Ask HN: Should I continue client work or further develop my own

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4390556

by jamesjguthrie • 14 years ago

6 8 14 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I've got a few jobs lined up for clients including one that might be starting on monday. However I really want to get my next product launched as soon as I can, and client work is getting in the way. When I'm not doing client work the business doesn't have any income, but I can get by.

If you were me, would you stop taking client work and get the product launched or would you take your time in launching while doing client work on the side?

negrit• 14 years ago

Why can't you work on your project(s) the week ends ?

jamesjguthrie3• 14 years ago

It's going to take a lot of development time and naturally the weekend will only provide 28% of the time that a full week would provide.

I'm also back at University at the end of September so time is limited.

ed209• 14 years ago

I've worked on my "side" projects while doing client work for pretty much the last 5 years :)

Let me tell you what you don't want to do... keep doing client work, keep doing your side project and ignore the fact that really you're not putting enough time into your side project and what you're actually doing is wasting time - the worst crime of all.

But even before you consider this, how strong is your idea? I'll assume that even before you put pen to paper you've spoken / reached out to people who would use this, what did they say? Can you deliver something minimal to them (while doing client work) and get some reaction?

jamesjguthrie3• 14 years ago

I have spoken to people that really like the idea. It came from discussions a few months ago I had with a potential client. He would be a potential user, he had the initial idea for it and I've completely revamped it and developed it further. I'd have built it for him but he was unwilling to pay the development costs.

I also used it as the basis of my application to the Startup Games event in London at the end of the month; and got accepted.

So I think it is strong.

hboon• 14 years ago

Calculate how much runway you need to sustain building your own product with zero income for say, 2 years. Either

(1) save till you have enough then stop taking client projects* or

(2) Narrow down the scope of your product so you can work on it part time.

* Even when you are working full time on your project, it doesn't hurt to do some consultancy at higher rates to keep your contacts warm as well as building a stronger runway.

timo614• 14 years ago

For me, it depends; I'd first take a step back and think about my target market.

I'd think about whether or not the market you're trying to make this product for both sees the problems you're addressing as problems (or can be convinced to) and is large enough to support the costs to build it and generate revenue.

While I get that ycombinator itself looks more toward the people than the ideas if you're alone on this and jumping into it it's something you need to think about right away. If you spend your time building a product for some niche market you may be wasting your time going that route as well (although the experience gained and the connections made through doing so may be beneficial).

Does your target market already have a product that does x? If so what are you doing that is better than than the competitors?

If so I'd consider putting aside my work and plunging into it if I could afford the dip in my income as you mentioned you could above. Otherwise I'd either work on my idea as a hobby/side project or over weekends (and some very long nights).

The actual business related activities like advertising and considering how you'd generate revenue itself can wait until you've shipped but if you're at it alone it's a lot harder to gauge when you need to re-evaluate and change your idea if it's not working or there isn't enough interest. We drink our own koolaid per se.

Note: I don't actually need you to answer these questions I more posted them as what I'd suggest you internally inquire about.

Also I get that there is a culture of build first ask questions later so my opinion may be of the minority. I do think though that calculated risks are the best kind and "No wind is favorable to a ship without a destination."

hifi• 14 years ago

I'm in a similar position and I'm not very productive focussing on two projects at the same time. I decided to work really had on client work for some time to save enough money so I can take off 4-5 months and finish my own project. I have two more weeks to go on a freelance job .. can't wait to be free again :)

jamesjguthrie3• 14 years ago

I've decided to take a few weeks off and focus fully on the project. Had some interest in it already so I'm getting stuck in and hoping to launch something in a few weeks.

Ask HN: Should I continue client work or further develop my own

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