322. How much does it cost to build an app? And other questions non-technical founders are afraid to ask

How much does it cost to build an app?

Is my agency ripping me off?

How do I know if what they built is any good?

Am I being too demanding — or not demanding enough?

Every non-technical founder is terrified when they start working with developers. If you don't have a background in tech, you don't know what you don't know and asking AI can spin you down a rabbit hole.

My guest this week has spent years on the other side of that conversation.

He knows what founders get wrong, what agencies hide, and what it actually costs to build a product.

Vuk Nikolic leads Hurricane Studio — a development team that specialises in working with non-technical founders.

Hurricane Studio is also the first ever sponsor of this podcast!

In the intro I explain exactly how we vetted them — because the process gives you a glimpse of how to choose a development partner yourself.

Listen to learn:

• How much it actually costs to build an MVP — with real budget brackets for three different types of product
• The single biggest red flag when evaluating a development agency
• How to tell if your Lovable or no-code prototype is ready for real users
• Why most projects fail because of communication, not technology — and the specific questions to ask before you sign anything

This episode is for you if:

• You are a non-technical founder who is about to hire developers for the first time
• You already have a development partner and want to know if they are the right one
• You have built something with a no-code tool and want to know what to do next

FREE GUIDE for non-technical founders: Hurricane Studio's Storm Survival guide

Book a call with Hurricane to discuss how to build your venture: https://hurricane.studio/

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – The most expensive mistake in hiring developers
• 00:20 – Introducing Hurricane Studios, first podcast sponsor
• 03:56 – How to spot red flags in your development team
• 06:47 – Signs your outsourced developers aren't being honest
• 10:34 – How to track progress when you can't read code
• 13:55 – Understanding feature trade-offs with developers
• 16:28 – How much it costs to build an MVP
• 19:48 – Why MVP launch dates always slip
• 22:27 – How to reduce your development budget
• 27:29 – Case study: taking a Lovable prototype to production
• 32:46 – The #1 sign of a trustworthy development partner

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Transcript: https://www.techfornontechies.co/blog/322-how-much-does-it-cost-to-build-an-app-and-other-questions-non-technical-founders-are-afraid-to-ask