Earlier quoted context omitted.
You're one of my heroes, keep up the good work :)
This implies he must have had backing from other sources. Not encouraging for people who don't have that.
Only after he made it.
Ask HN: What was it like to quit your job and focus on your successful startup?
91–100 of 118 posts
Re: Ask HN: What was it like to quit your job and focus on your successful startup?
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
You're one of my heroes, keep up the good work :)
This implies he must have had backing from other sources. Not encouraging for people who don't have that.
You do have that though. Same as I did. I was working contract and consulting gigs during those 8 years (and the 5 years before that while building out earlier, failed ideas).
Re: Ask HN: What was it like to quit your job and focus on your successful startup?
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
Could you elaborate on how you got your business to be successful?
It is covered at http://www.expatsoftware.com/articles
This one in particular:
http://www.expatsoftware.com/Articles/guy-on-the-beach-with-...
Re: Ask HN: What was it like to quit your job and focus on your successful startup?
#94For me, and probably for most, it's not a matter of quitting your job in order to work on your "successful" startup - if it were already successful then there'd be no issue at all. Rather it's about quitting while the startup is just beginning to look reasonably good, _in order_ to make it a success. Since I've been working as a mobile developer, and also management consultant (my other career), it's always been extr…
Your (and other) replies seem to assume that the startup is something you're already doing on the side, while employed full time doing something else. Is this really that common?? Most, if not all places I've worked assert IP ownership over anything you do while employed, even on your own time. That's 100% what keeps me from moonlighting and/or starting my own thing on nights and weekends, and keeps me from contribut…
Even if you signed a PIIA, double-check that it's enforceable where you are employed and is as far-reaching as you think it is.
For example, the California Labor Code stipulates that regardless of what an employment contract or PIIA says, an employee owns the copyright and patent rights to his inventions if the invention is made entirely on the employee’s own time, without using any of the company’s equipment or technology, as long as the invention (a) does not relate to the company’s business, or (b) did not result from work performed by the employee “as an employee” of the company. Washington and other states have similar laws that override any contract you might sign with a company.
An attorney in your jurisdiction familiar with this area of law can give you all the answers you need in just a few minutes for a nominal fee.
Re: Ask HN: What was it like to quit your job and focus on your successful startup?
#95> What was it like to quit your job and focus on your successful startup? 1. Time became my most valuable asset. Everything was filtered through the lens of "does this save me time?" and so I optimized everything: The gym (worked out at home), shopping (got delivered), dating (used fleshl...joking! :). In the words of Joel Spolsky, "Every day that we spent not improving our products was a wasted day". 2. I worked har…
Thanks for the great story. If you don't mind me asking, how did you come up with the idea and did you validate it before moving forward?
I've always had some ideas but haven't been able to gain traction. Eventually, I see other companies started to do well with almost the same idea so I'm a bit bummed.
Re: Ask HN: What was it like to quit your job and focus on your successful startup?
#96I quit my job to start my own company last January. Its been fairly successful so far. For somebody like me, and probably a lot of HN readers, its _actually_ a fairly low risk proposition because qualified, experienced software engineers are so sought after. Whatever you are doing, you will always be able to pick up a $1000-$1500 a day gig when you need to bootstrap your actual project. My old boss has contacted me a…
Care to share some tips on how to find gigs?
Re: Ask HN: What was it like to quit your job and focus on your successful startup?
#97For me, and probably for most, it's not a matter of quitting your job in order to work on your "successful" startup - if it were already successful then there'd be no issue at all. Rather it's about quitting while the startup is just beginning to look reasonably good, _in order_ to make it a success. Since I've been working as a mobile developer, and also management consultant (my other career), it's always been extr…
Your (and other) replies seem to assume that the startup is something you're already doing on the side, while employed full time doing something else. Is this really that common?? Most, if not all places I've worked assert IP ownership over anything you do while employed, even on your own time. That's 100% what keeps me from moonlighting and/or starting my own thing on nights and weekends, and keeps me from contribut…
In Europe that is not an issue at all, I've never heard of this happening here, only in the US. I don't understand how it's even possible for employers to have any opinions on or ownership of ehat you do on your spare time.
Re: Ask HN: What was it like to quit your job and focus on your successful startup?
#98> What was it like to quit your job and focus on your successful startup? 1. Time became my most valuable asset. Everything was filtered through the lens of "does this save me time?" and so I optimized everything: The gym (worked out at home), shopping (got delivered), dating (used fleshl...joking! :). In the words of Joel Spolsky, "Every day that we spent not improving our products was a wasted day". 2. I worked har…
What process did you use to validate your idea? That's where I'm stuck. I have tons of ideas but I don't want to spend months and months working on something that people don't need or care about because as they say "cashflow is the lifeblood of a business".
Re: Ask HN: What was it like to quit your job and focus on your successful startup?
#99This might be slightly offtopic but I've been thinking of working on my own ideas for a decade now. I tried working on projects in the evening and weekends but there isnt enough time. Not only does it effect your social life but also effects your motivation and drive in general. After looking at code on a screen for 7 hours, last thing you want to do is go home and look at more code [I guess this depends on your age,…
I think your approach is a good one. You're exactly right about working all day and then coming home and trying to work some more, the motivation is just not there. You need all your time and energy to focus on a startup.
I'm currently contracting and trying to build up a financial cushion so I can do the exact same thing.
Re: Ask HN: What was it like to quit your job and focus on your successful startup?
#100> What was it like to quit your job and focus on your successful startup? 1. Time became my most valuable asset. Everything was filtered through the lens of "does this save me time?" and so I optimized everything: The gym (worked out at home), shopping (got delivered), dating (used fleshl...joking! :). In the words of Joel Spolsky, "Every day that we spent not improving our products was a wasted day". 2. I worked har…
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