5 ms·
This is all good advice, but a couple notes: 1) Don't lie to your co-workers or boss. You shouldn't talk about your business all the time, but don't be afraid
by soneill 14y ago
This is all good advice, but a couple notes:
1) Don't lie to your co-workers or boss. You shouldn't talk about your business all the time, but don't be afraid to let them know what you're doing. This is really a context dependant situation, but personally, when I was starting my company while I was still working a 9-5, I didn't hide that fact which made it much easier to leave the company amicably when the time came to do so.
2) Make sure you have a lawyer you can run things by, but you don't necessarily need the accountant right off the bat. It depends on how quickly you'll be generating revenue and how, but you can do without an accountant for a while.
The contractors point is a very good one, and I can't stress it enough. If you can get away with bringing everyone on board as contractors, you can save yourself a ton of hassle and costs in HR, taxes, etc.
- davismwfl 14y agoTotally agree, never lie to anyone about what you are doing. In fact, I agree that letting them know at the right time and doing so in a way they know you are giving them 100% while you are in the office does ease the transition later. Also second the attorney, accountant advice. I would add to that find another person that is further along in the process, or an exec, or other mentor you can ping for questions ideas. And when it comes to any attorney, question what they tell you, don't think just because they have the JD they know what is best for your business. I have found most respect that I ask lots of questions. And I also found it helps to have different attorneys that specialize in specific areas of law. i.e. Copyright/Patent is different than general council for everyday stuff.
- orangethirty 14y agoI did not tell him to lie. I suggested he not tell them about it. It is different. One cannot guess how people will react to such news, and he wants to keep his job for the time being. Best approach is to change nothing about the job. Once he mentions the word business, everyone/everything will change. The job is no longer priority #1, and people will react to it in different ways. He doesnt want to go and deal with a boss who envies him. Trust me on that one. :)
- davismwfl 14y agoMy bad, didn't mean to imply you did. Just that it is a valid and important point to not lie. I also agree it is best to keep it reasonably quiet. And I will take your word on the boss thing. :)
- orangethirty 14y agoGood points. Though I still think he should avoid telling people about it. Envy makes people so shitty things. Beware of that.