Do not outsource anything, build your own team.

I am lucky enough these days to be working at Google Campus in Madrid, on my newest project, thanks to Seedrocket . One of the interesting things about working here is that we are surrounded by other startups and we share experiences while facing similar challenges.

The other day, we were debating on hiring a PR Agency for some other startup. I was against it, although some other startup was arguing it worked really well for them.

If you started already a company in your career you know that there are no written rules or answers, that is in fact the beauty of it, and that is why we start companies. Having said that, this is my second company, so I have my view on it.

I do not like outsourcing anything. Sometimes it saves you time, and it helps you work on your staff when you have a small team, but generally it is a waste of money.

Your team is the only one that will build, market and create what you need while you are a startup. *

*(remember steve blank´s definition of a startup: A startup is an organization formed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model).

Later on, no clue.

While you are a startup, you do not really know who your customer really is, what your product should do or how to market it. Finding out involves developing your product, learning about your market, how to distribute, price and market it. You are building your brand, what problems you solve, and what you are, as you learn and you progress.

Do you think any external party is going to learn along the way with you, how to solve your problems? No. Any good professional service provider will do exactly what you ask them to do. And that is the problem. You do not know what you need them to do. Even worse, if you think you know, you are wrong.

Can you outsource what you are there to solve? Do not think so.