Chris, I'm from around the HSV area, if you want, shoot me an email (In my profile) and we can grab lunch sometime.
Tell HN: I quit my job to bootstrap my startup by myself.
81–90 of 114 posts
Re: Tell HN: I quit my job to bootstrap my startup by myself.
#82I'm 29 and thought about quitting and doing my own and was talked out of it by my older peers at my corporate job. I was about 24 for then. In hindsight it was by far one of my regrettable decisions. I see products and ideas being created that were all in my personal incubator. Not to mention they are all profitable. So I say this, if you have internet, time & a mind anything is possible. Good luck on your ventures.…
Out of curiosity, why not still do it? If you regret it, what in your mind is convincing you it's too late to try?
Re: Tell HN: I quit my job to bootstrap my startup by myself.
#83Good luck... But, be sure about the business plan...
Re: Tell HN: I quit my job to bootstrap my startup by myself.
#84Don't move to SF before you're making the money to afford it. Those savings will stretch a lot further living with Mom and Dad.
Don't move to SF at all. It never ceases to amaze me how 1st time web start-ups think moving there is the only way to succeed. Grrrr.
We're located in Bath, England. That's right, not even London. We launched our new startup in June 2010 and we just hit $600K in yearly recurring rev. MRR grew by almost 20% this month. Don't believe the TechCrunch hype about funding and the Silicon Valley scene.
Re: Tell HN: I quit my job to bootstrap my startup by myself.
#85Are we seeing "The Rise Of the Solo Founder"? Being solo myself, I wonder if we, solo founders, should build a league? "The League of the Solo Founders". As a solo founder, I feel like an "only child", there is always that suspicion that something might be wrong...
The Micropreneur Academy is also worth looking into on this count, though it's a bit more specialized.
Re: Tell HN: I quit my job to bootstrap my startup by myself.
#86Don't move to SF before you're making the money to afford it. Those savings will stretch a lot further living with Mom and Dad.
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Re: Tell HN: I quit my job to bootstrap my startup by myself.
#87You should've really started on a project without quitting the day job. But since you did, try and work as if you have only three months left instead of twelve. A year of carte blanche is a LOT, it will entice you to sidetrack and spend time on stuff that doesn't matter. So assume you are already running out of time and set your priorities based on that. In any case - good luck. It's going to be interesting :)
Thanks for the advice. I'm about 90% done with my project so I would much rather go all in at this point. I wouldn't have quit if I had more responsibilities such as a mortgage, kids, family, etc.
Ah, ok. Great to hear that. The way I read it was that you quit and only then would start on a project. 80/20 rule still applies though :)
Re: Tell HN: I quit my job to bootstrap my startup by myself.
#88Don't move to SF before you're making the money to afford it. Those savings will stretch a lot further living with Mom and Dad.
yeah when you live with mom and dad, your expenses will pretty much be zero.
rent? paid for
food? basics covered, so can be 0.
internet? chances are already installed
if you are living at home, I think your expenses can boil down just to your cell phone bill, and money you are paying for hosting.
Re: Tell HN: I quit my job to bootstrap my startup by myself.
#89Bold move and congrats! One word of advice: Don't underestimate how difficult it is to get customers. Hacking skills are great but if you want to be successful you will want to spend at the very least 50% of your time worrying about getting customers for whatever it is that you build. Either that or partner with someone who is really great at this.
Re: Tell HN: I quit my job to bootstrap my startup by myself.
#90Bold move and congrats! One word of advice: Don't underestimate how difficult it is to get customers. Hacking skills are great but if you want to be successful you will want to spend at the very least 50% of your time worrying about getting customers for whatever it is that you build. Either that or partner with someone who is really great at this.