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I'm trying to build a minimum viable product SaaS website as a proof of concept, and wanted to know what type of developers I should be looking for if using an outsourcing website like odesk / vworker / elance.

The website is pretty simple: it could be built on an open-source platform like WordPress, but would need to have the functionality to enter information into a database via web browser, and then retrieve and chart the information from the database later on. I would also need to define multiple user types that have different privileges and access to sub-pages on the site.

My main concern is about tying the database to the Wordpress site: Should I try to look for an agency that has the capacity to handle the entire project? Or should I look for separate database and wordpress developers?

Also, I'm not worried about the wireframing and design - I'll have that done separately.

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I have a lot of trouble deciding if this is in scope for us. You barely mention WordPress. Most of this question is more about business than technical side. Could you please clarify how exactly WP ties into all of this? – Rarst♦ Jan 11 '12 at 10:44
The question is strictly about development on a wordpress platform – Kenny Jan 12 '12 at 18:16

closed as off topic by toscho♦ May 1 '12 at 0:10

Questions on WordPress Answers are expected to relate to WordPress within the scope defined in the FAQ. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about closed questions here.

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You need to hire people who are good at HTML, CSS, PHP and SQL. You should look for an agency to handle this type of capacity, but you do not need to separate database from wordpress developers unless they are not familiar with databases or using PHP and SQL. This is just a suggestion. You still have your own decision on how to do these things. ;)

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Also hire people who are good at Photoshop and Dreamweaver. You will need these people for web designing. – Jivers Leuman Jan 11 '12 at 0:55
Please edit your answer for updates, instead of creating multiple ones. – Rarst♦ Jan 11 '12 at 9:39
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Keep in mind, you will get what you pay for. From a client perspective, it is often enticing to flock to cheap, foreign, outsourced labor. You will end up having an awful experience due to communication issues, estimates will be inflated to make up for cheap cost, and you will end up with an inferior product. Expect to pay between $30 and $100 an hour for a competent developer.

As a side note, WordPress is not the right tool for every job. From the sounds of it, you may be better off using a generic framework.

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