Hiring
How to Hire an MVP Development Agency
Hiring an MVP agency is a procurement problem with a product deadline. The wrong partner costs you a quarter and a messy repo. Use this checklist on the first call. It is the same bar we expect you to use on us.
Write the job before you write the RFP
One sentence: what the user accomplishes in v1. If you send a 90-feature spreadsheet to five agencies, you will get five padded quotes and no one will tell you what to cut. Strong agencies rewrite your list. Weak ones say yes.
Ask for production URLs, not Dribbble
Live apps, store listings, and permission to contact a client. Screenshots without a URL are design work. Ask who wrote the code (seniors vs rotating juniors) and who admins the GitHub org during the build.
Price model has to match how certain you are
Fixed price when the loop is written down. Hourly when you are exploring — with a cap. 'We'll know as we go' without a cap is how runway disappears. Ask what triggers a change order, in writing.
Handoff is part of the product
Repo access, env vars, CI, store accounts, and a two-week bug window. If they host forever and will not give you admin, you are renting a product, not buying an MVP.
Red flags that look like confidence
Yes to every feature. AI + blockchain + native + admin in three weeks for a bargain price. No questions about users. No mention of App Store review or Stripe webhooks. A 40-page proposal with no out-of-scope list.
How we run this
Free 30-minute call, written scope, fixed price from $3,460 for a tight MVP, 15–21 day delivery when that scope holds, 100% code ownership. Compare us with the same questions — we published a longer version on the blog as well.
FAQ
Should I hire freelancers instead?
For a single skilled person you already trust, maybe. For design + iOS + Android + backend + stores, coordination cost is the hidden invoice. Agencies exist to take that coordination.
How many agencies should I talk to?
Two or three. Seven parallel processes create delay, not diligence.
What should I send before the call?
The user, the job, any existing designs, and whether you need web, iOS, Android, or all three. A Loom is better than a 20-page PDF.
Related
Interview us with this checklist
Book a free call. Ask the uncomfortable questions. If we are not the fit, we will say so.
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