Show HN: I'm offering consulting for non-technical folks and startups

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2107656

by kylebragger • 16 years ago

31 21 16 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Inspired by a good friend who did Unstick.me, as well as the recent MVP for 1k project, I've decided to give consulting a shot by offering my services as a developer and product guy to non-technical folks and early-stage web startups who are looking to brainstorm on both the technology and product side, and possibly looking to have an MVP built based on their idea.

I started accepting requests the other day solely with a Wufoo form, and just launched a proper one-page site here: http://youshouldworkwith.me/

Curious to hear feedback on the offer and idea in general. It's the first time I've tried any kind of "alternative" consulting like this.

kylebragger9• 16 years ago

Clickable: http://youshouldworkwith.me/

dawson• 16 years ago

I like the website, clean design and to the point. Great domain too. Good luck!

vs2• 16 years ago

› 2 hours of consulting for $399. Are you for real??

ig1• 16 years ago

That seems in-line with how much developer consultancy firms charge.

disponsible• 16 years ago

It's a reasonable rate, but it would normally require a better resume presentation than what's there at the moment. Great to know that Kyle did all this stuff, but what's more relevant is what he did exactly. Did he draw the ranger guy for Forrst or did he plan the server hardware allocation or did he just hack on some code... that sort of thing.

I've seen my share of product consultants, and they primarily specialize in invoicing. There are some exceptions, of course, but generally the amount of BS/hour is very depressing. The site needs to do a better job to explain that Kyle is not of their kind.

kylebragger9• 16 years ago

I agree that I'm not exactly selling myself well enough. Wondering if it's worth showing that on this site, or just discussing in more detail with interested parties. I do agree that I'm not doing the best job of setting myself aside from the invoice pros.

jmarbach• 16 years ago

I like this consulting idea, but wouldn't you agree that the power of collaborative feedback via a question on HN is more powerful than a $200 hour with one person? Just my 2cents.

kylebragger9• 16 years ago

Thanks. I think that it's likely a combination of both. Also, I'm looking to help so-called idea guys - folks who probably don't use HN, but have an idea with potential, and a little capital to throw at it. FWIW, folks who turn to HN for guidance and feedback probably aren't the target demographic anyway, and they certainly wouldn't need my help :)

weirdcat3• 16 years ago

I wouldn't cross the hackers out. People who hang out here are usually aware of all the technical/organizational challenges of building a scalable website with great UX, but lots of us could use some one on one guidance from someone experienced every now and then.

kylebragger9• 16 years ago

That's a great point. Duly noted.

jkahn• 16 years ago

Good luck Kyle. It will be interesting to hear if you get any takers.

One thing I wonder is if the kind of people that would take up an offer like this have the means to pay for it. As in: do the "idea guys" that can't find technical guys have enough money?

One angle you might want to consider is the sanity check - going over the technical merit of an idea/early stage product/architecture. This could be for both the idea guy and technical guy. A company that is a bit further along would have more cash.

And for those on about the rates: that rate for two hours is not bad.

kylebragger9• 16 years ago

Thank you. I actually already have about 15-20 hours scheduled (most prior to launching the actual one page site), plus a couple entries on the MVP form.

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to angle this, but my ideal customer is an "idea guy" who does have the means to pay, an interesting idea, and "gets it" with regard to what it actually takes to build a product.

I do like the idea about involving some kind of idea sanity check, though I'm kind of doing that as folks contact me — I'd rather tell them that it's not really a viable idea as is, and spend a little time working through that, vs. take their money for the 2 hours or MVP product just because I can.

mapster• 16 years ago

I would start out lower. Gain some feedback (testimonials) then ramp up the rate. As it is, I don't know you from adam.

kylebragger9• 16 years ago

Point certainly taken. I actually (surprisingly?) have a bunch scheduled, so presuming all goes well, I'll have some real feedback and hopefully folks vouching for what I'm doing.

whatevers2009• 16 years ago

languages and db experience?

kylebragger9• 16 years ago

I thought about adding that but didn't want to emphasize one technology stack over another, at least not on the one-pager.

That being said: PHP, Ruby, some Python; Mysql, Postgres, Mongo.

weirdcat3• 16 years ago

Simple and clean, both the offer and the site; I like it.

You might want to think about some kind of satisfaction guarantee. I for once might have a problem shelling out $400 for a 2h talk with a guy I never worked with without one. I'd actually make it a "money back plus a beer on me" guarantee.

If you had a stackoverflow account I'd definitely link to it; too bad it's not possible with Forrst.

I'd also publish your HN karma. Seriously. A big, automagically updating number, showing that you really are about community, sharing, brainstorming and all that jazz. :)

kylebragger9• 16 years ago

Thank you. I think that's a great idea — I'll update the site right now. Neat idea re: karma, though not sure how much weight that would have for the types of folks I (think) I'm targeting. Couldn't hurt, either way though!

weirdcat3• 16 years ago

Ah, a good question to ask your non-technical clients then: what community sites like HN do they peruse?

Anyway, I know that if I'd seen a "karma" number over 1k, I'd be impressed even if I had no idea what it meant.

stevederico• 16 years ago

Looks Great. Good Luck Kyle. BTW I am a loving user of Forrst. That being said, I think your link to forrst is buried too low in the copy. Maybe put it up top with something like "I can help you make products like this...LINK". Just took me a while to see the Forrst link and make the connection.

Show HN: I'm offering consulting for non-technical folks and startups

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