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Ask HN: How to minimize career risk from an attempted startup

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Re: Ask HN: How to minimize career risk from an attempted startup

#21

Post by kevincox »

pfannkuchen wrote: post #8
leblancfg wrote: post #2

Have you considered somewhat of a smoother transition? Keep your current job and work extra to get to a point where leaving the FAANG job is a natural next step.

How do you get around IP ownership issues? I believe FAANG company contracts claim ownership of any IP you develop while employed. Are these not really enforceable and can be ignored?

IANAL

In most jurisdictions these are not enforceable if the work is done outside of work hours with no company resources. So make sure that you use your own devices, own accounts and so on. There can also be concerns if the products are related (as you may be benefiting from proprietary knowledge).

Of course it is a good idea to confirm with a laywer who can give you a good answer for your situation.

Re: Ask HN: How to minimize career risk from an attempted startup

#22

Post by atomicnature »

Think of it as your PhD equivalent in the business world. One does a PhD not for mere survival, but for the thirst of knowledge, for engaging in stimulating intellectual activity and so on. The results from your PhD probably may not become famous, may not fetch you any big awards and whatnot, but it will mean something to you. It is essential that you aim for some sort of non-monetary returns, perhaps psychological and emotional results, first and foremost (since it's within your control).

If someone looks down upon you for trying and learning, then is it really worth associating with them?

Re: Ask HN: How to minimize career risk from an attempted startup

#23

Post by ericmcer »

Do a bit of the groundwork first: Build a landing page, attach free tier analytics to it and start sharing it as much as you can (especially with strangers who are your target market).

Reddit is actually a great source for this, just find a subreddit that relates to what you want to do and direct message people who are active on it. Reddit will block you if you send a ton of messages but 2-3/minute should be fine. If you get terrible feedback or if you hate reaching out to people then you know it isn't for you.

I have a one year gap in my Resume where I built and launched a few products, I just list it as 'Solo Developer' and link to the projects. They all failed haha. It is not as beneficial as a year at Google, but it also hasn't been a huge deal.

Re: Ask HN: How to minimize career risk from an attempted startup

#24

Post by giantg2 »

I would hope that managers at most places use their brain. A failed startup shouldn't be a read flag. They should ask you about your experience with it. In all likelihood, if you didn't make multiple stupid mistakes you would be a string candidate for most jobs because you have experience running a business. At least that's what I would think.

Re: Ask HN: How to minimize career risk from an attempted startup

#25

Post by Shindi »

The best way is to make sure you ACCOMPLISH something. I did the same as you and actually got a massively better role after my startup failed. The reason was because I accomplished something that's hard to accomplish.

How about you get a client before leaving? You should be able to find someone to pay for what you're making. If you can't work an additional 10,15,20 hrs per week at a cushy FAANG job and get a client you probably shouldn't leave to work the brutal life of rejection building a new company entails.

Re: Ask HN: How to minimize career risk from an attempted startup

#26

Post by stcroixx »

In a way, it's a permanent brand you have to wear and some employers may avoid you indefinitely thinking that you may always be vulnerable to the itch to go out and start your own thing. If I'm looking for a dependable programmer the last thing I want is an ambitious entrepenuer.

Re: Ask HN: How to minimize career risk from an attempted startup

#27

Post by AHOHA »

datathrow0007 wrote: post #9

> What can I do to minimize my risk of having lower chances on the job market due to this adventure? a. Don’t quit your day-job until the side-project makes atleast two times your current comp. b. Work on it for a year; realize you’re way in over your head and pretend it never happened. Line on CV: “took a sabbatical for one year.” > What data do recruiters and employers look at to determine if the failed startup lis…

Your reply is basically risk averse and too pessimistic to ever run your own business, if any business owner listened to your advice, they would have never started any business. Big portion of starting a business is risk taking, if you are the type of person who can’t quickly adapt, need your typical coffee in the morning while taking the same commute route, then starting a business isn’t for you, and that’s ok, not everyone is meant to anyway.

Re: Ask HN: How to minimize career risk from an attempted startup

#28

Post by tapvt »

stcroixx wrote: post #26

In a way, it's a permanent brand you have to wear and some employers may avoid you indefinitely thinking that you may always be vulnerable to the itch to go out and start your own thing. If I'm looking for a dependable programmer the last thing I want is an ambitious entrepenuer.

I might read this differently.

Perhaps an ambitious entrepreneur may be better able to understand what drives business value and translate that into architecture + code?

It may not be a years-long engagement, but certainly the experience brings value.

Re: Ask HN: How to minimize career risk from an attempted startup

#30

Post by XCSme »

I went into the startup journey after having a full time job. Now, with around 14 years of experience, it's actually not easy to find a job. Mostly because I'm over-qualified, and most employers are scared and doubtful of someone who says can do or did so many different things and not just "React developer for 8 years". In the end, I ended up removing stuff from my CV to even be considered, but still harder than I thought to go back into the workforce.
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