Why This Checklist Exists
Every week, we see the same story play out in Miami's startup scene and beyond: a founder has an idea, finds a developer on Upwork or through a friend's referral, pays them $15,000-$50,000, and three months later has a product that doesn't work, doesn't solve the right problem, or can't be maintained by anyone else.
The developer isn't always the problem. More often, the founder wasn't prepared. They couldn't articulate what they needed. They didn't validate that anyone wanted it. They didn't know how to evaluate whether the work was good. And they didn't protect themselves contractually.
This checklist is the result of working with dozens of non-technical founders at our venture studio. It's organized into three phases: what to do before you even start looking, how to find the right person, and how to protect yourself before signing anything.
Print it. Check the boxes. Skip nothing.
Phase 1: Before You Even Look
These 7 items must be complete before you talk to a single developer, agency, or studio. They're about making sure you're building the right thing.
1. Validate the idea with real potential customers
Talk to at least 10 people who would actually pay for your product. Not friends. Not family. People in your target market. Ask them what they're doing today, how much they're spending on it, and whether they'd switch. If you haven't done this, everything else is premature. Check our guide on what to do when you have a business idea.
2. Write a 1-page product requirements document (PRD)
Not a 30-page spec. One page that describes: what the product does, who it's for, the main user flows, and what "done" looks like for v1. This document will be the basis of every conversation with potential developers. If you can't write it, you're not ready to build. Use our one-page business plan template as a starting point.
3. Define your MVP scope -- what are the 3-5 must-have features?
Your first version is not your final vision. Pick the 3-5 features that are absolutely essential for your first users to get value. Everything else goes on the "later" list. This is the hardest step for most founders -- cutting features hurts. But an MVP with 20 features is not an MVP. It's a recipe for a 6-month delay and a 3x budget overrun.
4. Set a realistic budget
Know how much you can spend -- and add 30-50% for the unexpected. Software projects almost always cost more than quoted. A simple MVP typically costs $15K-$50K with freelancers, $30K-$100K with agencies. Check our detailed cost breakdown. If your budget doesn't match the scope, cut features before looking for cheaper developers.
5. Decide: freelancer, agency, venture studio, or co-founder?
Each path has tradeoffs. Freelancers are cheapest but riskiest for non-technical founders. Agencies deliver predictably but cost more. A venture studio costs $0 upfront but takes equity. A technical co-founder is ideal but nearly impossible to find. Know which path you're taking before you start searching.
6. Create wireframes (even ugly hand-drawn ones count)
Sketch every screen of your app on paper or in a free tool like Figma. They don't need to be pretty -- they need to show what goes where and what happens when users tap buttons. This eliminates 80% of misunderstandings between you and whoever builds it. "I'll know it when I see it" is not a wireframe. It's a blank check.
7. Gather examples of apps you like -- "similar to X but for Y"
Find 3-5 existing products that do something similar to what you want, or that have a UI/UX style you admire. Be specific about what you like: "the checkout flow of Stripe," "the dashboard layout of Linear," "the onboarding of Duolingo." These references save hours of back-and-forth and help developers understand your vision instantly.
Phase 2: Finding the Right Person/Team
You know what you're building and how much you can spend. Now find the right people to build it. This phase is about due diligence -- the work most founders skip.
8. Ask for referrals from other founders, not Google
The best developers and agencies don't need to advertise. They're busy. You find them through referrals from founders who've worked with them. Post in founder communities, ask at Miami tech meetups, reach out to other startup founders on LinkedIn. A referral from a happy client is worth more than any portfolio page.
9. Get 3-5 quotes to understand the market
Don't accept the first quote. Get at least 3, ideally 5. This isn't about finding the cheapest -- it's about understanding the range. If quotes vary wildly ($5K to $100K), your scope isn't clear enough. Refine your PRD and try again. If they're in a tight range, you have good market data to make a decision.
10. Ask to see their RECENT work (last 6 months)
A portfolio from 3 years ago means nothing. Technology, design standards, and best practices change fast. Ask for their most recent project. Download the app. Use it. Check the reviews. If they can't show you something recent, that's a red flag. It means they're either new, or their recent clients aren't happy enough to be shown.
