

Ask HN: Turning a freelancing job into a startup - mapster

Curious if there are stories of turning a one-off freelancing or consulting job into a startup? I realize that client's pay me to do X, so there must be many others looking for X already made. For the record I don't mean selling a client's intellectual idea or product.
======
jdotjdot89
Generally I think this is unlikely to happen because people who are
freelancing often are doing so because their need is liquidity (read: cash,
relatively soon) and not equity in a maybe successful venture. Thus they're
looking to be paid now for work, not be involved in a longer term personal
investment, whether in someone else's company or their own. So by definition,
someone freelancing has very different goals than someone with the security
and desire to be thinking about startups. For your question, I think you'd
need to find someone who very specifically is freelancing but also is looking
for a good startup idea, which I think is rare.

------
mapster
As an example, here is a freelance job offer. The project award is less than
$500, but it sparks an idea for a niche app service for photographers.
[https://www.elance.com/j/custom-map-flyover-tour-of-route-
ar...](https://www.elance.com/j/custom-map-flyover-tour-of-route-around-
world/30034238/?backurl=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZWxhbmNlLmNvbS9yL2pvYnMvcS1tYXA=)

------
robbiea
I turned my one off freelancing job into a startup. But my startup is a mobile
development company, so I'm pretty sure I didn't answer your question.

From what I've seen, I haven't seen many people turn a freelancing gig into a
product.

------
jcr
It happens all the time, but it is critical to be up-front with your initial
customer. The good thing about it is you start with at least a bit of market
validation (i.e. someone willing to pay for a solution).

~~~
mapster
True. And it may not be the exact product or service, but the project opens my
eyes to a larger market opportunity.

------
rhizome
That's the thing: what's a freelancer going to productize if all of their work
is work-for-hire?

