The Coterie Playbook: Hiring offshore developers as a bootstrapped founder.

Who this is for & when to use it

This playbook is for founders who already have some revenue and a product direction, but are personally bottlenecked on engineering. You can code (or have a trusted technical partner), you know roughly what needs to be built, and you're ready to trade money for time—but not at the cost of losing control.

It is not for “idea stage” projects with no validation, or situations where offshore hiring is viewed purely as a way to get the cheapest possible labor. The whole approach assumes you want a small, stable team, not a stream of interchangeable gig workers.

Mental model

The central idea is simple: treat your offshore team like a real team that happens to live elsewhere. That means:

• Hire slowly for ownership, not just skills.
• Pay fairly relative to local markets.
• Use written processes to replace hallway conversations.
• Design communication so it works even when you're asleep.

Everything in this playbook expands and operationalizes that idea. For the backstory of how this model emerged in practice, see the Offshore Development Team story.

Step‑by‑step process

1. Decide what you actually need

Before you post a job, decide whether you need a long‑term teammate or a one‑off specialist. This playbook assumes the former: you want someone who will live with the codebase for years, not weeks.

• List the top 6–12 months of work as high‑level projects (not tickets).
• Mark which skills are must‑haves vs. nice‑to‑haves (e.g. React, Node, infra).
• Decide whether this person will be solo or joining an existing team.

2. Write an ownership‑focused role description

Your job spec should make it crystal‑clear that you're hiring for outcomes, not just tasks. Include:

• A one‑paragraph description of the product(s) they'll work on.
• 3–5 responsibilities framed as ownership (e.g. "own feature delivery end‑to‑end").
• Expectations about communication, documentation, and availability.
• A salary range in local terms that's above average for the region you're hiring in.

3. Source candidates where serious developers actually are

Instead of generic job boards, prioritize:

• Local tech communities and meetups (online or offline).
• Targeted platforms and agencies with a reputation to protect (not pure volume marketplaces).
• Warm intros from other founders working with offshore teams.

This is where services like OffshoreDevelopment.dev can compress months of trial‑and‑error into a more curated pipeline.

4. Run a trial that looks like the real job

Skip whiteboard puzzles. Instead, design a 2–4 week paid trial with:

• One small feature (1–2 days) with a clear spec and acceptance criteria.
• One bug fix in an unfamiliar part of the codebase.
• One slightly ambiguous task that forces questions and tradeoffs.

You're evaluating communication, judgment, and initiative as much as code. A great candidate will ask clarifying questions, push back on vague requirements, and document what they did.

5. Onboard with written systems

Once you make an offer, onboard in writing as much as possible:

• A short “how we work” doc: tools, rituals, and expectations.
• Links to previous decisions (architecture notes, product choices).
• A 30‑day plan with clear projects and check‑ins at weeks 1, 2, and 4.

The goal is for a new hire to feel oriented without needing you on voice calls all day.

Tools & templates

You can start with simple documents; fancy tools are optional. At minimum, create:

• A reusable role description template for engineers you hire.
• A standard trial project brief with checklist and evaluation criteria.
• A one‑page “how we work” guide that new hires read on day one.

Over time, you can formalize these into internal docs or turn them into public resources within the Coterie.

Common failure modes & how to avoid them

• Hiring too fast. If you're unsure, extend the trial or pause. A mis‑hire offshore is still a mis‑hire.
• Under‑specifying work. Vague tickets become vague software. Write out the why, not just the what.
• Treating people as disposable. Churn kills compounding knowledge. Pay fairly and invest in relationships.

Many of these are explored in more narrative form in the Offshore Development Team story, which is worth reading alongside this playbook.

Next actions (7‑day plan)

1. Decide whether you're ready for a long‑term hire or just a one‑off specialist.
2. Draft a role description using the ownership‑first framing above.
3. Design a simple 2–4 week trial project that mirrors the real job.
4. Identify 2–3 sourcing channels (including, if relevant, OffshoreDevelopment.dev) and reach out with your spec.

Once you've run at least one hire through this process, capture what worked and what broke. That's your personal fork of the Coterie playbook.