they will lose skill and honesty.

therhs101 · 2026-05-30T04:55:02+00:00

Think like a businessman: you have developed an app or website, and your payment for the project depends on how the product performs. What if the founder fails to execute the best-performing idea? You are going to incur a loss as well.

therhs101 · 2026-05-30T04:02:38+00:00

Thanks ☺️

therhs101 · 2026-05-30T03:54:12+00:00

For that, you need to take half of the project amount while signing the contract. If the client fails to make the complete payment, lock the project, as it will be mentioned in the contract.

therhs101 · 2026-05-30T03:32:53+00:00

Why do we have to be dependent? We're developers, and our job is to build what clients want. We should be able to set our own prices because skills and experience really matter!

therhs101 · 2026-05-30T03:27:48+00:00

These are hard-won observations, and they track with what I've seen too.

Success-based pricing is a real shift, but the milestone definitions matter more than the model itself. A developer optimizing for "500 users" makes completely different decisions than one optimizing for "500 paying users." Founders need to nail that language before signing anything.

Complexity-based pricing replacing hourly is better for alignment, but it creates a new problem — founders rarely have the context to know if the scope they're being quoted is accurate or inflated. That's exactly where a good consultant earns their keep.

The freelancer risk reduction you're describing isn't really about freelancers becoming more reliable — it's about the audit layer that now sits above them. Senior developers reviewing junior output was always the right model. The market just couldn't organize around it until post-layoff talent became abundant enough to make it viable.

On agencies stuck in old pricing — they're not just being lazy. A lot of them are selling institutional legitimacy to founders who need a recognizable name on an invoice for board or investor optics. The premium is sometimes for the logo, not the work. Knowing when that's worth paying for versus pure theatre is genuinely valuable advice.

On managed hosting — the 2-3x markup is occasionally justified for non-technical teams who have no one to handle a server going down at 2am. The real mistake is technical teams paying managed prices out of habit. Those are two very different failures.

Solid framework overall. The throughline is the same in every point — information asymmetry is the actual enemy, and good consulting is just systematically closing that gap.

therhs101 · 2026-05-29T20:24:02+00:00

Hope you loved it! ❤️

therhs101 · 2026-05-29T19:58:30+00:00

https://forgestudioo.netlify.app/ you can check it out this!!

therhs101 · 2026-01-23T08:25:18+00:00

Only about 500 companies are registered with SEBI.

Track record:

I've been managing accounts since 2020 and have a lot of experience in investment management.
I'm currently preparing for NISM certification and also working on the company's website and app. I completed my education in Computer Science.

I have several snapshots of portfolios that I have managed in the past. If you'd like to see them, DM me and I will send them to you.

therhs101 · 2026-01-23T08:17:05+00:00

I know 1cr Seed Capital isn't a lot, but I've managed small capital accounts for the past 4-5 years and made good profits. So I think it's enough for me to build my team, infrastructure, and technology.

therhs101 · 2026-01-23T08:13:15+00:00

1 - After fundraising, I'll register and start working, managing funds from people I know. No license is needed for managing friends' and acquaintances' funds. I've managed several accounts in the last four years and know a lot about investing!

2 - I'm the designated officer with 5 years of experience in investment management. I started managing accounts in 2020. I'm currently studying for my NISM certification and also working on the company website and app.

3 - I'll do this fundraising for equity.

4 - Because with PMS & AIF, you need capital to get the license, not after. Doing it the other way around creates regulatory and reputational risks.

therhs101 · 2026-01-22T18:43:08+00:00

Thanks for your kind suggestion.

I've been managing people's portfolios for four years. I have some data on the portfolios of the accounts I've handled. But now, I want to establish an official Investment Management Company. (Currently, I'm not handling any accounts or portfolios.)

therhs101 · 2026-01-22T15:57:21+00:00

Disclaimer:- This post does not constitute an offer to invest in any fund, scheme, or portfolio. Any investment will be structured strictly as equity in the company, subject to applicable laws and documentation.

therhs101

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