In a world where our last true currency is ideas; we find ourselves surrounded by opportunity to build and grow. Global connectivity and instantaneous communication has created a world where the mad reside among us and the thinkers rethink the box altogether.
Yes, the world of online development from websites to apps and all the search engines in between is upon us and creativity has never looked so free. It doesn’t matter how it came to you, be it in a dream on a cold and stormy night or in a chat over coffee with an old friend, an idea can change the world.
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The only problem with having these awesome and culture shifting ideas is that bringing them to life will cause you to bleed, sweat and cry tears of money.
At least these days bringing something to life doesn’t take a crazy scientist and a lighting storm. Take your big idea online, post your product, share your message, go viral and tweet yourself silly because you need to express your brilliance to get followers, markets and an audience. Sounds exciting hey?
Prepare yourself, getting creatively active online is as dangerous as getting sexually active these days. There are creativity-predators that will lure you into their online van with sweet codes and toys for your online presence. Sticks and stones will break your bones but an unsecure website will ruin you for life; there are viruses that are changing and evolving into software-protection resilient bugs that will stick with your database for life.
Unless you are sitting on the next big social network and you know a marketing guru Justin Timberlake who has agreed to take you under his professional wing, don’t try going straight to the top, ideas are eaten for breakfast up there and their creators removed from the history books.
You will most likely create a sort of wire frame or functional spec which will highlight the user journey with your brand/product/thing and show developers what you are aiming for and help them understand. Once you have your idea, product, concept or game changer written down and laid out in a business friendly format, get yourself an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) to protect yourself and your conceptual baby. This is about that time when you lawyer-up or seek some sort of legal advice, without some sort of legal background, you will soon be the proud owner of your own personal online version of Titanic.
Typing in how to find a developer into a search engine will most likely take you almost nowhere. The results may have a handful of companies that have established themselves with teams of developing wizards and marketing gurus. Sounds exciting hey? These companies will most likely send you their NDA and before you get all excited and weak in the knees, make sure their NDA covers more than 12 months and that if the agreement is broken, the requested court isn’t located in another city or is so busy you’ll be lucky to get a court date.
If you haven’t walked into the online development company, shook hands with en executive and enjoyed a cup of their finest coffee, check if the company is registered and if the NDA is under that registered name. This is why getting your own NDA is going to be safer. If their NDA checks-out then you should hope that they do not decide they want a large equity in what is rightfully yours, because at this point they literally have you by your online conceptual privates. To make it worse, sharing an idea gets more and more complicated when you include more and more people; that is why you need to now rethink your idea and ask yourself if you really need all this help. Remember, with great help and resources, comes great costs and clauses.
Okay, so maybe going bigger isn’t better, perhaps going smaller and smarter is going to take you further. Perhaps with the costs, company politics, the usual lies and having a mere 25-35% say on your idea doesn’t seem like the route for you. Your alternative option is to find yourself a wizard. Not just any wizard but web developing wizard that has back end development qualities. Provided you get an NDA made to protect your conceptual property and you are willing to financially back yourself, you can now ask around.
Visiting websites that connect professionals, host job opportunities and allow individuals to post their professional portfolio are always a good place to start. These sites may have some strange individuals residing within but they will also have some professionals who are putting themselves out there like you and your idea. Finding your own web developing wizard makes magic much easier, someone to share your enthusiasm, someone not over-run with clients, a wizard who has coding up their sleeve and not tricks.
Finding the web development wizard of your dreams is as hard as it sounds crazy but worth every second of the journey. The best possible way to find this magical man or lady is to start with who you know and trust and work your way outward. Getting a referral from someone is generally the safest route, mingle, crowd surf, ask a random what they do for a living, chat to the person next to you on the plane, find out who made that website you love so much and track them down.
Throughout history, if a person wanted a store in their village, they had to build it, find materials, hire builders, get permission from the king and then protect it because there will always be someone who wants what you have. Things have come a long way since then and these days, all you need is a Wizard.
