Absolutely agree on the reputation and word of mouth.
There are great freelancers and consultants who can work with you to build your app. If you work in the industry long enough you will eventually come across them and they really know their stuff. Otherwise, it's a total crapshoot.
They will able to show you a portfolio of work, they will NOT just build anything you ask for (instead they'll work with you to refine your idea into something viable), and they will be expensive.
However, all of these people are local and I have never heard a success story first-hand about looking overseas to cut costs.
I don't know about the word "outsourcing", but there are many cases where getting an experienced external team to build software is a great way to go. It works much better than trying to hire an in-house team for a small non-tech company, not least because it's impossible to get anyone good to join.
There are great freelancers and consultants who can work with you to build your app. If you work in the industry long enough you will eventually come across them and they really know their stuff. Otherwise, it's a total crapshoot.
They will able to show you a portfolio of work, they will NOT just build anything you ask for (instead they'll work with you to refine your idea into something viable), and they will be expensive.
However, all of these people are local and I have never heard a success story first-hand about looking overseas to cut costs.
I don't know about the word "outsourcing", but there are many cases where getting an experienced external team to build software is a great way to go. It works much better than trying to hire an in-house team for a small non-tech company, not least because it's impossible to get anyone good to join.