Transitioning

We’ve hit a crossroads and could use some collective wisdom. For the past few years, I’ve been the lead engineer for a friend’s e-commerce business. We’ve scaled significantly across Shopify, Squarespace, and custom Nuxt solutions. A year ago, we launched a mobile app that now has over 5,000 active users. The catch: We used agencies to get the app off the ground because mobile wasn't my forte. We’re currently paying roughly $30k/month for a skeleton crew (one dev, a PM, and ad-hoc design). We’re ready to stop the bleed and build an internal team while keeping a temporary support contract with the agency for the handoff. I’ll be staying on to manage the backend and overall tech, but I need to hire our first dedicated mobile engineer. * Where are you finding reliable, high-level mobile talent these days? * What are the red flags to look for when moving from an agency-managed codebase to an in-house hire? * Any tips on structuring the "handover" period so we don't lose momentum?