How To Make My Idea, A Reality?

Hi all,

I have an idea for a website and I'd like to know how I could go about turning it into a reality.

The site is much too big for me to do on my own and I'm faced with a couple of options... I think.

I would like to hear any thoughts on the matter - especially from those with experience.

As I said, the site I want to create is quite large. As I see it, here are the various paths I can take:

1) I put together a business / website plan. I secure the capital to put together a development / research team who will then create the site.

With the site I have in mind, this route would probably force me to incorporate and hire all in-house designers and researchers. I wouldn't be able to outsource this project.

To get the capital I would have to put together as much of the design as I could. Just the design mind you, not a functioning website as it is way beyond the skill of any individual. Consider it as being in the same scope as an online game. Eventually, it may even warrant having our own web servers set up.

2) I could create my design and then sell the plan / idea to a large company and let them roll with it.

Option 1 seems possible. People have done similar things in the past, why not me? But option 2 has me wondering... If I compile a beginning design, research and development plan, is that something I can sell to a company?

I apologize for being vague with my idea but I don't want this post to be about the idea. I'm more interested in how I can make it happen.

Any suggestions about how I can hire talented people to work on this would be a great help as well.

Thanks everyone! I look forward to reading your replies.

If you put a lot of work into your design document (meaning you don't just have a vague vision you want implemented), it should be pretty easy to contract out the work. That requires you to put in a lot of effort so that the contractor doesn't need to do significant project management, only implementation as described. That means you need to specify requirements, the work flow, screen mock-ups, etc. You can also put some very basic thought into the implementation technologies, but can leave it open for your hired expert.

This can work very well. Outsourcing usually only fails when the client puts little effort into the design (leaving a lot of ambiguity) or goes off the deep end (see Skudd's dilemma). It also fails if the contractor lacks the skills and time. My opinion is that often the priority for these projects should be (1) quality, (2) cost, (3) time. Cost is usually #1 because people are frugal, so they hire bad developers and get a poor quality product. Its best to get it done right the first time and, if you are lenient on the time, you can find a reasonably priced contractor willing to do the work.

I've never seen anyone do the second option, simply because business ideas aren't valued alone. You also need to find an established business capable of doing the work, passionate about the idea, and willing to pay you for it. I just don't see that happening.

Best of luck with your idea.

Thanks NovaX. Your points are excellent and you've given me a lot to think about.

I am working hard at creating as much of the design as I can. Content flow and program specifications are also in the works.

Ideally I would like to put together a group of people as excited about my idea as I am. I have a solid, but flexible, plan in place and only need the support to see it happen.

If I found these people, we would develop a small working model to demo to interested investors. Only then would I be able to pay team members for their efforts =\ How common is it to find people to work on a volunteer basis with the understanding that they would be well paid once capital was secured? I already have a large customer lined up, too. With a working model I may even be able to get an advance from them.

Any suggestions on where to find interested programmers and designers?

Here would be a good start. There's a "Hire a coder" forum where you could post about the opening.

In reference to "Skudd's dilemma", as NovaX referred to it, make sure you and the contractor(s) have a clear and solid plan of attack. As a contractee, you should be aware of the problems such as scope/feature-creep, inadequate specifications, etc. Not many people who embark on a project like this are actually aware of those things, and they expect the contractor to deal with it, as if it is part of the contract.

Also, I'm sure NovaX would share the PSA with you that (s?)he shared with me. Drop 'em a private message.

Also, I would like to reiterate what was said above about price, time, and quality, but from a different perspective:

Quality is of utmost importance. Without it, your site may be dead at the gates.
Time is directly related to quality. More likely than not, a large, high-quality product can't be produced in a short period of time.
And finally, price. Price can be negotiated to a certain extent, but you need to remember the old addage, "You get what you pay for." Maybe discuss some royalties or something of the sorts with the contractors if they're concerned about their rates. Maybe a sort of commission?

This is all coming from my experience as a contractor. It is nothing more than opinion, so I don't claim for it to be right or wrong. I just hope that you'll be able to get some use from it.

Thanks Skudd. I'm certainly going to be spending a lot of time developing site structure and functions. I'll have everything spelled out for the developers so all that they need to do is make it happen. With some luck, my design and report may be enough to secure some minor capital. That should be enough to hire the developers.

Once I have everything finished I'm going to be looking hard at hiring people full time. The project I'm planning will require constant work, like an online game would. Here's hoping I get lucky in meeting some dedicated people.