What's the best approach for a Commercial Theme based business model?

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I’m an author here for last 5 years, I’ve produced a number of WordPress themes some individually and some with other authors collaboration. I’m soon to be an elite author. I was primarily a developer at first but now I’m more inclined towards designing.

I was thinking to expand my commercial theme development work, for this, I’ve considered a number of routes and I need your advice in this regard. I’m mentioning those routes and their pros and cons which I’ve currently in mind.

1: First approach would be to keep collaborating with authors on percentage basis.
+ author would already know how to develop and support a product on themeforest
+ author would have interest (codependency) in the success of the product
- percentage base profit splitting might not be most economical

2: Second approach would be to open a local office and hire some local developer(s) based on fixed salary.
+ can hire local talent on relatively low and fixed $ amount
- most probably, they will need training about how to develop and support a commercial product
- less codependecy, developer may leave the job for better opportunities and hiring and training new developer will take time.
- recurring office rent and expenses

3: Third approach would be to hire a remote developer on fixed salary. Same pros/cons as above in (2) except.

  • can avoid office rent and expenses
  • less control over employee

I need your suggestions regarding what could be the best approach.

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If you can work with people then hire (local or remote). You’ll succeed as a team better than individually. Ensure your work environment is nice so that they want to stay with you. Ensure they can see the benefits of a team ( designer, developer, support ) so that they want to stay in a team and not start their own themeforest profile.

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Thanks for your reply. The question I was asking myself, why someone would be willing to be hired on fixed salary if he knows that he is capable enough to design/develop high quality products and can collaborate with any elite author on percentag basis. This way he might earn more.

Yes, the fixed salary ensures secured earnings. But it’ll attract a person only if he thinks he’ll earn less with his skill set (designer/developer) if he go percentage collaboration route.

How to ensure a quality designer/developer that he is better off on fixed salary than on percentage collaboration?