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Ask HN: How to validate a startup idea whilst employed?

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Re: Ask HN: How to validate a startup idea whilst employed?

#51
I see a few potential options:

1. Discuss with your employer to get the clause revised

2. Validate anyway

3. Change jobs to one without the clause

4. Give up on the idea

If you speak to your employer and they don't budge, make clear it's a quitting matter, unless you'd rather just forget the idea.

Re: Ask HN: How to validate a startup idea whilst employed?

#52

I see a few potential options: 1. Discuss with your employer to get the clause revised 2. Validate anyway 3. Change jobs to one without the clause 4. Give up on the idea If you speak to your employer and they don't budge, make clear it's a quitting matter, unless you'd rather just forget the idea.

horrible advice. there's no where on earth this will be accepted and defeats the OP's requirement of being employed WHILE validating an idea. 1. would get you sued

Re: Ask HN: How to validate a startup idea whilst employed?

#53
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you explain a bit about the Paddle thing and not needing to incorporate?

Merchant of Record services mean that when someone "buys" something from you (e.g. subscription or other product) they're actually legally interacting in all ways that matter with the MoR. Effectively you can think of it as a mostly transparent re-seller. The MoR (e.g. Paddle) is buying the subscription from me and selling it to you. Because I'm never actually interacting with the customers for payments I don't need…

Is this like Gumroad as well?

Re: Ask HN: How to validate a startup idea whilst employed?

#54
honestly if you have to ask this question and you can't think of actions to take by yourself, i question whether you are cut out for startup, its super risky and you seem risk adverse not only from asking the question.

i would recommend just keep looking at how to make sales. without customers you don't have a business.

Re: Ask HN: How to validate a startup idea whilst employed?

#55
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Merchant of Record services mean that when someone "buys" something from you (e.g. subscription or other product) they're actually legally interacting in all ways that matter with the MoR. Effectively you can think of it as a mostly transparent re-seller. The MoR (e.g. Paddle) is buying the subscription from me and selling it to you. Because I'm never actually interacting with the customers for payments I don't need…

Is this like Gumroad as well?

Yea

Re: Ask HN: How to validate a startup idea whilst employed?

#56
Many consider the only way to validate is by having someone pay money for it. Lots of people (myself included) will say they will pay for something but when the time comes to buy they don't.

The book The Mom Test also points out well that lots of people will say your idea is good even when they have no intention of buying. They don't want to be assholes so they lie to you to make you feel good.

The real question is, how often are you signing away all of your intellectual property to your employer. Honestly, I've never had that in a single contract.

Re: Ask HN: How to validate a startup idea whilst employed?

#57
You should review your contract carefully. Typically the IP is things created "in the context of your work" and that are related to the company's business or with knowledge gained through your work for the company, using company equipment, time etc. So first, you have to violate the specific terms of the contact, and second they need to find out about it and care enough to sue you. People start side projects at work all the time.

Re: Ask HN: How to validate a startup idea whilst employed?

#60

I see a few potential options: 1. Discuss with your employer to get the clause revised 2. Validate anyway 3. Change jobs to one without the clause 4. Give up on the idea If you speak to your employer and they don't budge, make clear it's a quitting matter, unless you'd rather just forget the idea.

horrible advice. there's no where on earth this will be accepted and defeats the OP's requirement of being employed WHILE validating an idea. 1. would get you sued

That’s not necessarily true. Many founders end up selling products or services to the companies they previously worked for. I know of more than one person who left a previous company to pursue something that started as a side-project that many of us were aware of long before their departure and wished them well. There are plenty of places where if you’re getting your work done people are actually reasonable and nice, at least my experience with startups has seemed this way.
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