Ask HN: How to start a business while working a 9-5 coding job?

Hey guys. My main issue is being able to start a business while working for a regular employer. It's something I've wanted to do for years but I can't find a single place that doesn't require a non-compete+IP assignment agreement.

The normal advice is to keep on with your employer until you grow your side business to profitability. That would be great if every single employer didn't shackle my mind with "agreements" that make it nigh impossible to do anything of value for myself.

I've roughly calculated I could save enough to quit my job with a year runway if I save for 3 years (a long ass time)! The other common advice is to get investment from friends and family, as if most people's f&f have 50k they're able to throw at anything let alone someone who's financially independent and outwardly successful.

So given that the HN crowd has a ton of entrepreneurs and business owners, how do you do it? There must be some way out that I'm not seeing. Are these employment agreements not really enforceable? Scare tactics like telling employees they can't talk about salary? Is investment easier to come by than it seems? Small business loans? I spent a few years of my life getting into a position where starting a business is reasonable minus the lack of money. I don't want to watch another three years go by before I can do anything about it.

Is your idea related to the business you currently work at? If not, just build it.

This is my issue - I don't know. I assume any time is worth wasting if your developer builds even a small business since the value of anything over 5 employees is likely more than a million. Time management is not my concern at all. If I could legally start a business I would begin working on it tomorrow

My current strategy is to open source everything because there's no reasonable way my company can take ownership of something that's free. I can't develop anything for money even though I've been asked to consult many times for many people.

That's the conundrum! It's not easy. And because you don't want to burn bridges and want to have a clear conscience, work on a vertical to your employer's. This means you'll likely need to spend time learning about a new vertical. But that's OK you're determined and hungry. I've done it. People have done it.

So don't overcomplicate. Build a daily habit for the next few years. And don't bog yourself down with little details and ifs and buts. I started with a $80/mo allocation. Some were able to do it with $0/month.

The question is how do you determine if it is related?