You have a new and exciting website idea! You’ve discussed it with your friends, figured out how it should work, and have a good idea of the design layout. Unfortunately, this is where you’re stuck. How do you make this website happen?
Here are five ways in no specific order:
1) Get funded. Come up with a sound business model and write a business plan (or at least a very food pitch). Go talk to friends and family first, then hit up angel investors.
PRO: You can get paid, meaning you can focus your efforts on this project without worrying about another job. You have the resources to hire designers and developers.
CON: By far the most difficult. Getting funding is very difficult, unless you have very rich and careless friends or family members.
2) Learn code. Take some classes, pick up a good book, or learn how to use google. 12 year olds can create websites, so can you.
PRO: You don’t need money if you can create the website yourself. You know how to code.
CON: Time consuming to learn and apply. Can be difficult for people who aren’t wired for programming. Payoff for effort might not be worth it unless you’re interested in the field of technology.
3) Pay out of pocket. Hiring a designer and/or developer can be pretty cheap if you look to friends, craigslist, or elance. If you have a few people working on the project, see if you can gather money out of pocket to have it created.
PRO: Low cost, easy, immediate results.
CON: It can be difficult to find the right developer for your project depending on how complicated it is. Make sure you consult with somebody who has experience with developing or working with developers. Outsourcing means it will cost money each time changes need to be made to the site. (Changes will be necessary, you can never perfectly guess how your users will use your site)
4) Find a developer partner. Find someone who can develop the site AND who thinks the idea is awesome. Convince them to do the development for equity and outline what you (and other partners) bring to the table that makes this deal fair.
PRO: Cheapest solution. Continued access to a developer.
CON: Finding a developer to work for equity, depending on your idea, can be very difficult.
5) Sell the final product first, then take out a loan to pay for it to be created. Fortune favors the bold. Network your way to individuals who work for companies that might be interested in purchasing your product as a marketing opportunity. Sell the product with only pictures, words, and hand gestures. Make sure to know how much it will cost and how long it will take to make. Once the dotted line is signed, take out a loan and pay for it to get created.
PRO: If you can pull this off, you are a great salesman.
CON: It’s difficult to sell something you don’t have.
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