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

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

#91

Post by ttran08 » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 4:26 PM UTC

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 think the best thing to do in your situation is to work on a project you really enjoy on the weekends. It'll be the equivalent to or replacement of games or other forms of entertainment. Try to write a blog relating to your project on the weekdays, even before you launch your product. By the time you launch, you'll have a good audience. Even if your project doesn't get traction, you technically didn't waste your time for nothing, because it was an enjoyable experience. :)

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

#92

Post by AznHisoka » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 4:27 PM UTC

whirlycott1 wrote: post #73

rokhayakebe wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you mind sharing how raising money helped you guys? You were only 8 people and raised $4M. Edit: Had you reach 7 figure revenue yet?

Easy: without venture funding, I would have just been a guy sitting on the couch at home with nobody to work on this with. And the hosting costs alone to run a site that large are around $25K/month. Yes, we had reached 7 figure revenues many years ago, long before the acquisition.

25K a month? Really? That's like 50 medium Amazon instances.. all for at most a couple million uniques a month? What were you doing that required so much servers?

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

#93

Post by keerthi » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 4:29 PM UTC

ryanhuff wrote: post #81

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?

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 th…

great tips. Anything for me?? I work in a typical IT services company in India. 1Hr commute one way, have teleconference calls till 11pm. then eat and sleep. But should be in office by 10AM. The problem is my wife also works in the same project. :-( Fortunately we are in a joint family. food, my sweet baby, cleaning, washing etc.. are all taken care.

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

#94

Post by ecaradec » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 4:30 PM UTC

iconfinder wrote: post #54

I have built Iconfinder into a profitable service while having a day and studying at business school. I still do some work next to the startup, but it is basically paying for servers etc. plus a salary for me.

Iconfinder is great, I use it every times I need to get icons. Icons are very well picked. Do you manually select each one ?

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

#95

Post by keerthi » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 4:31 PM UTC

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 dont have a TV. Not going to buy one till I finish my dream project

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

#96

Post by hockeybias » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 4:39 PM UTC

I am struggling with three-year-old http://hockeybias.com

It is more or less a 'Drudge report' for hockey news. The home page also has a quote of the day and a featured 'Off The Ice' link daily.

If you are a hockey fan please visit the site early and often!:) Please tell your hockey-loving friends about it as I would love for it to become something more than the 'labor of love' it currently is!

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

#97

Post by krschultz » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 4:41 PM UTC

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?

You have to cut that commute. It's not possible losing 1.5 hours a day.

My commute is 100 foot walk, I still strugle with not having enough time.

Sell the house and rent closer to the office. If its the midpoint between two jobs, either you or your wife needs find a new job to shorten the distance between them. If it is because of the school districts for your kids, you are going to have to decide your priorities.

But realize that the long commute is a choice entirely within your families control and you need to change it.

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

#98

Post by listrophy » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 4:43 PM UTC

I started a Ruby on Rails consulting business with another dev while at my day job, I was an aerospace engineer. His day job was freelance Rails consulting.

After 2.5 months of 80 hour weeks, we quit our day jobs and went full time with the consulting business: Bendyworks. Now, almost 3 years into the biz, we're at 10 people and having a freaking blast.

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

#99

Post by hndl » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 4:46 PM UTC

flacon wrote: post #70

hndl wrote: post #62

I'm curious to know what the typical day of a person in this setting is like? As in, what were ones' day-job hours and hours for project work?

I have built two startups while working fulltime and raising 2 kids. The first startup failed once my co-founder left town, after the business model and app were about 90% completed. My 2nd/current startup is http://targetmobi.com . My schedule M-F for the last 3 years has been: 7am wakeup, feed kids etc. 9am - 5:30 work fulltime. 5:30 - 10pm family time. 10pm - 1am Startup time!. Yes thats 5-6 hours of sleep! Trying…

Thanks for sharing. One followup question: given your schedule, how much time did it take for you to launch?

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

#100

Post by Timothee » Fri, Dec 02, 2011, 4:48 PM UTC

ryanhuff wrote: post #81

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?

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 th…

About the lunch hour, one always needs to be careful of the rules of the company they work for regarding intellectual property. Working from a Starbucks shields you from using company equipment/network, but I'm sure in some cases, lunch time is not exactly your own time.

But otherwise, great points!

As far as I'm concerned, my commute doesn't allow me very convenient public transportation. (though I should look into it again) Another thing is that I'd be a bit worried for my laptop since I would go through some somewhat shady areas…

And for the lunch hour, it's sometimes difficult to resist the appeal of socializing with colleagues. Sure you can do it at other times and it's a sacrifice, but it's still a temptation.