
Would Y Combinator frown upon your team if your members developed side projects for fun/hobby? Would it be considered lack of focus?   - ginn

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pg
We like people who work on things for fun because it shows they really like
hacking. That's why we have a question on the application form asking "what
cool things have you built?" On the other hand, if someone were spending time
on side projects during the first few months of their startup, that would be a
bad sign.

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Leonidas
I would say list them because it shows your team's ability to innovate.
Besides, if Y doesn't like the one you submitted, they might like the other
ones.

Cheers

~~~
bootload
'... I would say list them because it shows your team's ability to innovate.
...'

And I would say put a watch on them because their focus on their prime tasks
may drop. If you are putting in your 100% where will you get the extra time?

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brett
It can't be that cut and dry. Creative people tinker with stuff. You want
creative people. Obviously there is a point where side projects interfere with
what you are trying to get done, but a "if you're working on anything else
you're not giving 100%" attitude seems very short sighted.

~~~
bootload
'... if you're working on anything else you're not giving 100%" attitude seems
very short sighted. ...'

Non core creativity kills startups quicker than lack of focus. Why? Because
the core product will be making the money not a creative side product. Lack of
focus on the problem kills your ability to make money. Look at from the
business point of view (yuck, but thats what will allow future creativity).

Remember we are talking startups here, not established businesses. You simply
do not have the time or resources. Now in the longer term you are correct. But
make sure you understand each startup is in a fight for survival and it
requires a very different mindset.

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zaidf
In the last week of 2006 and couple weeks before the launch of our site, I had
what I thought was a great idea(thankyou2006.com). I shared the idea with my
partner, he liked it, we worked on it for a day and launched it.

I had to break my own promise to not work on anything else. And it made me a
little nervous that this might cause the distraction we didn't need few weeks
before our launch.

Keys:

1\. Know your and your team's limits from past experience. What has happened
in past when you worked on side projects?

2\. Find some angle where the side project has the potential to compliment
your primary company. In our case, if the side project it would have given us
some much-needed $$$s for our main start-up.

\--Zaid

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SwellJoe
If you allow "much-needed $$$s" to determine what you work on, you'll never
get your real project done. This is how consulting businesses are born (and
products die).

~~~
zaidf
Sure, that's why it's proceeds point #1:)

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ginn
My team members enjoy creating things for the hell of it because it's fun. The
application asked if we had built anything else. A lot of the things we are
building is almost entering beta stage. I would say maybe 3 of the projects.
We built it because it was fun to build.

We're concerned that Y combinator may think that we lack focused if we shared
the projects on our applications. Should we or shouldn't we list the other
projects we developed for fun?

~~~
python_kiss
Variety of ideas are indicative of the plasticity of mind. Rest assured, this
is something YC will see as a good thing. Go ahead and list them.

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danielha
While developing side projects, especially as a tool to your main project, you
may come across something you may not have otherwise. Who knows -- one of
these "cool side projects" may become the product you end up focusing on.

