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

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

#81

Post by ryanhuff »

Sukotto wrote: post #72
Jun8 wrote: post #68

I wanted to do this so jumped in and read the comments to this post to try to get some ideas on how to do this. They made me a bit depressed: Most people achieved this while working as a consultant (i.e. flexible hours, etc.), not as a big company employee, like me. Also from what I gather, many data points come from young people, unencumbered with a family life and kid(s). So, my more specific question is: Has anybo…

I hear ya... This is something I struggle with too. Long workday at Mega Corp., 45min+ drive-commute each way, 3 kids (7, 5, 2), a spouse with a highly variable work schedule, and ongoing charity work. It's really, really hard to make time for a side business in there too. Are you working on something? How are you making the time for it? How's your progress?

Some small tips that can make it more doable.

* If you can, take the train into work. That's about 1.5 hours of additional productive startup time. Sitting in a car is dead time.

* Get rid of your lunch hour. Park yourself at a nearby Starbucks and add an extra hour each day of productive startup time. Do this every day.

* Given your spouse's variable work schedule, my guess is that your most productive time is in the evening, after kids are in bed. Can you shave off 2-3 hours per night? Better managing this time is huge.

There may be other things that are specific to your family life that can give you 30-60 minutes here and there. Time slicing like this is hard, but it adds up to meaningful startup time.

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

#82

Post by __abc »

Sukotto wrote: post #72
Jun8 wrote: post #68

I wanted to do this so jumped in and read the comments to this post to try to get some ideas on how to do this. They made me a bit depressed: Most people achieved this while working as a consultant (i.e. flexible hours, etc.), not as a big company employee, like me. Also from what I gather, many data points come from young people, unencumbered with a family life and kid(s). So, my more specific question is: Has anybo…

I hear ya... This is something I struggle with too. Long workday at Mega Corp., 45min+ drive-commute each way, 3 kids (7, 5, 2), a spouse with a highly variable work schedule, and ongoing charity work. It's really, really hard to make time for a side business in there too. Are you working on something? How are you making the time for it? How's your progress?

I do this. In all honesty, it is tough but not insane / impossible. I'm usually home @ 6:00 pm and with my daughter until she goes to bed at eight. I spend two hours with my wife until she goes to bed usually around 10. After that, rather than play video games, watch tv, etc, I work on a side business until one or two am in the morning.

I'm lucky in that my whole life I've been good with really only needing 5-6 hours of sleep a night so, when my daughter wakes up at 7:30 and I go get her out of the crib I'm usually good to go.

So, it's really a matter of prioritization. I play a video game once in a long while, read books slower than I used to, never really watch tv (but parenthood also removed that possibility) and I have the time.

Customers and customer support are where it gets tricky as you will be juggling two companies that operate 9-5. In that scenario I more often than not give up my lunch hour at job 1 to work on job 2.

Not saying it's perfect however, if you want it, it's there for the taking.

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

#83

Post by keerthi »

Sukotto wrote: post #72
Jun8 wrote: post #68

I wanted to do this so jumped in and read the comments to this post to try to get some ideas on how to do this. They made me a bit depressed: Most people achieved this while working as a consultant (i.e. flexible hours, etc.), not as a big company employee, like me. Also from what I gather, many data points come from young people, unencumbered with a family life and kid(s). So, my more specific question is: Has anybo…

I hear ya... This is something I struggle with too. Long workday at Mega Corp., 45min+ drive-commute each way, 3 kids (7, 5, 2), a spouse with a highly variable work schedule, and ongoing charity work. It's really, really hard to make time for a side business in there too. Are you working on something? How are you making the time for it? How's your progress?

I have read posts of these kind for quite some time. All of them suggest. ... Wake up early, exercise, work for 2 Hrs and then get ready for normal life. I have been trying to do this but failing miserably, cos my body doesn't cope up. I say start exercising regularly once it becomes a routine then start working on your start-up.but don't forget exercising. Having said all that it boils down to one point. WILL POWER.

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

#84

Post by dylangs1030 »

I think this depends entirely on the nature of the startup.

If your startup requires consistently high turnover for new features, then it's going to occupy easily 40 hours per week on just that project.

