How much is it worth?

[Jackal65]

So I saw on the net that app half mine's size and functionality will cost R60k a month just for development. The quote I got from 3 companies range from cheap to expensive was R720k to R1.1 Million. Estimated time 6 months to a year. Is this right or are these people using drugs? All of them said a team of minimum 4 people when I asked so I guess that is universal?

 

[_kabal_]

Everyone thinks their super vanilla business is unique

 

[Solarion]

Everyone thinks their super vanilla business is unique

It is if you have the skills. When your business is able to resolve client issues where others fail, then you've nailed it and your small 5-10 man business can take on the giants.

 

[_kabal_]

It is if you have the skills. When your business is able to resolve client issues where others fail, then you've nailed it and your small 5-10 man business can take on the giants.

yes, but that's people/talent/culture issue

chances are, without knowing the business though, their work management, accounting, etc is not special

 

[MagNorthDigital]

How long is a piece of string?

Until someone sits down and walks through the functional requirements, numbers mean nothing.

Consulting a magic 8-ball for cost and timelines.

And no, it does not take 9 women 1 month to make a baby.

Its all good seeing your business account swell by a few randelas, but the feeling is well and truly balanced by the scope, scale and time required to earn them.

 

[Spacerat]

Good service and value for money is always special. That's something anyone can do.

You would think that, but reality differs

 

[Spacerat]

Those prices aren’t bad. Good developers cost R60-R120k a month each. Then there’s testers, project managers and general admin overhead.

4 devs? Not full time for a year unless it’s a huge system.

You could outsource to a chop shop in India and get it done cheaper, that might be what these guys are quoting on.

If you think a chop shop in India will deliver quality work or care about your requirements you are delusional. Got the Tshirt

 

[Spacerat]

It may not be special to you but it’s not commonplace in my opinion.

If it was something anyone could do as per your post, then we would see great service all around us. Unfortunately it does not seem to be

 

[Zurg]

Technically, you are 100% correct. Sadly it is missing the one feature they want.

A guy you can **** on at all hours cause the thing is not working.

They are simply not willing to pay what is required to scale with the times and demands of their business. That payment is likely not only money, but time for a consultant or studio.

So here we are, a lone ranger hacking code together at 1am for peanuts. And when it breaks, it will cost more, more time, more effort and more frustration and absolutely more money.

There's more than one solution to a problem.

If they go for the quickbooks idea then switch it up and go from spending time building software to support (showing them how to do what they're wanting to do), people are kak lazy.

If they ask why quickbooks instead of the solution you already created then tell them it won't scale well without proper time and investment.

If they're persistent about your app then get them to pay upfront for development, but get an idea of exactly what they want, screenshots and voice recordings go a long way.

You're essentially going to be the middleman, the idea is to solve the problem and get a working product that you can rinse repeat if and when other people want it.

 

[Spacerat]

Good service is the one thing with a very low barrier to entry. You don’t need a degree or loads of money to be polite, show interest and work hard. It just takes resolve. Yes, anyone can do it.

I am actually completely in agreement with you. Not sure why there is such a lack of it.