11. Talk to their past clients (not just read testimonials)
Ask for 2-3 references and actually call them. Ask specific questions: Did they deliver on time? On budget? How did they handle scope changes? Would you hire them again? Testimonials on a website are curated. A 15-minute phone call with a past client tells you the real story.
12. Do a paid trial task before committing to the full project
Before signing a $30K contract, pay $500-$2,000 for a small trial task -- a single screen, a specific feature, a technical spike. This tells you more about their communication, code quality, and reliability than any interview. If they refuse a paid trial, they're either too busy (good sign but bad timing) or not confident in their work (bad sign).
13. Check: do they ask YOU questions? (if they don't, red flag)
Good developers ask hard questions. "Who's the user?" "What happens when there are 10,000 users?" "How do you handle payments?" "What's your plan if users request this feature?" If a developer nods along to everything and says "sure, we can build that" without probing your requirements, they're going to build exactly what you described instead of what you actually need. Those are different things.
14. Verify IP ownership terms in the contract
This one is non-negotiable. The contract must state that you own all intellectual property -- code, designs, everything -- upon payment. Without this clause, the developer could legally keep or resell what they built for you. This is especially important with freelancers. Get this in writing before any work begins, not after.
Phase 3: Before You Sign
You've found your developer or team. Before you sign the contract and wire money, make sure these protections are in place. This is where most founders who "got burned" skipped steps.
15. Agree on milestone-based payments (never 100% upfront)
Never pay more than 20-30% upfront. Structure the rest around milestones: "30% at signup, 25% when the core features are working, 25% at beta launch, 20% after 30 days of bug-free operation." This protects you if the developer disappears, delivers poor work, or the project goes sideways. If a developer insists on 100% upfront, walk away.
16. Define what "done" means for each milestone
For every milestone, write down exactly what "done" looks like. Not "login functionality" but "users can sign up with email, log in, reset their password, and see their dashboard with no errors on Chrome, Safari, and mobile browsers." Without this, you'll argue about whether something is finished. With it, you both know.
17. Establish a communication cadence (weekly demos minimum)
Agree on weekly demo calls where the developer shows you working software -- not slides, not descriptions, not Figma mockups. Working software that you can click and interact with. This prevents the dreaded "it's almost done" for 8 weeks straight. If you can't see it working weekly, something is wrong.
18. Plan for post-launch: who maintains it?
Building the product is maybe 40% of the work. Maintaining it, fixing bugs, adding features, updating dependencies, keeping servers running -- that's the other 60%. Before you sign the build contract, know who will maintain the product after launch. Is it the same developer? A retainer? An in-house hire? A development partner? Plan this now, not after launch.
19. Get everything in writing -- scope, timeline, payment, IP
Handshake deals are for buying used furniture, not for building software. Your contract should include: detailed scope of work, milestone definitions and payment schedule, timeline with deadlines, IP ownership transfer, warranty period (typically 30-60 days of bug fixes after launch), and confidentiality terms. If a developer says "we don't need a contract," you need a different developer.
20. Have a termination clause -- what happens if it's not working?
Sometimes it doesn't work out. The developer misses deadlines. The quality isn't there. The communication breaks down. Your contract must include a termination clause that specifies: how either party can end the agreement, what happens to code and IP upon termination, what payments are owed for completed work, and the timeline for handover of all assets. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
Or Skip the Hiring Process Entirely
This checklist is 20 items long for a reason: hiring a developer is risky, complicated, and time-consuming. For many non-technical founders, there's a simpler path.
A venture studio partnership eliminates most of these concerns. You don't need to evaluate developers because you're working with an established team. You don't need milestone-based payments because there's no cash exchanging hands -- it's equity. You don't need to worry about IP disputes because the partnership agreement covers everything from day one.
The tradeoff is equity -- typically 20-40%. But for founders who don't have $30K-$100K to spend on development, or who don't have the technical knowledge to manage a freelancer, the studio model trades money risk for equity sharing. And because the studio's return depends on your success, the incentives are perfectly aligned.
We're biased, of course -- we run a venture studio here in Miami. But we'll also be the first to tell you: if you have the budget, the technical knowledge to evaluate work, and the time to manage a development process, hiring directly can work. This checklist is how you make it work.
Whichever path you choose, start with the planning tools: our one-page business plan or Lean Canvas template. The plan comes first. The build comes second.
Ready to explore the venture studio path? Email us at partners@awasero.com or apply to partner.