There’s a difference between hiring a development team for savings and hiring one for value.

With the former, you know you need tech talent, and you’re looking for someone who can get the job done for the lowest price possible. So you start looking offshore for developers. There’s a chance you can get lucky, but there’s a better chance you won’t.

A value-based approach looks wholly different. You’re looking for the best talent at the best price. You know the statistics that show offshore tech talent has its share of benefits, with more attractive pricing than most onshore options. You know that 45% of U.S. companies are looking for tech talent abroad. And you know you need a strong development team to hit your goals for growth.

Think of it like the difference between Walmart and Target. Walmart stores are designed to appeal to the cost-conscious, with a near-singular focus on discounts. Target offers low prices but also emphasizes style and quality.

When we started Dualboot Partners, we wanted to provide people with value, not savings. To do that, we have built a hybrid model (you can see our breakdown of the pros and cons to all onshore and offshore models here) that would give our customers access to a U.S.-based customer and business success team, as well as a team of highly skilled developers based overseas.

With all software development work, there’s a lot of room for things to go off the rails. We knew that going in. We also knew that if we did three things really well, we’d have a model that worked — one that would produce a roster of happy clients and allow our business to grow.

It had to start with trust.

He had the concept; the next step was finding a technology partner to help bring that business to life.

Build trust & accountability.

Credentials go a long way toward building trust. So when we began building our team in the U.S., we knew we needed senior talent with plenty of startup and tech experience. They would be the ones meeting clients and having tough conversations. They had to come with clout.

Trust also builds over time. When we’re just getting to know each other, our customers have no idea if we’ll make good on our commitments. We may have impressive resumes, but what does that mean when we’re building a product? That’s why accountability is also key. From the beginning of every relationship, we do what we say we will.

We’re also transparent. We talk to our clients about the process and the potential problem areas. We offer our perspective on the business strategy and goals. And we speak up when we see a better way forward.

In the process, we build a reputation as a resource our clients can count on.

Find good talent.

A hybrid model in the world of software development is only as good as its developers. When we began building our team, we refused to lean on junior resources. Instead, we hired a team of developers we had worked with for several years — a vetted group who could work in a variety of technical languages with speed, efficiency and accuracy.

Fortunately for us, we had a lot of options. Many other countries are far better at producing tech talent than the U.S. In 2016, for instance, China was home to 4.7 million recent STEM graduates. India had 2.6 million. The U.S. had just 568,000.

As a result, we’ve never had to sacrifice quality to find value.

We also believe the value add needs to go both ways. Our developers aren’t just contractors we pull in on projects as needed. They are full-time members of our team. We spend time with them, virtually and in person. We encourage them to communicate directly with our clients. And we’ve been to just about every one of their homes for dinner.

They are a core part of our company. And in the digital age we live in, there’s no difference between working with a team two states away and one two continents away. Technology brings people together, no matter where in the world they might be.

Make communication key.

Our company has to be full of great communicators, at every level of the organization. Without that, the hybrid model just won’t work.

To that end, all of our developers are highly proficient in English. They have to be. We invite our clients to communicate directly with our development team because projects move faster when you cut out the middle man. For that to work, nothing can get lost in translation.

The result.

We didn’t build our hybrid model to become a cost leader in software development. We’re a value leader. It gives us an edge, and it gives our clients what they need to build their products and their businesses.