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Could you please give me some advice? i'm a full-time developer with 10 years experience. I would like to start my own and have a few ideas to try out. I have s

Could you please give me some advice? i'm a full-time developer with 10 years experience. I would like to start my own and have a few ideas to try out. I have savings that could allow me to survive for a year. Would you recommend I quit my day job or just work on it on the side?

_d8fd 9y ago
Here are my simple tips: - don't run out of cash - make something you enjoy working on - sell something people need - sell something for more than it costs to make - don't expect the people around you to be as excited as you are about your thing
- EliRivers 9y ago
  "don't run out of cash" Don't neglect this one. A surprisingly large number of small companies that go under are profitable. They don't go under because they're making a loss; they go under because they cannot pay today's bill. Cash flow kills small businesses dead.
  - amorphid 9y ago
    A good way to watch a business evaporate is missing payroll. Or rent.
- wiz21c 9y ago
  I'd add : never ever work for nothing (especially if you see your work as an "investment") you must enjoy the job, because at some point your work under the pressure of a customer. be very wary of intellectual property issues (IP issues are not very well understood and some people will think you steal their IP when you're not; and being stolen will make them very angry, like lawsuit-angry) be ready to work according to someone else's planning : during your weekend, when you need to sleep, when you're sick, etc. be ready to contemplate the fact that there are some people who take much and gives quite less.
  - raarts 9y ago
    Also be aware your own IP does not get stolen, or that people do not 'wiggle' themselves or manipulate you into owning part of your IP. I've had multiple attempts of people trying this. One outright stole my source code and rebranded and tried to market it, another, well, don't get me started. There are a lot of bastards out there. Hindsight is 20/20, but there were multiple cases where things didn't feel right, I ignored that and went ahead anyway, and everything went sideways. Always trust your spider-sense!
raarts 9y ago
I started my first on the side, I was 33 and building a family, so I couldn't quit my day job. I hired an intern to handle marketing. Amazingly, he also did support. After a year the company made enough money so I could quit. My advice: in general, do not invest your buffer in your company. You will be tempted to, but think of it as a buffer for when your life goes sideways, not your company. PM me if you want, Google my username.
- shostack 9y ago
  When you quit did you retain ownership and receive any income from the business so it was truly hands off?
  - gehwartzen 9y ago
    Sounds like OP quite his day job not the new business he started
rtx 9y ago
Keep a diary, whenever you see people complaining note it down. One day you will come across a problem which only you will be uniquely qualified to solve.

_d8fd 9y ago

Here are my simple tips: - don't run out of cash - make something you enjoy working on - sell something people need - sell something for more than it costs to make - don't expect the people around you to be as excited as you are about your thing

EliRivers 9y ago
"don't run out of cash" Don't neglect this one. A surprisingly large number of small companies that go under are profitable. They don't go under because they're making a loss; they go under because they cannot pay today's bill. Cash flow kills small businesses dead.
- amorphid 9y ago
  A good way to watch a business evaporate is missing payroll. Or rent.
wiz21c 9y ago
I'd add : never ever work for nothing (especially if you see your work as an "investment") you must enjoy the job, because at some point your work under the pressure of a customer. be very wary of intellectual property issues (IP issues are not very well understood and some people will think you steal their IP when you're not; and being stolen will make them very angry, like lawsuit-angry) be ready to work according to someone else's planning : during your weekend, when you need to sleep, when you're sick, etc. be ready to contemplate the fact that there are some people who take much and gives quite less.
- raarts 9y ago
  Also be aware your own IP does not get stolen, or that people do not 'wiggle' themselves or manipulate you into owning part of your IP. I've had multiple attempts of people trying this. One outright stole my source code and rebranded and tried to market it, another, well, don't get me started. There are a lot of bastards out there. Hindsight is 20/20, but there were multiple cases where things didn't feel right, I ignored that and went ahead anyway, and everything went sideways. Always trust your spider-sense!

raarts 9y ago

I started my first on the side, I was 33 and building a family, so I couldn't quit my day job. I hired an intern to handle marketing. Amazingly, he also did support. After a year the company made enough money so I could quit. My advice: in general, do not invest your buffer in your company. You will be tempted to, but think of it as a buffer for when your life goes sideways, not your company. PM me if you want, Google my username.

shostack 9y ago
When you quit did you retain ownership and receive any income from the business so it was truly hands off?
- gehwartzen 9y ago
  Sounds like OP quite his day job not the new business he started

rtx 9y ago

Keep a diary, whenever you see people complaining note it down. One day you will come across a problem which only you will be uniquely qualified to solve.