
Ask HN: How to sustain yourself with an open source business model? - etherio
Hey! I&#x27;m currently working on a social platform for developers with tons of cool features (hopefully one day you&#x27;ll see it on hn) and I&#x27;m hesitating on whether I should go opensource. It would really make sense with this tech platform and I&#x27;d love to build this product with many other people but, I also want to be able to sustain myself.<p>I don&#x27;t find it fair if other people contribute to the project and then I get the profits.
How can I have an open source model that survives without profiting off other people&#x27;s labour and that can sustain me?<p>Thanks for your help with this problem I am facing.
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blakewatters
Okay, I will bite.

What you need my friend is a strategy. Are there features that if delivered
create outsized economic returns?

You need to invert your thinking. Nobody gives a shit about you, your product,
your company, your mission, open source. Money is directly derived by
delivering value to another party in a way that they could not or would not be
able to create themselves.

Open Source software utilizes a confluence of patent law and hippy bullshit to
create a safe space for collaboration and advancement and yada yada yada.

I didn’t invent fire, but I can start a hell of a bbq.

Do shit that matters and everything will be fine.

The best thing that you can ever do is make a ton of money, hire a ton of
people, pay your taxes, and be there when your are called upon.

~~~
etherio
You're interesting blakewatters. Thanks for your advice!

