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most startup founders would have heard the common advice, outsource outsource outsource
no. don't.
especially if you are a product startup, don't.
mostly these advices are given by the so called subject experts who run service companies for those things that they are asking you to outsource.
(listen who is advising you and what do they get from that)
1. if you are a manufacturing startup going tech first and talk about how revolutionary your methodology is because of your software, you shouldn't be outsourcing the development of the software.
that's classic incel behavior of product building.
2. if you are a product startup - marketing your products, you shouldn't be getting an agency to do your marketing.
that's second grade incel work. you should be getting your own team to lay the groundwork.
if you are unable to do what your core startup does, you are/probably have a bad CEO who doesn't know how to hire.
so who outsources to an IT-services company?
big service oriented companies who want to expand capabilities of their team with little to no compliance for them for a single project, yes.
so who outsources to a digital agency?
companies/big brands who are working on a big launch, might need help in art direction, performance marketing and blitz marketing through all social mediums.
the rest ? build your own team
let me tell you when you should be doing what.
pre-seed.
that's about 6 months of money for you to do your first two to three full time hires, necessary machines and a small co-working space (not necessary sometimes) to build your first MVP
seed.
that's about 18 months of funding necessary for you to do your next key hires, (7-10) build your product from MVP to customers. get your first 10-50 paying customers (if B2B SAAS)
you should be spending exactly ZERO in marketing during this time.
the team as a whole is supposed to go to the streets, talk with those who are facing the problem and see if the solution you created solves their problem.
if it does and if they can afford to buy your solution, bingo. product market fit right there. repeat. go one by one. don't optimise for scale at this point.
when i see decks mainly from TN startup ecosystem coming my way raising 100-150k USD for seed and a million for pre-seed marking 200-300k USD for marketing,
i vomit at that sight.
especially more when they say they outsourced all of their main tech.
wtf are you doing ?
if you aren't even doing that what else are doing? what are you? getting investment money for a business model or are you making a startup to solve the problem?
why is your problem statement so different from what it was in the deck without even you pivoting ?
ask these uncomfortable questions.
the sooner you answer these, the more it will make sense for you if you are doing things right.
nobody should be seeing you write glorifying stories on startups nor talk about entrepreneurship or startups in linkedin or in any other talk show.
why are you going to the startup talkshow those people are inviting you for? what's there ? they are inviting you to milk whatever followers you gathered with your cringe startup content.
and you go there pretending as if you run a successful startup when your runway is crying - you have lied to your investors about that runway health, you have lied to your employees who are thinking they are having safe jobs.
why are you traveling everywhere especially to colleges to give motivational stories for college students?
atleast let them sit in placements and get real jobs than getting blindsided by whatever fake ass story you write in your socials.
shut up and get back to your offices.
learn some humility. let your work prove the success.
stop with the fake it till you make it.
it's disgusting.
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