Ask HN: Are there any substantial product-based businesses with zero employees?

2 pointsgathersight4y ago7 comments

Other than the founder or the founding team?

Or, put another way, is it possible to build a sizeable business using contractors and external providers only?

For arguments sake, 'sizeable' and 'substantial' equate to $10m+ pa in revenue and the business must make and sell something i.e. it's not a holding company, licensor, trader etc.

7 comments

Jefro1184y ago

BuiltWith.com is pretty much just one guy doing over $10m per year. At the notch below there are others like Pieter Levels who I think is doing over $1m per year with Nomad List and RemoteOK and I think it's mostly just him with some part time help. Probably a few more that no one has heard of.

gathersightOP4y ago

Thanks, builtwith.com is a pretty useful tool too.

kleer0014y ago

sounds a bit like arbitrage and I suspect there's at least one or two

garbagecoder4y ago

Mondragon Cooperatives?

jsiaajdsdaa4y ago

In the event that there isn't, you should try to be the first!

gathersightOP4y ago

Yup! My curiosity is this: at what scale does using contractors instead of employees start to break? Is it possible to build an infinitely large business with contractors only?

jsiaajdsdaa4y ago

Hire me and we can find out :) I am of the opinion that 1 developer can build an amazing service, compared to 10 normal ones

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

Ask HN: Are there any substantial product-based businesses with zero employees?

2 pointsgathersight4y ago7 comments

Other than the founder or the founding team?

Or, put another way, is it possible to build a sizeable business using contractors and external providers only?

For arguments sake, 'sizeable' and 'substantial' equate to $10m+ pa in revenue and the business must make and sell something i.e. it's not a holding company, licensor, trader etc.

7 comments

Jefro1184y ago

gathersightOP4y ago

Thanks, builtwith.com is a pretty useful tool too.

kleer0014y ago

sounds a bit like arbitrage and I suspect there's at least one or two

garbagecoder4y ago

Mondragon Cooperatives?

jsiaajdsdaa4y ago

In the event that there isn't, you should try to be the first!

gathersightOP4y ago

Yup! My curiosity is this: at what scale does using contractors instead of employees start to break? Is it possible to build an infinitely large business with contractors only?

jsiaajdsdaa4y ago

Hire me and we can find out :) I am of the opinion that 1 developer can build an amazing service, compared to 10 normal ones

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse