Embarking on a venture to develop a competitor to Varos benchmarking software is an exciting and challenging endeavor, especially when you’re considering hiring engineering talent. Here are some insights to guide you through this process:

1. Identifying the Right Skills:

   • Technical Proficiency: Depending on the specifics of your software, look for skills in relevant programming languages and technologies. For a Shopify app, familiarity with e-commerce platforms, web development (JavaScript, HTML, CSS), and back-end technologies (Node.js, Ruby on Rails) might be important.
   • Experience with Agile Development: This can be crucial for a startup environment where quick iterations are common.
   • Problem-Solving Skills: Look for candidates who demonstrate an ability to think critically and solve complex problems.

2. Finding Undervalued Talent:

   • Global Talent Pool: Exploring overseas markets can be a good strategy. Countries with emerging tech industries often have skilled developers at lower costs.
   • Freelance Platforms: Websites like Upwork or Toptal can connect you with freelance developers who might be undervalued in their local markets.
   • Coding Bootcamps: Graduates from reputable coding bootcamps often possess solid foundational skills and are eager to prove themselves in real-world projects.

3. What to Avoid:

   • Overlooking Soft Skills: Communication and teamwork are as important as technical skills, especially in remote or international teams.
   • Ignoring Cultural Fit: Ensure that the candidates align with your company’s culture and values.
   • Compromising Quality for Cost: While cost-effectiveness is important, compromising too much on quality can lead to more expenses down the line in terms of rework and maintenance.

4. Additional Considerations:

   • Legal and Contractual Aspects: Understand the legal implications of hiring overseas, including contracts, intellectual property rights, and tax implications.
   • Communication and Time Zones: Be prepared to manage communication across different time zones.
   • Trial Projects: Consider starting with a small project to assess the quality of work and the working relationship.

Since you have experience in owning a DTC business, you might already be familiar with some aspects of team management and remote collaboration. Leveraging that experience will be beneficial in this new venture.

Would you like more specific information on any of these points, or perhaps guidance on how to approach the recruitment process for your MVP development? 🌐🛠️

Here are some suggestions from GPTs: ‘HR Companion’ is an AI HR assistant. I hope these will be helpful to you. You can try it if you need more assistance.

Hack together a prototype, somehow. If you can’t, I don’t hold much hope for hiring a software engineer who will charge you less than $250k for a non-functional product.

Recruiter background here.

Here are a few things to consider while I don’t have enough information.

1. What language does the individual need to know to build this?
2. You may consider someone full stack and also has the experience building tech from 0-1
3. You should think whether you want to outsource to a developer team or if you want to hire 1-2 people. If you’re hiring 1-2 people, you should consider someone more senior and can be autonomous rather than someone who needs handholding and a lot of direction. Esp with having no technical/development background it’s going to be hard to communicate the SOW to someone technical to build our your vision.
4. You could also partner with a staffing firm to help hire talent

Hard to give you any advice since you’re non technical. It’s best to reach out to your network and ask them if they know someone who might help you out. I see other people have suggested questions to ask but what matters is how you evaluate them. And since you’re not technical I’m not sure you can evaluate them in the correct way. In my dev/design shop we get clients mostly from referrals from other people we’ve worked with. If you have more specific questions feel free to shoot me a DM, I’d be happy to answer them.