Ask HN: How many of you built a profitable startup while having a day job?

#1

Post by iworkforthem » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 12:43 PM UTC

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Re: Ask HN: How many of you built a profitable startup while having a day job?

#2

Post by Maro » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 1:40 PM UTC

You mean "profitable side-project"?

"Startup" usually means a company that fulfills a few of the below:

  - something the founders do full-time
  - less than 3 years old
  - in a bootstrap phase or burning VC money
  - in search of a business model (not yet profitable)
  - has the potential to grow

Re: Ask HN: How many of you built a profitable startup while having a day job?

#3

Post by EwanToo » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 1:44 PM UTC

Maro wrote: post #2

You mean "profitable side-project"? "Startup" usually means a company that fulfills a few of the below: - something the founders do full-time - less than 3 years old - in a bootstrap phase or burning VC money - in search of a business model (not yet profitable) - has the potential to grow

Surely it only has to fulfill one of those, that it's relatively young?

A profitable startup with a great business model which doesn't need to give away ownership for VC money is the perfect startup.

Any business that's new counts as a startup for me.

Re: Ask HN: How many of you built a profitable startup while having a day job?

#4

Post by peeplaja » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 1:48 PM UTC

Maro wrote: post #2

You mean "profitable side-project"? "Startup" usually means a company that fulfills a few of the below: - something the founders do full-time - less than 3 years old - in a bootstrap phase or burning VC money - in search of a business model (not yet profitable) - has the potential to grow

"A startup is a human institution designed to deliver a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty." -- Eric Ries

Re: Ask HN: How many of you built a profitable startup while having a day job?

#5

Post by daliusd » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 1:53 PM UTC

Maro wrote: post #2

You mean "profitable side-project"? "Startup" usually means a company that fulfills a few of the below: - something the founders do full-time - less than 3 years old - in a bootstrap phase or burning VC money - in search of a business model (not yet profitable) - has the potential to grow

You are nitpicking and not delivering answer even if you are right. What if I have officially registered company that fulfills all of your points but full-time?

Re: Ask HN: How many of you built a profitable startup while having a day job?

#6

Post by vaksel » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 1:54 PM UTC

Doing a startup is 90% waiting, and 10% doing. It's perfectly possible to do one on the weekend.

Especially since coding is a tiny iota of actually doing one, most of it boils down to marketing anyways

Re: Ask HN: How many of you built a profitable startup while having a day job?

#7

Post by raju » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 1:57 PM UTC

There was a similar discussion (on side-projects) on HN a while back - Perhaps it will help the discussion?

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2795760

Re: Ask HN: How many of you built a profitable startup while having a day job?

#8

Post by whirlycott1 » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 1:57 PM UTC

I started StyleFeeder in January, 2005, built it into a profitable company of 8 people and sold it to Time Inc in January 2010.

From January, 2005 through May, 2006, I worked on StyleFeeder on the side - while I had a pretty demanding day job, mind you - as I built up the basic business... until I had invested so much time and effort into it that I was maxed out and needed to find a way to work on it full time with the help of others.

I don't see any plausible way that I could have made it into anything significant while at the same time working a day job. I think some people can do it with some businesses, but I think it would have been impossible in my case.

But the bootstrapping phase, yes, I think you can do that while working a day job. That's very common.

More details here:

http://www.whirlycott.com/phil/2011/08/05/stylefeeder-histor...

Re: Ask HN: How many of you built a profitable startup while having a day job?

#9

Post by digitalengineer » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 2:01 PM UTC

I'm doing that right now. My startup is selling you, your kids and the girl next door. Heck, I can even sell your grandmother!

Advertising agency's (my day job) can rent them for a fixed price. Royalties included.

(I'm not spamming. You're not my targets and only Dutch people can read it anyway). But have a look at the several hundred people that signed up if you're interested: http://royaltyfreemodels.nl/zoeken/page:11

(It's run on CakePHP for the interested).

Re: Ask HN: How many of you built a profitable startup while having a day job?

#10

Post by geoffw8 » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 2:02 PM UTC

whirlycott1 wrote: post #8

I started StyleFeeder in January, 2005, built it into a profitable company of 8 people and sold it to Time Inc in January 2010. From January, 2005 through May, 2006, I worked on StyleFeeder on the side - while I had a pretty demanding day job, mind you - as I built up the basic business... until I had invested so much time and effort into it that I was maxed out and needed to find a way to work on it full time with t…

Hey - we're building a similar site (fashion search, UK based), and yours has always been one of our comparison sites. Nice job, didn't realize you were a HN'er :)