Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} hire a programmer or company?

[Alan McKinnon <alan.mckinnon@gmail.com>]

On Sun, 27 May 2012 09:09:26 -0700
Grant <emailgrant@gmail.com> wrote:

> >>>> I'm debating whether I should hire an expert programmer for
> >>>> $X/hour, or a company of expert programmers for $2X/hour.  It
> >>>> makes sense from a financial perspective to hire programmers
> >>>> directly, but I wonder if there are benefits to hiring a really
> >>>> good company.
> [snip]
> 
> Thank you Florian and Alan.  This subject has proven difficult to
> research and how cool to get in touch with lucid and experienced
> individuals like yourselves.
> 
> I think I need to hire one or more programmers and manage them myself
> precisely because I don't know how to do it.  For many years I handled
> all business duties myself, and I've slowly been handing off duties,
> and I think that has been working because I know first-hand exactly
> how each of those duties should be done.  So many times my business
> has required something I don't know how to do and I've been faced with
> the choice of learning how to do it myself or hiring someone who does.
>  I've chosen to learn how to do it myself every single time and it's
> served me well, although it is very much the long and hard way.
> 
> I'll be getting my feet wet with this shortly.  Any other tips
> regarding the management of one or more programmers working on various
> small web projects?  Maybe workflow or any key procedures a newbie
> manager should follow?

You can get away with almost anything except these two things:

Do not micro-manage
Do not tell them how to do what they do

For everything else, good old communication (that thing you do lots of
in business) will see you through.

-- 
Alan McKinnnon
alan.mckinnon@gmail.com