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The scenario is more common than it seems: an entrepreneur identified an opportunity and had the insight needed to start a startup but, along the way, realized they also need to develop the tools that will support the venture.

Regardless of the industry, the moment you invest in building a tool (such as apps and/or web systems) is a very important milestone for any startup.

It’s also the moment to take the necessary precautions to make sure the big idea turns into reality.

From here on, we’ll show a few aspects that should be considered when hiring the development of any application or system.

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What to watch out for when hiring a freelance developer

1. Carefully review the resume and portfolio

Except when you are dealing with a junior developer (in which case the startup must be aware of the inherent risks), it’s essential to request and thoroughly evaluate the candidate’s professional history.

When reviewing the resume, pay more attention to professional experience than to academic background. Courses and certifications matter in many cases, but the work already delivered tends to be a more reliable indicator of quality.

Regarding the portfolio, beyond checking quality, look at when the most recent projects were delivered.

In technology, where innovation is constant, it’s advisable for the professional to be actively working and to show work completed recently.

2. Validate the information provided

Once you’ve passed the resume and portfolio step, it’s time to confirm the information is accurate. Here, the tip is to check the references the candidate provides—from profiles on social networks to real participation in developer communities.

Today, especially in technology, it’s normal for professional information to be available online. Be cautious if you have trouble confirming details or if you find very few references about the candidate.

Another tip is to contact the companies listed in the resume to confirm the professional’s role and, more than that, to get managers’ feedback about performance—including behavior, deadlines, and work quality.

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3. Create a detailed brief

Once you’ve confirmed the candidate’s qualifications, the startup can move on to preparing the brief.

At this moment, provide a detailed description of what you want, including features, timelines, technology choices, and the expected quality level for deliveries.

This step is essential for both sides. On the one hand, it allows the developer to fully understand the work required—and to present an appropriate proposal.

For the hiring company, it’s also time to evaluate how communication will work with the future collaborator. Pay attention to reactions and questions, as well as to the suggestions made.

A simple acceptance of the brief, without any interaction, can indicate your needs were not fully understood.

4. Understand and question the price

After receiving—and understanding—the company’s needs, the candidate will present a proposal to deliver the service.

There’s no need to overemphasize how important it is for this document to be detailed: the richer the details, the higher the likelihood of alignment with what you expect.

Analyze each item carefully and verify whether it includes everything requested. Additionally, try to understand the fees charged as well as the timelines defined.

Be wary of “generic” proposals that present a single price and a single timeline for the entire project.

Ask for a detailed scope, with the timeframe associated with each activity that will be performed. Finally, question these items until you are fully satisfied and confident in everything presented.

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5. Require documentation of the work

The most common situation is a fixed-term contract—meaning that, after completing the job, the developer no longer collaborates with the startup.

In a less “friendly” scenario, the work may not even be completed, regardless of the reason.

In either case, it’s essential for the company to keep detailed documentation of everything that was developed. This includes the research and analysis performed and, of course, the databases and the application/system source code.

With this in hand, replacing the developer—or hiring another professional for new features—becomes much easier, which naturally impacts costs and timelines.

6. Keep all communication in writing

This precaution should not be confused with the previous one.

Here, we’re talking about recording all interactions between the company and the chosen professional. Proposals, requests—and approvals—of changes, deadline negotiations: everything should be properly organized and stored for future reference.

Once again, this is a procedure that provides security for both sides. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for a contractor to try to avoid certain responsibilities or to request an increase in payment, claiming a task had not been agreed upon.

More than simply proving what was discussed, written records help clarify points that may have generated doubts or noise between the parties.

7. Ensure confidentiality

It’s natural that, in order to do the job, the professional will need access to confidential company data as well as logins to institutional accounts.

At the same time, the entrepreneur does not want ideas, information, and internal procedures to be shared with third parties.

So it’s recommended that the contract explicitly includes a clause ensuring strict confidentiality for everything the contractor had access to during the business relationship.

It’s common for the candidate themself—concerned about their reputation and the client’s—to suggest or already use a standard non-disclosure agreement.

That alone signals seriousness and commitment to results and to the business.

8. Don’t “save money” on testing

As a rule, software development is performed in a dedicated environment, with “ideal” configurations and fake data. Even if you try to make this environment as close to reality as possible, it is still a development environment.

In this sense, beyond running multiple feature tests in the environment where the product was built, it’s also recommended—whenever possible—to test in the production environment, ensuring everything works before considering the contract complete.

Additionally, the obvious tip is to have tests performed by people who did not actively participate in creating the product, ensuring the highest fidelity to the “real world” where the application will actually be used.

Hire a freelancer or a specialized company?

The precautions presented so far apply to any type of hiring. Some, by their nature, deserve special attention if you choose to hire a freelance developer, while others are more relevant when you choose a company specialized in development.

At this point, it’s normal for the entrepreneur to hesitate: should I hire an independent professional or a company dedicated to this task?

Experience strongly indicates the second option is usually the best. Let’s look at a few reasons:

1. Market know-how

It’s normal for a company, by serving a wide range of client profiles, to have broader knowledge about solutions and about what the market expects from the products and services being offered.

This know-how helps a lot, especially during the stage of defining scope and features.

More than that, operating across different fronts creates a real opportunity to suggest improvements even during the development phase, based on experience and on trends observed.

A freelance developer, on the other hand, tends to have more limited experience and usually operates only in a specific segment, which can reduce business perspective and make it harder to understand needs.

2. A complete solution

When hiring the development of an application, website, or system of any kind, the manager wants—and expects—to be buying a complete solution.

That’s why it’s not uncommon to select a developer with an impressive resume and thousands of lines of code, confident they are hiring the best professional in the market and that expectations will be met.

What happens in practice is that development is not limited to writing lines of code in a programming language.

To build high-quality software, you need professionals with different strengths.

In that sense, a freelance developer would also have to act as a requirements analyst, designer, project manager, programmer, and test analyst, among other activities.

It’s natural that some (or many) of these activities will suffer—not due to negligence, but because one person cannot be a specialist in every role.

A company, on the other hand, has specialized professionals for each task required for development. It’s no longer just one contributor, with all the implications that come with that choice.

In this model, in addition to reducing production time, each stage is handled by a specialist, which significantly increases the odds of success for the final product.

3. Professionalism and commitment

Here’s a real situation—and unfortunately increasingly common: companies (in the desire to reduce costs) hire developers without due diligence and end up disappointed.

There are many reasons this happens, but the most common is that the “professional” abandons the project before finishing it.

Whether due to technical limitations, receiving a more attractive offer, or simply deciding to quit, there are countless stories of managers losing time and money with this type of hiring.

There are activities—such as design and content production—that can naturally fit freelance work.

However, when you consider that software development is more complex and requires commitment and dedication over a longer period, choosing a company is, again, the most recommended option.

Finally, hiring software development to bring the idea that sparked the startup into practice is not an everyday task.

There are many precautions and concerns an entrepreneur needs to observe to achieve the best result.

A final (and valuable) tip is that even if you are considering hiring a freelance developer, you should also contact app/software factories to request quotes.

That’s because, contrary to what some people imagine, the amount charged by a freelancer is not always lower than that of specialized companies.

Still not sure whether you should hire a freelance developer or a specialized company? Contact a consultant at X-Apps, and based on your information we’ll point you to the best path for your startup.

Learn more:

- Custom software: 5 advantages for your company

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- Fixed or open scope: which solution is best?