[armenh]

Do any of you guys know any Freelance Programmers? One that will work for equity and a stake in a company. Or anyone here is one? What I would like to do with my partner, is to start site which links many sites. I cannot give much detail, but I am sure it needs a lot of complicated applications and all. Please let me know about any you may know of, and some other sites that I could find some on, I have already posted some ads on craigslist, but I need a more specialized place.
Thanks

[armenh]

bump.......

[jakejobfiller]

Honestly the type of a person you are looking for a freelancer is probably not going to do work without being paid. Simply because those type of people typically contract because of the fact they can make a higher dollar amount in a shorter period of time, contractors almost always make about 1/5-1/3 more money than a regular employee.
In my years of recruiting I have never found somone who would consider something like that, especially because you make it sound like there is a lot of work to be done and unfortunatly most people have families to feed.
I would suggest finding someone who does that for a hobby because I don't think your going to find someone who is interested in doing it for only equity unless you have some phenomonal business models and have created a amazing ROI.
Try searching some technology blogs and finding maybe a young aspiring person going to school, but then obviously you loose out on the quality.
Chances are your gonna have to cough up some cash to get this done.
J

[silfwerpihl]

maybe you can find someone here: vvvvvv.getafreelancer.com?

[eternalsunshine]

if the idea is so good enough for people to want a stake in the company, why don't you pay them and keep the equity yourself?

and if you're looking for a person who does all the "technical" work while you contribute the "idea", i think you're gonna have a really hard time talking them into working with you. ideas are worthless until you make it into something.

[kindafishy]

Originally Posted by jakejobfiller

Honestly the type of a person you are looking for a freelancer is probably not going to do work without being paid. Simply because those type of people typically contract because of the fact they can make a higher dollar amount in a shorter period of time, contractors almost always make about 1/5-1/3 more money than a regular employee.

Yes and no. I am both a professional programmer and an entrepreneur. I have spent a lot of time working both contract and full-time as a programmer. The 'yes' part is because you are right and short term rewards are very positive for a contractor, so it may be hard to find someone to work for equity. The 'no' part is because if you come across an individual like myself who is a programmer by trade, but who has been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, you have found the person you are looking for.

I am skilled at programming and can (and have, many times) produced high-quality, production-level systems... and I would be willing to work for equity if the idea was good enough to have me give up some of my personal time with my wife and children.

I am just working on another venture right now, so I don't have the time to consider something like this. Maybe in the future though, because I am having possible issues with the patentablility of my device (I have a thread about this elsewhere in these forums). The rush that comes with doing anything 'entrepreneurial' has infected me, so if this doesn't work I am determined to find another venture - likely one just like this (inventor looking for programmer).

Originally Posted by jakejobfiller

In my years of recruiting I have never found somone who would consider something like that, especially because you make it sound like there is a lot of work to be done and unfortunatly most people have families to feed.

You just did . I am sure there are others on this board. I am well aware that I am the minority though, and you are absolutely correct for the most part.

Originally Posted by jakejobfiller

I would suggest finding someone who does that for a hobby because I don't think your going to find someone who is interested in doing it for only equity unless you have some phenomonal business models and have created a amazing ROI.

Even to find someone to do this as a hobby may take a phenomenal business model and so forth. Programming is very time intensive. I am making a small application for my son to manage some of his files in a better way. There really isn't a lot to it, but I have spent hours working on it to make it perfect for his needs. Someone who programs as a hobby will likely already be programming hobby-like things that hold their interest. You need a compelling reason for them to spend hours and hours working on your idea.

Originally Posted by jakejobfiller

Try searching some technology blogs and finding maybe a young aspiring person going to school, but then obviously you loose out on the quality.

The most talented programmers I know were just as talented when they came out of school. The key to it is being creative and resourceful. These are natural traits, not learnt ones though. Also, these types of programmers are few and far between. So, you may get the quality you are looking for, but it is hit and miss whether or not you find the right person because right out of school, they don't have a track record to back up their natural abilities. It is more likely that you will come across someone who can't deliver, so for that reason it is accurate to say that the quality will 'likely' be poor.

