Number of employees
15-29
How about the experience level of the engineer you will hire, and the salary he or she will command? Plus - Bureau of Labor statistics reveal that benefits/overhead costs are an additional 27%-62% of base salary per employee (health plan contribution, insurance, retirement plan, employer's contribution to federal and state employee programs, etc.). Finally, do you really want to hire full time employees just to handle every "two week crisis" that comes along?