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How To Do A Startup On The Side And Not Lose Your Family

ericfarkas.com

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Re: How To Do A Startup On The Side And Not Lose Your Family

#31

Post by mountaineer »

I've been doing side-projects while supporting a family for over 8 years now and I share a lot of your experiences. One of them led to being acquihired at a funded startup in the same area. It was a lot easier when there was one kid. Now with 3, like yourself, I find it's near impossible to get any kind of consistent focus. However, I know the hours are usually there, so that's my problem more than anything.

However, I will say this. If you're thinking about starting a startup on the side, don't. That's my advice, don't do it. If you're a young hacker without kids, make a full-time go at it. If you've already got kids, save until you can. While I admire the poster's ability to juggle so many things, this cannot be maintained for more than a year, maybe two before you will come to resent one or more of your job, your family, your partners.

If you do go ahead, make office hours and stick to them. That's the only thing I've ever found to be effective in terms of relieving the need to work on it.

Of course will I take my own advice? Probably not, once you start, it's hard to stop, the allure is too tempting to scratch an itch, solve a problem, or learn a new technology. But, don't say I didn't warn you.

Re: How To Do A Startup On The Side And Not Lose Your Family

#32

Post by crusso »

SimHacker wrote: post #28
dpiers wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Belief in a higher power is not completely illogical. I build/design things, and take apart and analyze other people's designs. Looking at the universe, from the smallest particles to the largest galaxies, I see a beautifully complex system of interdependent cogs that mesh together perfectly to enable life to exist. I have yet to come across an intricate system that did not have a designer, and it would be illogical…

There's a huge difference between a tentative belief in a vaguely defined "higher power", and a confident belief in a well defined organized religious dogma or bible full of self-contradictions and logical impossibilities. Faith in beliefs that are provably wrong is illogical (but EXTREMELY common), and that's the basis of organized religion, which presumes to provide you with all the answers to questions that don't…

As an atheist, I just don't see the point in picking a religious fight and insulting people for their religious beliefs in a thread about managing a personal life while also creating a startup.

Re: How To Do A Startup On The Side And Not Lose Your Family

#33

Post by SimHacker »

Turing_Machine wrote: post #30
SimHacker wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Usually hackers are very good at logic, which precludes believing the self-contradictory bible and religious dogma, but some people are very good at compartmentalizing their brains and avoiding applying logic to some parts of their lives, apparently.

"Belief in the literal truth of the Bible" != "Belief in God".

And that's why I explicitly said "self-contradictory bible and religious dogma". Of course the vague hippy-dippy handwaving and misused pseudoscientific buzzwords of Deepak Chopra is pretty stupid and illogical too.

Re: How To Do A Startup On The Side And Not Lose Your Family

#34

Post by m_myers »

SimHacker wrote: post #20
ogd wrote: post #18

someone on HN believes in God? No judgments, I just thought hacker and atheist were deeply intertwined. Perhaps I just picked up the wrong impression from Reddit.

Usually hackers are very good at logic, which precludes believing the self-contradictory bible and religious dogma, but some people are very good at compartmentalizing their brains and avoiding applying logic to some parts of their lives, apparently.

See, this is exactly the kind of comment I'd expect from Reddit.

Re: How To Do A Startup On The Side And Not Lose Your Family

#36

Post by Dewitters79 »

Good to see I'm not alone! I'm 33 with 2 kids, working on http://www.koonsolo.com in my spare time. I have the advantage that my hobby is my startup: creating games. It's still hard to find the time though. My advice: get plenty of sleep to stay productive. But with a small baby, even this is sometimes hard to get.

Best of success to every spare time entrepreneur daddy! :)

Re: How To Do A Startup On The Side And Not Lose Your Family

#37

Post by j45 »

SimHacker wrote: post #20
ogd wrote: post #18

someone on HN believes in God? No judgments, I just thought hacker and atheist were deeply intertwined. Perhaps I just picked up the wrong impression from Reddit.

