You don’t need to become a coder to get involved in custom Magento development. While there is always a necessity for making your store more competitive, default extensions are no longer helpful, since they are available to everyone. Therefore, if you are going to offer a unique customer experience, custom development is a must. In this chapter, I explain how to utilize this phenomenon if you are an ecommerce merchant.
Use the power of community : StackExchange, various forums, and open source projects are extremely useful if you’ve chosen the path of custom development. You can always find something suitable, as the Internet is full of unique solutions and custom projects related to the Magento platform. Before hiring developers and reinventing the wheel, try to look for existing but unknown solutions. This will prevent you from unnecessary expenditures of time and money.
Don’t forget about support offered by extension developers . Since every paid—and even some free—extensions usually have a good team of experts behind them, you can always contact them to get some help. This often works when problems occur during an installation or maintenance, but you can always contact developers to share your ideas on customization. You can even ask them to implement certain features before buying a product. Such an approach will help you save money and get desired options at a regular price.
If these solutions don’t work and you’ve decided to hire a team of developers, I recommend checking the following platforms.
Upwork (oDesk)
Upwork, formerly known as oDesk, is a global online work platform for businesses and independent professionals. They connect and collaborate remotely through the website. As an ecommerce merchant interested in custom Magento development, you can interview and hire freelancers through the platform. Job posting is free, as well as bidding on jobs, but Upwork charges 10% of all payments. The site is entirely in English and utilizes payments only in U.S. dollars. The platform has been operating since 2003; its founders are Odysseas Tsatalos and Stratis Karamanlakis. As of December 2012, there were 2.7 million freelancers and 540,000 clients. You can hire Magento developers on Upwork here: https://goo.gl/6vmc7T .
Elance
Like Upwork, Elance allows its clients to post jobs and search for freelancers. The platform charges an 8.75% fee, which is paid by a client through the website’s system. Elance was launched in 1999. As of February 2013, there were about 500 businesses and 2 million registered freelancers. Use this link for hiring Magento developers on Elance: https://goo.gl/L4Zw0S .
Toptal
Toptal is a new and rapidly growing network where you can find the most talented engineers from all over the world. Toptal’s main goal is to connect a network of specialists with leading tech companies. The platform focuses on finding talented engineers and creating dynamic teams aimed at solving your unique problems. Find Magento developers on Toptal: http://goo.gl/6wE29e .
Freelancer
Freelancer is another global outsourcing marketplace where you can find qualified Magento developers. The platform was founded in 2009. Today it includes more than 11 million users. The fee is 10% of all payments. You can find Magento specialists on Freelancer here: https://goo.gl/6CNQ9A .
PeoplePerHour
On the market since 2007, PeoplePerHour consists of 250,000 active users; 72% are freelancers. The platform is popular among small companies that don’t need full-time specialists. Hire Magento Developers on PeoplePerHour at http://goo.gl/DaK9Fq .
Guru
High-tech workers have been interested in Guru since 1998. The company allows employers to find freelancers for commissioned work worldwide. Founded by Inder Guglani, Guru was acquired twice: by Unicru and by eMoonlighter.com. In addition to Magento freelancers, the platform lists freelancers from 160 different fields. Use the following link to hire Magento developers on Guru: http://goo.gl/lcewCN .
Before hiring someone, check previous reviews and their portfolio. You can even offer a test task to see if your future employee is a qualified specialist.
Magento Community Events
If you are a Magento merchant, developer, or marketer, you should be interested in attending or at least monitoring core Magento events. We’ve already written about the impact of the Real Magento Community on the platform, covering such important topics as Hackathon Magento extensions, so now it is time to discuss key Magento community events. Next, you will find a list with some useful links.
First, we’d like to draw your attention to the official Magento website. If you do not want to miss any Magento gathering, check the official list of events here: Magento Events. Currently, there are three pages of various Magento meetings, including MagentoLive Australia.
As you will see, almost the entire year is filled with various events. As for the official website , you can choose among three categories of events: Industry Events, Magento Events, and Partner and Community Events. There is also an archive of past events and a Magento Event Listing Request Form.
Meet Magento Events
Leading Magento community events are represented by the Meet Magento Association , which provide a great opportunity to get in touch with members of the Real Magento Community, including merchants, developers, and agencies. Additionally, you can get the latest Magento news and extend your Magento and ecommerce projects during Meet Magento.
The first event organized by Meet Magento Association was held in 2008 in Leipzig, Germany. Over the last few years, the conference has become a successful international event series with events in Europe, America, and Asia. For further information about Meet Magento Association and Events, follow this link: Meet Magento1.
Imagine Commerce
Another premier Magento community event is Imagine Commerce . The event gathers more than 2,500 experts, including merchants, technology providers, and agencies from more than 45 countries. It is a perfect environment for collaborating without borders and sharing the power of Real Magento Community.
Developers Paradise
Developers Paradise introduces a great opportunity to communicate with the Magento community members and have some fun in the sun. The event gathers more than 1,000 participants from 30 countries. For further information and registration, hit this link: Developers Paradise2.
Magento Unconference
Magento Unconference is a relatively young event, because it was held only once, but it is already a promising affair. Get ready for food, preshow, two aftershows, t-shirts, and of course ecommerce and Magento.
Mage Titans
If you are a Magento developer, then you should pay a closer attention to Mage Titans a conference for Magento developers curated by Magento developers. For further information and tickets, follow this link: Mage Titans3.
MagentoLive
MagentoLive brings our favorite ecommerce platform to everyone. All events are hosted by the Magento team, so you can get the latest Magento news and ideas as well as share you experience with other participants there. The most intriguing feature of MagentoLive events is the place where they are held: it must be a state-of-the-art venue. And don’t forget about killer parties! More information is available here: MagentoLive4.
MageStackDay
Have you asked questions on magento.stackexchange.com? Then you should attend MageStackDay , which is an online hackathon dedicated to answering questions. StackExchange itself introduces a great opportunity to find what you are looking for. This Magento community event increases your chances to get desired information. Check the event here: MageStackDay5.
Conclusion
If someone says you can become a developer and perform everything without other specialists successfully running your Magento store at the same time, don’t believe them. It will take a lot of time to get necessary experience, so I don’t recommend that you choose this path. It is almost impossible to simultaneously be a good ecommerce merchant and a top-notch coder, since both require all of your free time and even more. For further information about Magento 1 and Magento 2, visit the Firebear Blog6.