However, if what you build doesn't need to be updated for months at a time (like some mobile apps or other software) you can probably get away with doing this. An entire company? I don't think so. A particular type of website, or app? Sure, if all you're doing consistently is maintenance.

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

#85

Post by fotoblur »

Yes. For 4 years now...2 hrs in the morning 2-4 hrs at night + bigger chunks on the weekends.

When I look at my day job I only ever get 4 hrs of real work done anyway...with wasted time for meetings, bureaucracy, and being blocked by others. So even though I'm at work for 8+ hours, on my free time, I'm able to work on a similar sized project putting in less hours because there is usually no waste in that time. I've also got 2 kids and train 4 times a week at the gym or jiu jitsu. It can be done!

After reading a few more comments I want to add something. Work hard at your day job, do your best work, and make them dependent on you. Here is why...if you ever come in late, or leave early because there is a crisis on you side project your employer usually won't care. Your the superstar so that's expected. However, you've got to keep your day job really, really happy to walk this fine line between pursuing your own interests and meeting the needs of your day job. Plus when you have a successful side project (that maybe can't support you just yet) and you're out job hunting people will see you as a golden ticket, a diamond in the rough. Usually when I interview people I often ask what they're working on on the side. That indicates to me this person has drive and determination.

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

#86

Post by ryanhuff »

zwischenzug wrote: post #76
Sukotto wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear ya... This is something I struggle with too. Long workday at Mega Corp., 45min+ drive-commute each way, 3 kids (7, 5, 2), a spouse with a highly variable work schedule, and ongoing charity work. It's really, really hard to make time for a side business in there too. Are you working on something? How are you making the time for it? How's your progress?

The downsides are greater too. It's one thing to miss out on TV or drinks with friends; quite another to miss out on the one evening you might get to sit with your wife and have dinner, or not see your kids for a week. It doesn't matter how rich or respected my side-project startup would make me, I wouldn't be able to get that time back.

Yeah, don't skip on the family time. Your family (spouse) will resent it.

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

#87

Post by __abc »

zwischenzug wrote: post #76
Sukotto wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear ya... This is something I struggle with too. Long workday at Mega Corp., 45min+ drive-commute each way, 3 kids (7, 5, 2), a spouse with a highly variable work schedule, and ongoing charity work. It's really, really hard to make time for a side business in there too. Are you working on something? How are you making the time for it? How's your progress?

The downsides are greater too. It's one thing to miss out on TV or drinks with friends; quite another to miss out on the one evening you might get to sit with your wife and have dinner, or not see your kids for a week. It doesn't matter how rich or respected my side-project startup would make me, I wouldn't be able to get that time back.

I juggle two companies and refuse to give up family / wife time.

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

#88

Post by roel_v »

nischalshetty wrote: post #65

I started http://www.justunfollow.com as a way to learn Google Appengine. Sent a tip to TechCrunch, @arrington seemed to like it and profiled it. It started making profits but I did not quit. I finally had to quit after about 1 year of this product going live because it started making me more money in 2 months than my day job was paying me for an entire year! I quit my job around 9 months ago. Finding too much of tim…

Am I reading that correctly that that site is making 25k+ a month? How is that possible? Do people pay for the site or is it from ads only?

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

#89

Post by iguanayou »

I have a (barely) profitable SaaS app that I wrote while having a full time job. The advantage I have is that my day job is teaching, which gives me chunks of time off during the summer and winter. I think that if I had a job coding all day, the last thing I'd want to do is come home and do more coding.

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

#90

Post by ry0ohki »

mzarate06 wrote: post #61
ry0ohki wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's very difficult to compete with the big names, but even .01% of a huge market adds up to something significant. edit I should also say I started this a LONG time ago, so I have a long tail SEO advantage. I wouldn't envy anyone trying to start a used car site today.

How much did that discourage you in the beginning (the thought of it being extremely hard to compete w/the big names)? I ask b/c I've been developing an app of my own and this is one of the doubts I have. I love building stuff too much to let that stop me, but it's still something I think about from time to time.

Well the beginning was 1995, so I was competing with Newspapers and Weekly Magazines more then websites. People would refuse to let me list their car for free because they were scared of the Internet.
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