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dynabros

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Most people forget to factor incentives and bargaining into the new/old/buy/lease argument. I've leased new cars that cost less than the depreciation on a purchase. You can also buy a used car for an exorbitant amount, spending more than new.

Why not hire a cheap overseas developer to create v1? It will cost you a grand or two, but will allow you to test your idea for little capital. You can always rebuild v2 with a reputable dev shop or freelance team.

1. False

2. My understanding of the law is if you have no employees in the state and no office, you're location-less. I believe you can incorporate anywhere you want. You dont even need a physical address in the state, use a registered agent.

4. Get a separate bank account. All you need is articles of incorporation and a tax ID.

5. IMHO any time you're taking money, protect your ASSets and incorporate.

FYI - Don't hire a lawyer to incorporate for you. Download the files and mail them yourself. Its sooo easy, takes 5 minutes.

Incorporate before you take a single dollar from a customer. It's not expensive if you don't use a filing service, only a couple hundred bucks. Regarding an entity type, investors will like to invest in a Corporation as opposed to an LLC. You could create an LLC and change it to a Corp, but it might be easier to file for a Corp straight away.

Regarding the filing state, best to consult a lawyer. Many companies file in DE solely for liability purposes, a lawyer will be able to gauge your risk for lawsuits.

I'll personally file all the paperwork myself, it takes under 10 minutes to write everything out. I don't get why people pay a company to do it?

There are plenty of designers out there, and I agree that dribbble is a great way of finding a database of designers. But when you do find some designs you like and are getting ready to contact people, here are some tips:

1) Personal taste - designers are unlike developers, whereas design skill usually can't be quantified. You can't give a designer a code test. My main qualification for a designer is if I like their work. Their style usually remains consistent throughout their projects, so there's no guessing involved. Request their portfolio and imagine how they would interpret your app. Do you think it meshes with your personal style?

2) Personality - can you talk to this designer easily? How open are they to your opinions? Make sure you feel comfortable chatting, because I guarantee you're not going to like something in their first iteration. You're going to want them to change it, and the optimal outcome should be them welcoming the change. You also want someone who can criticize your opinions in a nice way.

3) Make your app sound like the bomb - the good designers have a chip on their shoulder. Many of them are able to choose who they work with, so you're going to want to make your project sound fun to work with. Its important, because why else would a top designer want to work with you?

4) Don't worry about distance - designers are easy to work with at a distance. Just make sure their fluent in your native tongue to get points across.

Good luck!

SEEKING FREELANCER: Remote or NYC - part time

Looking for freelancer to develop an algorithm and integrate into django based site. You should be creative and able to figure out complex problems. Please send portfolio, experience, and amount of time to dedicate to the project. Thanks! Email: elezam [at] gmail.com

Scores and percentages don't always matter. Can you code well? If you can - great! If you can't - there are numerous books and online resources to get you going again. Remember not every coder got their education from a college environment!

I'm not 100% familiar with India, but from what I understand the cost of living is low. Can you work as a freelancer for a lower hourly rate until you get on your feet? That may be a good idea.

Thanks for the excellent advice. Do you think for a beta product, skimping on various things will haunt you even after you go live? Or do you think everything is easily replaceable, and no one will even remember?

I had an experience like this. I waited it out, kept giving him tasks to complete, more chances, etc. One day he just decided to get a day job. My guess is that if they're not doing anything towards the advancement of the company, they're going to get bored and just walk away. Hopefully in your case this is before the shares vest.