I recently wrote a post about how to select a development team for your startup. Once you’ve selected a developer or development team, you need to understand how to work with the developers to achieve the results you want without headaches or heartache.

In a recent question posted at the OnStartups forums, a founder asked how to find a developer for their Software as a Service (SaaS) idea. While I was able to provide some advice, there is a deeper discussion to explore before trying to locate a developer. Here is a more detailed look at the questions you need to ask and how to find developers for your startup.

Cloud computing has been a popular topic lately, including the discussion of various cloud computing solutions such as Amazon AWS, Google App Engine, and Salesforce.com. Many of the discussions revolve around the enterprise world, but few are talking about what this means for startups.

“Finish strong” is a common phrase and something that people try to use to encourage us. People often say that most of the effort of any startup goes into finishing it. That last 20% that requires 80% of our total effort to make the startup complete. While this is true, it takes a combination of a strong start, a strong finish, and a strong launch to make your startup a success.

Chris Brogan has a great list of tips for expanding your business network over the coming year. In fact, many of his ideas are about what not to do, such as stop networking at clubs where it is loud and unproductive and limiting time answering the phone. Other ideas take more time and focus.

I have worked with quite a few startups, each of varying sizes. The thing that I’ve noticed consistently with each startup: they moved and adapted to change faster when they were smaller. While this is simple to understand, it tends to be forgotten as the startup grows their business.

One of the big decisions for any new startup is the selection of a development team. Whether you need just one developer or you need a complete team, there are five important things to consider first.

I recently heard two stories about bad development teams. They are both full of heartache and woe, but they both provide some valuable insight for the business owner about to embark on their first software venture.

Guy Kawasaki recently wrote an article about a company at CES that did the same thing: Satzuma. We’ll review his three principles that help you stand out among a sea of competition and how these were applied to a recent startup I helped launch.

When it comes to launching your idea, many business owners have to seek out assistance. Whether it is assistance with software development, marketing, or accounting, you will eventually move from being internally focused (involving your business) to externally focused (involving third parties). This requires a different mindset than you may be used to, and requires a different approach to be successful.