Ask HN: What elements of a startup should founders consider outsourcing

1 pointwnc31414 comments

I had a conversation with someone toying with a platform idea. They were wondering which parts of the technical development could be outsourced - made me wonder the same thing. They were interested in a cost effective path to an MVP (little technical background).

How might experienced founders or professionals approach outsourcing for a startup?

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EVERYTHING can be outsourced. And if there are employees actually getting paid, the first thing to oursource is payroll processing.

While it is true that everything CAN be outsourced, not everything SHOULD be outsourced. Generally, anything that is not your core competency is a good candidate for outsourcing. So your example of payroll processing is a good idea to outsource, but I wouldn't outsource the main product of the startup (like don't outsource building the tech if that is your product). Outsource legal, backoffice, HR, etc.

I would say outsourcing the development side. How much does he see cost effective for MVP?

I am just hazarding a guess, but since he is going at it alone, probably under 7-8 grand. Note there doesn't appear to be much differentiated tech, just a need for a competently constructed platform for his market.

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