

Ask HN: Should I take on a side job? - yayitswei

I'm thinking of doing something minimal (e.g. teaching piano 5-10 hours a week) to supplement my savings before my business becomes ramen profitable. Do you think this is a good idea, or do side jobs generally end up being a distraction?<p>In "How Not To Die" pg says distraction is fatal to startups, but I'm just starting out and brainstorming ways to support myself for the long haul.
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exline
I see it both ways. If you run out of savings and have to get a job, then that
might kill the business. The good thing about side jobs (or contracting) is
that you still have a lot of freedom to pursue the business. The key thing is
to keep the business as the number 1 priority.

With a side job of teaching piano, might be ideal because it would not become
your top priority very easily. If you were contracting, it is very easy to
shift from part time contracting to full time contracting because of the cash
flow.

So I don't see an issue with it. Being able to stretch your savings out
longer, I think will give your business a better chance of being successful.

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mcgraw
I don't see why not as long as you manage it well. If you can spend a few
hours doing something else you like you will create a buffer from all the
other crazy stuff going on. It's nice to get your head out and into something
completely different.

If this side job is really teaching piano, you have the added bonus that music
is really enlightening. You'll have time while you're teaching when you can
just have some peaceful inspiration.

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jacquesm
Side jobs are fine if they're not things that you get caught up in such as
large scale project work. That's the kind of stuff that will start to compete
in a bad way with your company and which will sooner or later eat up all the
time you've got leading to the premature death of your other business.

But bite sized projects are a great way to make ends meet during the hard
times.

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fezzl
I think that it is okay. Teaching piano has predictable hours, and it takes
you away from the computer as well, giving you some off-screen time. Think of
it as your recuperation hours, where you're probably even having fun, but
you're making cash off of it.

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yayitswei
Thanks for your responses! I appreciate your thoughts on this. Seems like the
consensus is that a side job is okay if it doesn't ever take over as the top
priority.

