Wichita Web Developer

"Ideally, I'd like to work with a web developer who I can meet with regularly to keep track of the progress of my projects and make sure they're successful"

Of course, the best process for managing the success of a web project is regular in-person meetings and "over-communication", while allowing the client to be free to go about his day and allowing the consultant to get busy making your web-project successful on his own. As you might expect, technology-centric cities in the US have this all down pat and everyone generally knows the ins-and-outs of working on technology projects. But, can you expect a similar result from talented folks in Wichita? Yes.

One thing you might be surprised about Wichita is the size of the latent technology talent pool that we have. Koch, Spirit, and a plethora of smaller technology companies employ hundreds of engineers, and many of them are software developers. A subset of those developers are capable (by themselves) of building world-class software in the cloud, and a subset of those still have any kind of visibility in the community. My friend, who I consider a top 2% developer in Microsoft technologies, is as brilliant as they come, and yet there are only 40 people in Wichita who have any idea how brilliant he is[1]. Unfortunately, like oil, this talent is trapped in the sedementary rock of rigid corporate life. These are the kinds of people that are paid well enough to not take an interest in outside projects like the ones you may be trying to start. So, by extension of this metaphor, I'm suggesting that the engineers we have here are likely on-par (quality wise) with the talent seen in more tech-oriented communities. So, why take your work somewhere else? That is, if you can tap this resource at all.

A lot of companies will attempt to hire-out web development projects on Elance or PeoplePerHour, primarily because they want to try to save money, but secondarily because they think they don't have access to the resources they need here in Wichita. Elance and their ilk, however, can be as bad for companies as they are for the developers that are caught in the vicious-cycle of selling their time for nothing. Everyone loses. The quality of the deliverables are sub-par and there's very little real accountability for projects gone sour. Alternatively, hiring local is getting more and more possible in Wichita, as folks like me emmerge from the paywall of corporate life and start looking for ways to reach an audience in the local business community.

Wichita's accessible pool of web developers is so small that its hard to call it a "burgeoning" community, and I would just as soon call it "fledgling" (again, crazyily-talented folks running around, still somewhat inaccessible). However, its growing along the same clip that the rest of the nation is growing... very very fast. Today, you have access to scads more talented people than you could have had access to just 3 short years ago. Its probably a good time to consider investing in building local relationships with the talented people operating in Wichita.

Hi, by the way, I'm Barry, a web developer living and working here in Wichita. I've been solving problems for businesses using technology since 2006 when I caught the entrepreneurial bug. I've seen my share of years behind the corporate firewall, endured the pressure cooker of small software companies, and even spent some time in the bowels of a major defense contractor doing my part to save the world. Most recently, I've comd to really understand how to help small businesses prosper using technology without having to apply snake-oil solutions or suggest that anyone write a novella.

It would be my pleasure to meet you for coffee here in town and talk shop about all the interesting things that are happening in the Wichita tech community. And who knows, maybe I can help your business find new avenues for growth without sacrificing short term profitability.

[1] Then, there's the somewhat-capable, but self-aggrandizing loud-mouths who love to be known for being at the center of the tech-ecosystem in Wichita. I'm still not sure whether to consider them to be an early sign of a healthy community, or just a bunch of ego-maniacs who love to be seen in public.