Cheap devs are expensive. And it’s not what you think

I’ve heard this phrase a million times: “cheap devs end up costing more.” And I used to think it was just about code quality.

But in reality, it’s not the code that’s expensive — it’s the mental drain.

You spend months building something. It kinda works, but something feels off. You can’t really explain it, so you try to patch it. Then another patch, and another. Weeks go by. Your energy goes into surviving, not creating.

I’ve seen founders completely drained, not because of money, but because their momentum and confidence are gone.

The hard truth? Speed and pace early on matter more than perfect code. The “cheap dev trap” isn’t about money — it’s about time, energy, and lost momentum.

Has anyone here had to hit reset and rebuild because of this?