The Inside Scoop: September 2021
Hi friends.
Wow. What a month it’s been 🥱
On to the latest scoops!
I have the beta of the app working on my iPad and I play with it every day. I love opening it and am always surprised when I see how pretty it looks. Still needs some bugs ironed out, features added and a million other things though 😅
Developers. So many developers.
A few weeks ago I could see my developer Dustin is struggling. He just didn’t have the time in between family life and full-time work to work on PB anymore. So we parted ways and he even gave me half the developer fees back which was very generous of him.
At the same time, I started looking for a new developer. Quite a daunting task. Dustin recommended I start with Upwork. A very overwhelming website with lists and lists of developers.
To simplify I created a Google Sheet doc and made a list of all potential developers inside certain criteria for example $20 — $50 per hour and experiences like React Native and iOS.
I felt there should be some wisdom (and horror stories) about hiring via Upwork. So I posted the questions on Indiehackers and got some great responses!
Some tips included doing mini projects to test developers and checking native language as well as watching out for agencies.
So with the wisdom and my Google Sheet I made a list of about 12 developers and started contacting them:
I did a few video calls, but I didn’t find a good fit. I need to really trust the next developer and build a good relationship with them. Not just outsource development and hope for the best. I had an encouraging call with Nick from the USA. He was a bit expensive (above my budget), but declined anyway due to the scope of Pencil Bible. This is not a super simple app to code 😅 He did make a recommendation of someone who has done drawing tools before and that’s how I met Matt from Trouthouse tech in the USA.
This was more than three weeks ago. Onboarding someone new takes so much time, but I have officially signed then on now. The best thing is they are a team working on this FULL TIME. That means they are getting things done super fast.
Although the app works in its current state it is not user-friendly and has a lot of tools that still need to be added. Dustin did create a wonderful base to work from and the Bible part works really well. Well done Dustin.
I’m also busy with the premium translations. Apparently, publishers are not too keen to hand out licenses for new apps. This could be harder than I thought.
I fully expect a real beta ready by end of this month or early October so keep us in your prayers, please 🙏
Erin
