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Notes from running a software company in Pakistan
Written by Dilawar Khan: hiring and outsourcing, fixed-scope delivery, products, AI search, and what real projects taught the team. For SME how-to guides, see the DevKey Technologies blog.
By Dilawar Khan · Updated
· 3 min read
How to Hire a Developer from Pakistan: A Checklist
What to check before hiring a developer in Pakistan from Australia, the US, the UK or Canada: references, trial scope, contracts, IP, payments and time zones.
· 3 min read
White-Label Development: How Agencies Work with Us
How white-label software delivery works for design, marketing and consulting agencies: who talks to the client, brand, NDAs, pricing and the handoffs that matter.
· 2 min read
Why I Don't Bill Hourly: Fixed Scope and Retainers Instead
Hourly billing rewards slow work and punishes good estimates. How fixed-scope proposals, retainers and dedicated developers work instead, and when each fits.
· 2 min read
Zero to One in Islamabad: Lessons from Founding DevKey
Lessons from starting a software company in Pakistan in 2021 and growing it to 50+ shipped projects on three continents: what worked and what was wasted.
· 2 min read
Time Zones: Working from Pakistan with Australia, the US, the UK
The real working-hour overlap between Islamabad and Sydney, New York, London and Toronto, and the routines (one call, written updates, demos) that make it work.
· 2 min read
Outsourcing Red Flags, From the Vendor's Side
Warning signs on both sides of an outsourcing deal, from a developer who has been the vendor for five years: what makes us walk away, and what should make you.
· 2 min read
How AI Assistants Find and Recommend Developers
What ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and AI Overviews read when asked to recommend a developer, and what this site does about it: llms.txt, answer-first pages, schema.
· 2 min read
Dedicated Developer or Fixed-Scope Project? How to Choose
A decision guide for businesses hiring a developer: when a fixed-scope project, a dedicated developer or a retainer fits, and the three questions that decide it.
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