Usually hackers are very good at logic, which precludes believing the self-contradictory bible and religious dogma, but some people are very good at compartmentalizing their brains and avoiding applying logic to some parts of their lives, apparently.

Sorry, I'm a bit confused. Before we point fingers to look at others, mind clarifying a few things for me?

These are honest and serious questions, if you feel more comfortable talking by email I welcome it.

Are you saying:

- All belief systems are identical, incomplete and short sighted as the one you are speaking of?

- How much of what you believe is based on judging your own experience with one belief system and applying it to every other belief system?

- Have you actually learnt about each belief system yourself?

- Is there no other way to see things except how you see them right now?

- Is there no way anything can exist outside of your understanding?

- People compartmentalize themselves but it's different if you compartmentalize anyone who has a belief you don't agree with?

- There is no interpretation of any teaching that is remotely religious or spiritual that could have any scientific backing

- If a particular experience of a group involves a bible or a dogma, any other group that doesn't have a bible or dogma is as well painted with the same brush?

If you're curious where I'm coming from I'll try to clarify up front. I'm not a particularly religious or non-religious person. I don't have a clue what kind of trauma you've been through with the bible or religious dogma as it's not a belief system I've first hand experienced. I guess one could say my religion is curiosity that leads me to have insight on myself.

Fanatics look the same to me when they say their way is the right and only way.

Re: How To Do A Startup On The Side And Not Lose Your Family

#38

Post by j45 »

crusso wrote: post #32
SimHacker wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a huge difference between a tentative belief in a vaguely defined "higher power", and a confident belief in a well defined organized religious dogma or bible full of self-contradictions and logical impossibilities. Faith in beliefs that are provably wrong is illogical (but EXTREMELY common), and that's the basis of organized religion, which presumes to provide you with all the answers to questions that don't…

As an atheist, I just don't see the point in picking a religious fight and insulting people for their religious beliefs in a thread about managing a personal life while also creating a startup.

Well said crusso, I'm not sure of the point of militant secularism either. How the hell does it have to do with startups?

Bringing it back to discussion and finding relevance..

It's fine and wonderful to have different points of view to be able to discuss and learn from... but when one brings a "you are a _____ so i think everything you say is ____", it seems as presumptuous and blind as the blindness being pointed out.

It just reeks of the kind of closemindedness no one likes to see or put anyone through, and is frankly kind of embarrassing to have to read through. Respect as a currency gets so much further, no matter what the subject is.

Re: How To Do A Startup On The Side And Not Lose Your Family

#39

Post by mountaineer »

justindz wrote: post #10
aculver wrote: post #7

Make that N=2. This post is very, very similar to my own experience after launching my "startup on the side" last year ( http://www.limelightapp.com/ ) and the advice closely parallels what I'd give to others as well. >> Get your spouse or SO's buy-in. Until that happens, I'd suggest not going forward. Agree completely. I think one key to gaining my wife's incredible support was the understanding we both had that Lim…

Do either you or the poster have advice regarding single parenting + full time job + nights/weekends-style startup? Possible? Was unclear if you were saying that spouse + support = okay, or just if spouse, then support = okay. Do you rely on the presence of a spouse who happens to be supporting to be able to even get the part time priority on the list below the rung to family?

That's a tough question. To me, it seems like it would come down to social life (including dating) and the startup. I know that when my wife is out of town, once the kids are asleep, I've got almost a full work day's worth of uninterrupted time to work. But, I'm free from worry about socializing.

Re: How To Do A Startup On The Side And Not Lose Your Family

#40

Post by endemic »

crusso wrote: post #32
SimHacker wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a huge difference between a tentative belief in a vaguely defined "higher power", and a confident belief in a well defined organized religious dogma or bible full of self-contradictions and logical impossibilities. Faith in beliefs that are provably wrong is illogical (but EXTREMELY common), and that's the basis of organized religion, which presumes to provide you with all the answers to questions that don't…

As an atheist, I just don't see the point in picking a religious fight and insulting people for their religious beliefs in a thread about managing a personal life while also creating a startup.

Hear hear!
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