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Ask HN: Side Hustle to Full Time?

2 pointscoderunner7y ago4 comments

Has anyone here transitioned a side hustle to a full time job after the side hustle was already making close to their full time job? If so do you have any tips on what helped you manage your time? And did you have to worry about competitors seeing success of the product and overtake you if they decided to devote full time to it from the beginning?

I am working on software / internet side hustles outside my day job as a software engineer in the hopes that one will eventually hit. I have some family and financial responsibilities that make me very averse to quitting a stable paycheck with no significant traction on the side project.

Were you able to do this without taking investor/vc money? I imagine a VC would want me to work full time from the beginning which would be understandable if they're putting in money. From what I've read, it seems like a lot of people that do take VC money are able to take a minimal paycheck since they are usually younger and have minimal outside responsibilities.

Thanks for any help.

4 comments

4 comments · 2 top-level

keyle7y ago· 2 in thread

I hate to be the party pooper, but I'd would tell you to first get traction on your product, and then only quit your job if you feel you have no other choice than quit your job to do this full time.

Also be careful about your contract with your employer, making sure you're not overstepping boundaries that you have signed on. Some employers will take anything you've developped outside of work as their own IP, there are ways around it of course.

coderunnerOP7y ago

Thanks for replying. I totally agree with needing traction first.

I'm putting cart before the horse a little bit by asking the stuff in my post, but I am wondering if I'm chasing a dead end if the odds of getting revenue from a side hustle to be similar to a corporate software engineering salary is pretty much non-existent because of the time limits of trying to do both at the same time.

keyle7y ago

History is choc full of people that started something on the side and turned it into a profitable business. Absolutely pursue it, knowing that

a: no tree has even grown taller than the sky

b: Rome wasn't built in a day

cerberusss7y ago

I built apps for clients on the side. I saw that it's almost impossible to live off apps in the App Store. The chances are very slim of your app hitting enough sales. So I quit my day job and started doing contracting work fulltime. But that's not really what you mean, I'm guessing.

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