Re:Signs that a startup is focused on stuff that doesn’t matter
by 20years on Friday November 04, 2016 @12:38PM
(#12873860)
Fair points but at some point you have to ask yourself at what cost to the business, especially if you are a small shop. Implementing all new trendy frameworks & over-engineered setup comes at a cost.
I am not at all opposed to using new and shiny. I use new frameworks, etc. in my business often but there is a balance. I generally stick to boring and proven for business crucial stuff (especially back-end) and new/shiny for not so crucial. OR sometimes a new framework is the best decision for the business. In that case, that framework wins.
I guess I feel as a business owner, I have a responsibility to do what is right for the business and our customers. If a developer doesn't want to work on what is right for the business or our customers, I don't want that developer.
You could offer them money, or equity, or perks, but the kinds of people you really want would happily take a QoL and pay cut for more stimulating work -- the kind of work that puts them at the forefront of their field -- the kind of work they could write blog posts and give conference lectures about. So you offer them creative freedom, let them pick their own stack, let them use the new trendy framework, let them set up a fancy build and deployment pipeline even though you're a small shop, let them use their favorite language that they never get to use outside of personal projects. Let them solve your boring problems in fancy, clever, maybe a little over-engineered, but fun ways that also make you, the business, look like you're up to date, modern, and ahead of your competition.