Why We Replaced DMs With Collaboration Proposals
On most platforms, collaboration starts with a direct message:
"Hey! Love your idea. Would be keen to help out, let's chat?"
It's friendly and well meant. It also gives the idea owner nothing to go on. Who is this person? What can they do? How much time do they have? What do they expect in return?
What follows is usually a week of back and forth, a call, and only then the discovery that one person has 2 hours a week and the other expected 20.
When we designed Idearify, we decided collaboration should start differently.
What a Collaboration Proposal Includes
On Idearify, anyone interested in joining an idea sends a structured proposal instead of a generic DM. Each proposal covers:
Past Work
Relevant projects, skills and experience. Not a full CV, just enough for the idea owner to see what you'd bring.
Weekly Bandwidth
How many hours per week you can realistically commit. This is the most important field. Mismatched time expectations are one of the most common reasons early collaborations fall apart.
Target Role
What you'd like to own, whether that's front-end development, user research, growth or design. Being clear about roles avoids two people doing the same job, or nobody doing an important one.
Equity or Revenue Expectations
Your preferred equity or revenue-split arrangement. It doesn't need to be final, but it needs to be stated. Expectations that only come out after months of work are a common source of disputes.
Why Structure Helps Both Sides
For Idea Owners
- Faster decisions. You can compare proposals side by side instead of interviewing everyone.
- Fewer surprises. Time, role and compensation are visible from the start.
- Better signal. Someone who writes a thoughtful proposal is showing the kind of commitment you're looking for.
For Builders
- Respect for your time. You don't need three calls to find out whether the expectations match.
- A fair comparison. Your proposal is judged on what you offer, not on who replied fastest.
- Clarity before commitment. You know what you're signing up for.
What About Spontaneity?
We've heard the concern that structure makes things feel transactional. We'd argue the opposite: clarity makes good collaborations possible.
Proposals don't replace conversations. They make conversations better. Once the basics are covered, your first call can be about the product, the vision and whether you work well together, instead of logistics.
What Happens After a Proposal Is Accepted
Once an idea owner accepts a proposal, both people get access to a shared project space with:
- Private group channels for day-to-day communication
- Execution roadmaps to plan what gets built when
- Milestone trackers to keep everyone accountable
- Quick export tools for legal agreements, so the terms you agreed get written down
Tips for Writing a Strong Proposal
- Reference the idea specifically. Show you've read it and understood the problem.
- Lead with relevant work. One project closely related to the idea beats five unrelated ones.
- Be honest about time. Promising 15 hours and delivering 5 damages trust faster than saying 5 to begin with.
- Suggest a first step. "I could build a clickable prototype of the onboarding flow in two weeks" is a strong opener.
Conclusion
Most collaborations don't fail because people lack talent or goodwill. They fail because expectations weren't clear. Structured proposals put the important questions at the start, which is when they're easiest to answer.
Found an idea you want to help build? Send your first proposal on Idearify.