When a developer consultant is worth it (and when it isn't)
How I think about consultation vs hiring vs freelancing, and when a short call saves you months of wrong turns.
I get DMs that start with "quick question" and end with a full product spec. Totally normal. Most people don't know what shape help should take.
Consultation is for judgment: stack choice, architecture, code review, hiring your first engineer, unblocking a team that's stuck.
It's a bad fit when you already know exactly what to build and you need someone typing for three months. That's a freelance or hire conversation.
When a consult is worth it
You're about to spend real money. Agency quote, SaaS rebuild, mobile app. A second opinion from someone who's shipped similar work can save you from expensive detours.
Your codebase is a black box. New CTO, new lead, inherited WordPress from 2014. An honest audit beats guessing.
You're choosing build vs buy vs no-code. Not every problem needs custom React. Sometimes Shopify, Notion, or "wait a quarter" is the answer.
You need to interview engineers. I can help with a realistic take-home or sanity-check architecture answers without the HR theatre.
When to skip it
You want free spec work disguised as a call.
You need 24/7 on-call for production. That's a retainer or a hire.
You want guaranteed Google rankings or "AI will fix SEO." Wrong person.
How I run them
Short format, clear outcome. You bring context. I bring what I've learned from client sites, mobile apps, and running my own stack (Next.js, Neon, Cloudflare, Expo).
Video, async doc review, or a working session on your repo. Whatever matches the question.
I'm Robin Kurian, software engineer and developer consultant based in Kochi. You know the handle: itsrobin.dev.