By Karan, Founder of BYTCRA

I'm Karan, and I've spent 10+ years in app development building products, running teams, and now leading BYTCRA, a development agency focused on MVPs for startups and founders. I've been on both sides of the hiring table: as a developer being evaluated, and as an agency owner vetting talent. This guide is everything I wish clients knew before they started looking.

Why most hiring advice fails you and what actually works when you're building an app

Every guide tells you to "check portfolios" and "ask for references." That's table stakes. This guide covers what nobody talks about: the psychology of vetting developers, the hidden costs that blow budgets, and the insider signals that separate great developers from good marketers who code.

Part 1: Before You Start Looking

The Brutal Truth About Your "Requirements"

Most founders write requirements documents that are actually wish lists. Developers see these and either:

• Quote high to cover the ambiguity (smart ones)
• Quote low to win the project, then drown you in change requests (problematic ones)
• Run away (the ones who've been burned before)

The fix: Before you talk to a single developer, answer these questions:

1. What's the ONE thing this app must do perfectly? Not 10 features. One core action.
2. Who uses this on day one? Not "everyone." Name 5 specific people.
3. What happens if this takes 3x longer than expected? If you can't survive that, your timeline is fantasy.
4. What's already built that's 70% of what you need? If you haven't researched existing solutions, you're not ready.

The Real Cost Equation Nobody Explains

Developers quote you for building. But building is 40% of the total cost.

Here's what eats the other 60%: