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I have two profitable SaaS products that were built while I was theoretically working full time on something else. I was a bit fortunate that my "something els

I have two profitable SaaS products that were built while I was theoretically working full time on something else. I was a bit fortunate that my "something else" was Consulting, which you can ramp down by exactly as many hours per week as you'd like to devote to your side project. The thing is, if you use the term "Startup" here to describe anything other than a zero-profit 80hr/week scramble for VC funding and eventual acquisition, you're going to get people popping up and claiming that what you're doing is not startuppy enough to count. So for the benefit of that crowd, you might want to rephrase your question in terms of building a product that brings in enough revenue to quit your job. If that's what you want to build, then yes. It's absolutely possible, and there are dozens of people here who have done so.

donnfelker 15y ago
Well said.
prayag 15y ago
>you're doing is not startuppy enough to count I have always had a problem with that. A start-up is a start-up if you decide it's a start-up and want to transform it into a viable business. There is no magic line that you have to cross to transform your project into a start-up. I always advice people to call their projects a start-up from the beginning.
- riffraff 15y ago
  > I always advice people to call their projects a start-up from the beginning Could you expand on why you advice this, meaning, what is the advantage of it? According to your post simple message above it could be the other way around (always call your startup a project).
  - prayag 15y ago
    First of all, it makes you take it seriously. It's not a side project that you are doing. You think of it as work as something that is going to pay your bills at some point. You work harder, you take smarter decisions and you start thinking about customers early. Secondly, other people take it more seriously. Everyone has some sort of a side project, very few people have a start-up. They give you more time and listen to your more intently. All anecdotal, no data to back any of the claims.
  - gujk 15y ago
    It boosts morale and makes you more excited to work on your project.
- sathishmanohar 15y ago
  I prefer not calling projects startups, Since, I try many projects, So, calling something startup, after "rails new project_name" sounds like a disgrace to a startup to me. (ofcourse, opinions differs)
dclowd9901 15y ago
Your latter input is appreciated, but I'm not sure being a "full-time consultant" qualifies you to answer this question, which is almost certainly directed at those with less daily flexibility. If my site explodes in activity while I'm at work, I can literally do nothing to sop up any problems that might arise, unless I decide to try to cash in sick time and head out early, or sit on my hands til I get home. A fulltime consultant faces none of these issues.
- coffee 15y ago
  > I can literally do nothing to sop up any problems that might arise Have you trained your job (bosses) to understand that you take periodic breaks outside of the building (i.e. grab coffee)? Once you have, you simply grab your bag, with personal laptop, hit the wifi enabled coffee shop, and stop or at least slow down the fire. I've done it. You lack creativity :)
  - lsc 15y ago
    I've done it too... but yeah, it is not so nice for the employer. I'd much rather have someone like dclowd9901 working for me than someone like you or me. If you do run a side business and keep a dayjob at the same time, you need to know going in that you won't be 100% for that dayjob. I mean, you can make excuses for it, like nobody is 100% for their dayjob; other people have kids they have to deal with, etc... but in the end? you are choosing your own interests over your employer's. I'm okay with that. (I mean, I was up front when I'm hired that I had this other thing going on; but I recognize that I was a much worse employee than I would have been otherwise.)
    - coffee 15y ago
      >...it is not so nice for the employer. I can see how my comments and actions could be taken negatively, but I disagree with that generic statement. Yes it can be not so nice for the employer, but it could also have zero negative impact. I was able to successfully do with zero negative impact. In fact, the flexibility that I trained my employer to have, made me a happier and more productive employee for that company. The ability to attend to my personal business, regardless of what it was, made me appreciate them and work harder for them. >I'd much rather have someone like dclowd9901 working for me than someone like you or me. Please don't lump me into that category.

donnfelker 15y ago

Well said.

prayag 15y ago

>you're doing is not startuppy enough to count I have always had a problem with that. A start-up is a start-up if you decide it's a start-up and want to transform it into a viable business. There is no magic line that you have to cross to transform your project into a start-up. I always advice people to call their projects a start-up from the beginning.

riffraff 15y ago
> I always advice people to call their projects a start-up from the beginning Could you expand on why you advice this, meaning, what is the advantage of it? According to your post simple message above it could be the other way around (always call your startup a project).
- prayag 15y ago
  First of all, it makes you take it seriously. It's not a side project that you are doing. You think of it as work as something that is going to pay your bills at some point. You work harder, you take smarter decisions and you start thinking about customers early. Secondly, other people take it more seriously. Everyone has some sort of a side project, very few people have a start-up. They give you more time and listen to your more intently. All anecdotal, no data to back any of the claims.
- gujk 15y ago
  It boosts morale and makes you more excited to work on your project.
sathishmanohar 15y ago
I prefer not calling projects startups, Since, I try many projects, So, calling something startup, after "rails new project_name" sounds like a disgrace to a startup to me. (ofcourse, opinions differs)

dclowd9901 15y ago

Your latter input is appreciated, but I'm not sure being a "full-time consultant" qualifies you to answer this question, which is almost certainly directed at those with less daily flexibility. If my site explodes in activity while I'm at work, I can literally do nothing to sop up any problems that might arise, unless I decide to try to cash in sick time and head out early, or sit on my hands til I get home. A fulltime consultant faces none of these issues.

coffee 15y ago
> I can literally do nothing to sop up any problems that might arise Have you trained your job (bosses) to understand that you take periodic breaks outside of the building (i.e. grab coffee)? Once you have, you simply grab your bag, with personal laptop, hit the wifi enabled coffee shop, and stop or at least slow down the fire. I've done it. You lack creativity :)
- lsc 15y ago
  I've done it too... but yeah, it is not so nice for the employer. I'd much rather have someone like dclowd9901 working for me than someone like you or me. If you do run a side business and keep a dayjob at the same time, you need to know going in that you won't be 100% for that dayjob. I mean, you can make excuses for it, like nobody is 100% for their dayjob; other people have kids they have to deal with, etc... but in the end? you are choosing your own interests over your employer's. I'm okay with that. (I mean, I was up front when I'm hired that I had this other thing going on; but I recognize that I was a much worse employee than I would have been otherwise.)
  - coffee 15y ago
    >...it is not so nice for the employer. I can see how my comments and actions could be taken negatively, but I disagree with that generic statement. Yes it can be not so nice for the employer, but it could also have zero negative impact. I was able to successfully do with zero negative impact. In fact, the flexibility that I trained my employer to have, made me a happier and more productive employee for that company. The ability to attend to my personal business, regardless of what it was, made me appreciate them and work harder for them. >I'd much rather have someone like dclowd9901 working for me than someone like you or me. Please don't lump me into that category.