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Why would you quit your job to make an app? I have bootstrapped 3 apps and pushed them to the app store in my own time. To be fair, every time I do it, it's ha

Why would you quit your job to make an app? I have bootstrapped 3 apps and pushed them to the app store in my own time. To be fair, every time I do it, it's hard. I have to prepare my family that I'm undertaking something that will take up a lot of my time. It's tough but, they know I love it.

justusw 11y ago
Did you ever have trouble with keeping apart intellectual property created for your employer vs. for yourself on your own time? For example, did you use different computers and made sure to never do this at your work place? I'm always worried that this might become a problem if you create apps while still being employed somewhere.
- allsystemsgo 11y ago
  I use my own machine. That and you have to keep in mind a few things. Does the company actually have the money to spend to go after a developer who made some simple app? Would doing so piss off their entire engineering department? Is it really worth it to them? Usually the answer is no. Not that any of the above matters since I do this on my own time, with my own resources.
  - SyneRyder 11y ago
    If you work for Apple (and I think the same for Google, Facebook or Microsoft), don't they own your output even if it's on your own machine in your own time? I seem to remember part of their contract is that they own all your intellectual output. Some other discussion of this here: http://iphonedevsdk.com/forum/business-legal-app-store/47704-apple-retail-employees-shut-from-developing.html http://iphonedevsdk.com/forum/business-legal-app-store/47704... https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/1phmkr/current_employer_owns_all_software_i_develop/ https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/1phmkr/current_emp... On the other hand, in Queensland at least, it depends on the definition of your work role. If it's specific enough, you could even create a game using your employers equipment & keep ownership & copyright yourself (the Queensland government provides that as a specific software example here): https://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/support-tools-grants/tools/intellectual-property-info-kit/browse/employees-contractors/ownership https://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/support-tools-grant...
    - steve-howard 11y ago
      I work at Microsoft. I don't speak for the company but feel like sharing my experience. We do have to comply with certain restrictions (e.g. don't do it on company time, company property, company equipment; don't compete with the company), and I'd definitely read the full legalese before trying to make a paid app. But it's not anywhere near as bad as "everything you write while you work here is ours."
      - jimbokun 11y ago
        Are you sure? It might be that bad, if they become motivated enough to go after you in court.
    - zerohp 11y ago
      Apple does not claim ownership of your output that is done on your own time, with your own resources, as long as it doesn't relate to work you're doing at Apple. I recently signed an employment agreement with them. It was the most fair one that I've ever signed.
- jlarocco 11y ago
  I've never had a problem with that, and it's pretty straight forward IMO. Work computers stay at work. My computers stay at home (or at least not at work). If I create something outside of work, not using proprietary data/algorithms/whatever from work, and using my own computers, then it's mine. I'd never work somewhere that tried to claim ownership of work I did outside of work. Needless to say, common sense applies, and it's probably not a good idea to have a side project that competes with your employer (even indirectly), helps their competition, or makes them look bad somehow.
  - craigvn 11y ago
    Yes, I think it is common sense. If you quit your job and launch a competing product the next day you are asking for trouble.
k33n 11y ago
I've done this before. I've failed every time, but quitting the job was more about regaining my freedom to decide how I should be spending my time. It allowed me to wake up and work on something I was excited about instead of hitting snooze 5 times before sitting in traffic for an hour and then being bored as fuck all day at work. If you can afford it and you know you can get another job if you fail, it's a fine decision and I'd highly recommend it.
- sreyaNotfilc 11y ago
  I've been thinking about doing this for a month or two. Mainly because, like you said, its so much better to wake up in the morning and spend your day pursuing the new business instead of 8+ hours being displaced from the venture and dreaming about it at work. Right now, I don't have enough money to sustain longer than a month without a daily job. So, I guess the answer is to start there and build a little next egg over the coming months so I can have a solid 2-3 months that I feel I need to get going.
  - PerfectElement 11y ago
    Unless you already have a product with some traction and at least some revenue coming in, I think 3 months is not enough runway. Something like 1 year is more realistic.
    - mwpmaybe 11y ago
      Agreed. I gave myself a six-month runway and I feel like I'm going to be about six months short. :-\
      - sreyaNotfilc 11y ago
        What's your project mwpmaybe? I'd love to see it. As far as my project, its getting a little traction with my IG feed (instagram.com/artjutsu_lightbox). That said, there's more improvement that needs to be done on the main site to really see if this can be successful (artjutsu.com). I believe it will, but man is life ever-so-hard now with all these certs I need for my day job. Studying for those has taken all of my free time unfortunately.

