Is it possible to take outsource order of program development?

[sp1818]

I and my four classmates are familiar with programming , web, and smart phone apps development. And we are from south China.

We are planning to build up a team, and get outsourcing order (such as programming or appa development) from USA to earn some money. I know that salary in China is most cheaper than in USA.

This is inspired by a recent news. Is this profitable, and where can I get the outsourced orders usually? We are really confident of our knowledge and ability.

[henryz]

I think you can start by doing some research and find out what companies do the work you guys are planning to do, and offer your services. I know large companies usually outsource certain services like design to China and other Asian countries because of the cost. For example all the large american companies that outsource their telemarketing.

[SomewhatNovice]

Hi there!

I run a small web design and development firm, and I have worked for a couple others in the past, and here are the places I have looked to find developers:

- elance.com . There is a lot of competition here, but your low prices should help you win jobs. Even with your price, it will be tough at first because you will have no previous ratings. Make sure you manage the projects well because your clients will rate you. The higher your rating, the easier it will become to get work.
- craigslist.org . Look in the major cities under the gigs>>computer section. There are a lot of people looking for web design and development for cheap.
- Contacting companies directly. There are a lot of firms out there that do design but contract out the development. This should probably be your main target, because if you do well one firm can give you a lot of work. When I was working for a company (in the US) two years ago, all of our development was done by a company in Vietnam. Do a Google search for design firms, and look for ones that seem like they are just starting up. These firms will likely not have a developer already and will be looking to keep costs low, so you will be perfect for them. Send them an email clearly stating what you can do for them.

I would also add a couple more things to keep in mind as you're searching:
- Spend as much time as it takes to make sure your English is good, especially in your introductory emails. First impressions are extremely important!
- You say you have the programming skills, but think about project management skills. Give the client what they need, but at the same time don't be pushed around by the client. Make sure to clearly define what the project goals are before you start, etc. I would say these skills are even MORE important than your programming skills. I say this based on years of experience.

Hopefully that helps.

[sp1818]

I think you can start by doing some research and find out what companies do the work you guys are planning to do, and offer your services. I know large companies usually outsource certain services like design to China and other Asian countries because of the cost. For example all the large american companies that outsource their telemarketing.

This is a trend, I think more and more services will be offshored to china. So I really want to try ...

[sp1818]

Hi there!

I run a small web design and development firm, and I have worked for a couple others in the past, and here are the places I have looked to find developers:

- elance.com . There is a lot of competition here, but your low prices should help you win jobs. Even with your price, it will be tough at first because you will have no previous ratings. Make sure you manage the projects well because your clients will rate you. The higher your rating, the easier it will become to get work.
- craigslist.org . Look in the major cities under the gigs>>computer section. There are a lot of people looking for web design and development for cheap.
- Contacting companies directly. There are a lot of firms out there that do design but contract out the development. This should probably be your main target, because if you do well one firm can give you a lot of work. When I was working for a company (in the US) two years ago, all of our development was done by a company in Vietnam. Do a Google search for design firms, and look for ones that seem like they are just starting up. These firms will likely not have a developer already and will be looking to keep costs low, so you will be perfect for them. Send them an email clearly stating what you can do for them.

I would also add a couple more things to keep in mind as you're searching:
- Spend as much time as it takes to make sure your English is good, especially in your introductory emails. First impressions are extremely important!
- You say you have the programming skills, but think about project management skills. Give the client what they need, but at the same time don't be pushed around by the client. Make sure to clearly define what the project goals are before you start, etc. I would say these skills are even MORE important than your programming skills. I say this based on years of experience.

Hopefully that helps.

Really thanks for your advices, I will detail look into these two websites. They are the think I'm looking for....
You are right, English is very important and this is one of the problem for me. I'm learning hard, but it is not my mother language, it is quite difficult for me....

May be I will firstly try to get some freelance jobs from elance.com and take experience. And surely, contracting company is my target. I'll keep updating and asking at this forum to let you all know my result:)

[sp1818]

Really thanks for your advices, I will detail look into these two websites. They are the think I'm looking for....
You are right, English is very important and this is one of the problem for me. I'm learning hard, but it is not my mother language, it is quite difficult for me....

May be I will firstly try to get some freelance jobs from elance.com and take experience. And surely, contracting company is my target. I'll keep updating and asking at this forum to let you all know my result:)

Actually, my initial target is small-middle companies. They want some programming solutions but with limited budget. Will this be a right way?

[SomewhatNovice]

In the long term, I think that you will have more success trying to provide development for web design and marketing firms in the US and other countries that charge higher rates, instead of marketing to consumers directly.

In the short term, you will probably need to go after small-to-mid sized businesses directly on sites like craigslist or elance.com in order to build your experience and your portfolio. This will help you get work.

Do you have your own website and portfolio built yet? The first step is putting up your website, no one is going to go with you if you don't have that.

[jim.sklansky]

I and my four classmates are familiar with programming , web, and smart phone apps development. And we are from south China.

We are planning to build up a team, and get outsourcing order (such as programming or appa development) from USA to earn some money. I know that salary in China is most cheaper than in USA.

This is inspired by a recent news. Is this profitable, and where can I get the outsourced orders usually? We are really confident of our knowledge and ability.

Yes definitely you guys can earned through online. Through online, you can do wherever you want. No time or place will be matter here. And you have a plus point that you have a team. In the programming section, a better managed team can earn thousands of dollars each month. You can't even expect what the amount will be.

I will suggest freelancer, elance or odesk will be better for starting. Then after a period, you will create your personal website with services for the buyers.