I wouldn't advise going the route of finding a junior programmer to work on your killer idea, simply because you are putting undue risk on the product you want to produce.

[GuyBBY]

Armenh,

I had this situation before and have tried many ways to go about this. I was lucky enough to get someone who "fell in love" with the concept and is now the CTO and member of my LLC.

There are many things, however, that you should do to guarantee you do this the right way, especially without risking your idea.

PM me if you would like to discuss further, I will be more than happy to help.

Guy

[RLorenzen]

Originally Posted by GuyBBY

I was lucky enough to get someone who "fell in love" with the concept and is now the CTO and member of my LLC.

That is the key. I also was once seeking a programmer for equity and I happened to find someone who loved my idea and he is still my CTO and a member of my L.L.C.

[GuyBBY]

Originally Posted by RLorenzen

That is the key. I also was once seeking a programmer for equity and I happened to find someone who loved my idea and he is still my CTO and a member of my L.L.C.

Thanks RLorenzen! I am glad you had a similar situation that became a real win/win.

To Armenh:
The reason for this being so important is, think of it this way... You are the face of your business, you get to do the hand shaking and the meeting and creating, working and closing deals with potential clients/users etc. This is the fun stuff of business, first hand watching it grow and hearing the feedback from others, that you can take back and manifest into the next new service or feature your company offers. However…

The CTO/web designer is in a room staring at a screen and typing code all day long for this, getting email requests that to the sender may sound like "no big deal" but to him that means another sleeve of Oreo's and a case of Red Bull to have it done by go-live. This can cause a falling out as well as lack of true motivation if the purpose of the site or services being provided do not catch his complete attention. He should WANT to spend those long hours getting things moving forward towards completion, and at times, even SURPRISE you with new features you didn't even request but he wants the site to be that much better...because he is "in love" with the idea and concept.

You need to do a few things:

One, without giving away your idea, give a taste in the description of the type of business you are looking to create, the type of customer/user you would be dealing with, etc. This does not have to reveal your business plans or strategy, simply attract the right kind of group at the start. Then you start paring away at the list, and checking resumes, looking at past work and seeing whose skills but also whose PERSONALITY will work best for your site. A guy who has designed websites for financial firms will probably not have the same vibe as one who designed a site for a surf shop, etc. You need someone who matches the personality of not only your business but your users as well.

Now you have the 4 or 5 guys you want to work on the site but in order to truly see if they are the ones, you need to disclose a bit more info that you may wish to protect. Not a problem. Write up a generic NDA (Non-disclosure Agreement) that will state the terms of your discussing the business with him. You can find templates for this online, or PM me for further help on that.

This way, you are open and truly hearing the full scope of their ideas and what they can do with your site and business model in an online fashion.

Lastly, discuss the level of involvement. If you think you will need a full time CTO figure, you should think about sweat equity and equity structure, and this will be unique per your type of business, projected involvement and can be done and various ways. This is another thing I had to deal with so please PM me if you want to be pointed in a few different directions that may work for you. It is always tough when you are self-funded and pre-revenue, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. I took my time, planned it out, ran a few different structures in my mind, and today, everyone is happy across the board.

If you think they may just be needed part time or ad hoc, you can look into some type of consulting/contracting fee schedule that would work for both of you.

Anyway, I am sure between myself and Rlorenzen you can give a PM or two and gain further insight to your issue and how to go about it the best way.

Guy

[PsiPro]

I do alot of freelance programing work, but I have only done free work for friends. And like was said for a 'stake' in the company, I would have to fall in love with the idea and see real potential in it. Even most paid projects I get I am less then enthusiastic about working on because I know there is no potential. People ask me to realize the same 'dream site' over and over.

Your description fails to give me that desire. It also lacks details on what would need to be done by the programmer, so how am I to know if I am even qualified.