I’ve got to tell you a story. A friend of mine once bragged to me about how he hired a team of offshore developers for peanuts. Like, too good to be true cheap. At first, he thought he’d cracked the code — features were getting built fast, updates were coming in daily, and he felt like a king.

Three months later, it all came crashing down. The code was spaghetti. Nothing worked the way it was supposed to. The app ran slower than AOL in the ‘90s, and fixing one bug seemed to break five other things. He ended up spending twice as much bringing in senior engineers to undo the mess. And you know what? He admitted he wished he had just invested in quality from the start.

Here’s the thing: you really do get what you pay for.

Cheap developers can crank out tasks, sure, but building something that lasts — something that grows with your business — takes a different kind of mindset. You don’t just need coders. You need problem solvers, architects, and people who actually care about the vision.

And that’s another thing — good developers don’t just want a paycheck. They want to feel like they’re part of something bigger. If all you’re selling is “come write some code for me,” you’re going to have a hard time attracting the best. But if you’re painting a vision — showing them how their work will change lives, improve industries, or just make the world a little easier — then you’ll see their eyes light up. That’s when the magic happens.

Now, I know the big question: How do you know if someone’s actually good?

Here’s my favorite trick — instead of taking someone’s word for it (or worse, relying on their résumé buzzwords), give them a small, paid trial. Nothing huge. Just a task that represents the kind of work they’d be doing with you. Pay them fairly for their time, and watch how they approach the problem. Do they cut corners? Do they ask smart questions? Do they make things better than you asked for? That trial will tell you more than ten interviews ever could.

I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. Early on, I thought I could outsmart the system by going cheap. I thought “good enough” code would be fine for a while, and then I’d fix it later. But “later” cost me months of delays, endless frustration, and more money than I ever wanted to admit.

So here’s my advice, best friend to best friend:

• Don’t chase cheap. Chase quality.
• Sell the vision, not just the role.
• Vet with small, paid trials — it’s worth every penny.
• And remember: developers are partners, not just resources.

When you find the right people, you’ll never regret paying a little more. In fact, it’ll be the smartest investment you ever make.