I am starting an Internet business. Basically the most important part, the part

Question

I am starting an Internet business. Basically the most important part, the part that is making me actual money is still missing. I tried to deal with those issues several times but I always get distracted by other things. This is a typical example of not rising to a challenge. I thought about hiring a programmer to continue my coding but I came up with two problems:

When revealing my current code the programmer could just run the business on his own. How do I choose someone who won't do that?
Which way of payment is appropriate for the programmer in this situation? Per hour? How do I figure out the right amount?
The code to be written will be in PHP + MySQL.

Explanation / Answer

"the programmer could just run the business on his own"

Of course you'd want to discuss this with your attorney but take a look at a non-compete agreement.

Another way to hedge against this possibility is to only give access to certain parts of the code. For example, give them access to your UI/Application level code but only provide binaries for your core business objects.

"payment"

This question may be out of scope.

Hiring as an employee gives you more direct control if you are really paranoid. They would likely work in your office at specific times on your machine(s). Contractors are more independent .. and more entrepreneurial minded. Often use their own hardware. This can be a liability. Frankly though I lean towards contractors for their short-term commitment/cost and the ease of "retooling" when your next project has a different set of skill requirements.

Hourly vs. per project both have advantages and disadvantages. Hourly can sometimes be viewed as open-ended. You could use a pay cap if you are worried. I don't see this as a problem if they are being managed appropriately.

Per project can be a motivator to get it done faster and more complete. One of the problems I run into is your documentation needs to be much better for the project. It can be very frustrating for a programmer to try to meet a promised price on a continually growing project. Keep the projects short and small.

Check pricing on some of the freelancer/job sites. Rates will change based on project, length, language, experience required, geography, etc. Price is often a point of negotiation.

Hiring is a huge subject in itself. It's very easy to get burned if you do not know what you are doing. Do your homework.

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