There are plenty of options to choose from when launching a new website: build from scratch? Have CrowdEngine build and host it? Unfortunately, there is no perfect answer and what you choose will depend on a handful of factors.

Many of CrowdEngine’s prospective customers have surveyed the market for months before choosing us, so we thought we’d take some of the pain out for newcomers.

Budget and skills

Probably the most obvious question of all: how much money can you spend? Is there someone on your team who understands software or will you need to outsource it?  Good software is expensive. A custom-made website costs thousands of dollars, and so does hiring software developers. There are many ways to launch on the cheap, but keep in mind that you’ll have to pay off that technical debt with time and energy spent on the technical side when you really should be building a community. Also, note that technical costs don’t stop once the website is ready – you will still need to pay for hosting and maintenance.

Need for flexibility

Sometimes you will need to move and iterate over your feature set quickly. In this case, you can hardly ever afford to wait for a third-party developer to reply, so you have to build everything in-house. You need to either be able to code or pay for somebody who will.

Business model

You’ve decided that you’re going to earn money in a particular way, or at least you’ve selected options. If you’re in the crowdfunding business, you probably intend on taking a commission on funds raised. But you might also want to provide management services or take a listing fee, for instance. Will the software solution you’re looking at allow for this?

Time to market

Building a website from scratch takes months, and fixing all its bugs as well as solving all those edge use cases takes even longer. Can you afford that?

Commitment

How committed to this business are you? How much risk are you ready to take? The answers to these important questions dictate what solutions you can afford. If you want a website that looks professional, it’s preferable that you let professionals take care of it.

Ability to change your mind

When launching a new business you have to make decisions fast. You also have to embrace the fact that you will make mistakes. Give yourself peace of mind by allowing for breathing room when it comes to mistakes. Will the solution you’re choosing today let you change your mind tomorrow? Can you easily take your data with you and leave? These are just a few pointers to shed light on many of the hidden costs of software development.

CrowdEngine is dedicated to building quality crowdfunding software with no upfront costs and includes support, hosting, ongoing maintenance, and feature updates. If you need help on how to choose your crowdfunding software solution don’t hesitate to contact us.