DocsBuild vs buy
Build vs Buy
The startup calculus.
PART 8: BUILD vs BUY — The Startup Calculus
General Rule
- Buy anything that isn't your core competitive advantage
- Build only when: (a) it IS your product, (b) no tool fits, or (c) data sensitivity prevents vendors
- Hack (no-code/automation) for one-off or reversible needs
- Defer any system you don't need today — build it when it hurts not to have it
Decision Matrix
| Need | Buy | Hack (startup) | Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRM | HubSpot / Pipedrive | Airtable | — |
| Bookkeeping | QuickBooks / Xero | Spreadsheet | — |
| Support | Intercom / Zendesk | — | — |
| HR/Payroll | Deel / Rippling | — | — |
| Knowledge | Notion / GitBook | GitHub Wiki | Fumadocs |
| Contracts | Ironclad / Spellbook | Google Docs | — |
| Internal AI | ChatGPT Team | — | Hermes Agent |
| Analytics | Mixpanel / Amplitude | Google Analytics | Custom warehouse |
| Marketing | HubSpot / ActiveCampaign | Make/Zapier | — |
| Engineering | GitHub Actions | — | Custom CI |
Where to build in-house:
- Your core product (obviously)
- Custom internal AI agents (if deep integration needed)
- Data pipeline (if sensitive/proprietary data)
- Analytics warehouse (if you need custom reporting)
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