justusw 11y ago

Did you ever have trouble with keeping apart intellectual property created for your employer vs. for yourself on your own time? For example, did you use different computers and made sure to never do this at your work place? I'm always worried that this might become a problem if you create apps while still being employed somewhere.

allsystemsgo 11y ago
I use my own machine. That and you have to keep in mind a few things. Does the company actually have the money to spend to go after a developer who made some simple app? Would doing so piss off their entire engineering department? Is it really worth it to them? Usually the answer is no. Not that any of the above matters since I do this on my own time, with my own resources.
- SyneRyder 11y ago
  If you work for Apple (and I think the same for Google, Facebook or Microsoft), don't they own your output even if it's on your own machine in your own time? I seem to remember part of their contract is that they own all your intellectual output. Some other discussion of this here: http://iphonedevsdk.com/forum/business-legal-app-store/47704-apple-retail-employees-shut-from-developing.html http://iphonedevsdk.com/forum/business-legal-app-store/47704... https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/1phmkr/current_employer_owns_all_software_i_develop/ https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/1phmkr/current_emp... On the other hand, in Queensland at least, it depends on the definition of your work role. If it's specific enough, you could even create a game using your employers equipment & keep ownership & copyright yourself (the Queensland government provides that as a specific software example here): https://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/support-tools-grants/tools/intellectual-property-info-kit/browse/employees-contractors/ownership https://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/support-tools-grant...
  - steve-howard 11y ago
    I work at Microsoft. I don't speak for the company but feel like sharing my experience. We do have to comply with certain restrictions (e.g. don't do it on company time, company property, company equipment; don't compete with the company), and I'd definitely read the full legalese before trying to make a paid app. But it's not anywhere near as bad as "everything you write while you work here is ours."
    - jimbokun 11y ago
      Are you sure? It might be that bad, if they become motivated enough to go after you in court.
  - zerohp 11y ago
    Apple does not claim ownership of your output that is done on your own time, with your own resources, as long as it doesn't relate to work you're doing at Apple. I recently signed an employment agreement with them. It was the most fair one that I've ever signed.
jlarocco 11y ago
I've never had a problem with that, and it's pretty straight forward IMO. Work computers stay at work. My computers stay at home (or at least not at work). If I create something outside of work, not using proprietary data/algorithms/whatever from work, and using my own computers, then it's mine. I'd never work somewhere that tried to claim ownership of work I did outside of work. Needless to say, common sense applies, and it's probably not a good idea to have a side project that competes with your employer (even indirectly), helps their competition, or makes them look bad somehow.
- craigvn 11y ago
  Yes, I think it is common sense. If you quit your job and launch a competing product the next day you are asking for trouble.

k33n 11y ago

I've done this before. I've failed every time, but quitting the job was more about regaining my freedom to decide how I should be spending my time. It allowed me to wake up and work on something I was excited about instead of hitting snooze 5 times before sitting in traffic for an hour and then being bored as fuck all day at work. If you can afford it and you know you can get another job if you fail, it's a fine decision and I'd highly recommend it.

sreyaNotfilc 11y ago
I've been thinking about doing this for a month or two. Mainly because, like you said, its so much better to wake up in the morning and spend your day pursuing the new business instead of 8+ hours being displaced from the venture and dreaming about it at work. Right now, I don't have enough money to sustain longer than a month without a daily job. So, I guess the answer is to start there and build a little next egg over the coming months so I can have a solid 2-3 months that I feel I need to get going.
- PerfectElement 11y ago
  Unless you already have a product with some traction and at least some revenue coming in, I think 3 months is not enough runway. Something like 1 year is more realistic.
  - mwpmaybe 11y ago
    Agreed. I gave myself a six-month runway and I feel like I'm going to be about six months short. :-\
    - sreyaNotfilc 11y ago
      What's your project mwpmaybe? I'd love to see it. As far as my project, its getting a little traction with my IG feed (instagram.com/artjutsu_lightbox). That said, there's more improvement that needs to be done on the main site to really see if this can be successful (artjutsu.com). I believe it will, but man is life ever-so-hard now with all these certs I need for my day job. Studying for those has taken all of my free time unfortunately.