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Costs of running a macOS app studio business

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Re: Costs of running a macOS app studio business

#153

Post by sitharus »

dazhbog wrote: post #84
tomschwiha wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in Germany its similar, maybe its could be worth for the author to consult a tax consultant as he may be missing out quite some money. Also a wage you pay yourself is usually better off for tax readons - that's why the maximum wage you can pay yourself as business owner is limited.

Agree about the accountant, they are expensive in some countries, but usually worth it. Can you elaborate on your last point? For salary you still need to pay >20% income tax + social insurance, and for dividends you still need to pay >20% after you just paid your corporation tax >15%. I'm curious, why its better to pay yourself more, when your laptop, phone and even food can be covered by the company? (Assuming a si…

I’m always amazed at other country’s tax systems. Here in NZ if you’re a sole trader you only pay personal income tax, if you incorporate you either take the whole profit as income and pay income tax, or take a dividend which comes with tax credits so you only pay the difference between the company tax already paid and personal income tax. So just taking it all as salary is easier.

Re: Costs of running a macOS app studio business

#154

Post by ta988 »

mutex_man wrote: post #101
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. Also, the entire industry pretty much actively supports and accommodates ageism. It's not like a few "rogue actors." Everyone is in on it, and it starts from the top. Also, I found out that some younger folks really hate us. A number of folks used the interview process to try humiliating me, and taking out their personal animus. After a few of these, I decided "Bugger this for a lark," and just accepted that I s…

We just hired a guy out of retirement a few years ago. Retired after 30 years of C dev but wanted to keep busy in the small town we're based in. He's beloved by all of the software devs and the cyber team (we're basically two companies in one). The first week he was asking questions about how git worked. Then like a week later he was explaining why massive amounts of python code we wrote for running simulations was i…

Same thing here we hired a retired domain specialist, sure he had issues with all current dev environments, tooling etc. But that's still a really clear net positive. There is no way we could have built this without the decades of knowledge he has.

Re: Costs of running a macOS app studio business

#156

Post by ryanjshaw »

wnolens wrote: post #133
ryandrake wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Just be one of the vanishingly few to 1.work at FAANG + 2.as a L6-or-greater SWE + 3.in the Bay Area” is not a realistic strategy. Yes, if all those miracles come true that lottery winner can retire early, but I don’t think that is a broadly applicable plan.

It's not even just FAANG anymore. Plenty of places pay over 350k for a senior. And Seattle is probably a much better place with respect to taxes and cost of living. Most other cities where FAANG will employ are fine. Don't have to be #1 to win. Still a lottery winner with respect to the global employment market. But if you graduated with a US software engineering degree, you can make this happen.

And for those who were born outside the US, none of this is applicable (unless you are young and can try emigration), and the advice to be an entrepreneur is correct.

EDIT: There are some people here who claim you can earn that kind of money outside the US, but they never give details when pressed, or describe some kind of very specific set of life circumstances you will never be able to replicate.

Re: Costs of running a macOS app studio business

#157

Post by ryanjshaw »

varispeed wrote: post #117
ljm wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a bit of a mental shift after I turned 30, realising I'd spent the best part of a decade building up my career in various ways. I'm still in the typical 9-5 job since I'm way too young to retire (and we don't get paid the crazy money in the UK that software engineers in parts of the US do), but I've been able to settle on what I want and what I don't want so I have the power to walk away. In the simplest terms,…

Building up career is a trap. The system is designed to capture everyone as a wage slave and every year there are more barriers put to keep the "pleb" in their lane. The only way to build wealth (independence, freedom) for one's family is through starting a business that you can scale. If you go to work at a company always think how you can use the knowledge gained there to start something of your own. Use salaried w…

> If you go to work at a company always think how you can use the knowledge gained there to start something of your own.

Pro tip: avoid highly specialised knowledge that can only be used in particular firms e.g. highly capitalised or regulated entities. Yes you will be paid well above market rates but it will be very difficult to convert those skills into a business because you won't have access to the market as a solo entrepreneur.

Time and again I'll see that the people who start successful lifestyle businesses started off in a lower paying, more general career e.g. web development. It works because you'll encounter problems that apply to a huge market, and you'll have past customers you can tap into to sell your product that addresses those problems e.g. WordPress plugins or invoicing software particular to your region of the world. Boring but high demand software.

Re: Costs of running a macOS app studio business

#159

Post by joebob42 »

ldoughty wrote: post #99
Exoristos wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is that not actionable discrimination?

You do not often get an email to tell you you were not accepted for a position (unless you made it far in the process) Businesses have pushed heavily for at-will employment; this means that businesses don't need to say why people are fired. So they don't have to write down why you were not hired, nor why you were fired. So you have to prove that you were not hired/or fired for being in a protected class. This is extr…

Or, not even lie, but just be unaware of the subconscious biases influencing them. Then they can say with a completely straight face that your group had nothing to do with it, even if that isn't true.
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