patrogizmo

From my experience founding companies, you've gotta commit 100% to it to have any chance of success. That doesn't mean working on an idea in your free time. Consider the fact that someone, or even a funded team of someones, are out there putting in 100% effort to solve the same problem. How are you going to outcompete if you're working on this problem in your spare time (which I imagine is quite limited having a wife and kids)?

You should also consider what success looks like for you. Do you want to start a company to gain creative freedom? Do you want a better lifestyle for your family? Are you prepared to spend the next 7 years on this endeavor? How will you balance the high workload (I'm talking non-stop work for a month at a time) with spending quality time with your family?

You should think through all of these questions, then have an honest conversation about it with your wife, and don't sugar-coat it. She might surprise you.

As far as funding goes... You'll want to put away a fund to pay your salary for at least the first 6 months. Your goal in those first 6 months will be to create a believable story you can sell to investors about your vision. If they like it, you'll be able to raise funds to continue working on it and to deliver that vision.

Top Ones:

- Github Copilot (pays for itself many times over in the time I save on mundane tasks).

- LinkedIn Premium (helps with outreach)

- Pandora (only because I still have most of my stations on it)

- Evernote

- Sketch

At the end of the day, only you know how you are feeling. If you are not feeling secure about your standing in the company, it's for a reason. Starting your search now gives you the ability to negotiate from a position of power, as you can say no to an offer and wait for another better offer.

Now, WRT trusting your gut... You aren't in a position to know for sure how things will turn out with this company, and you won't know for sure until someone tells you ;) You deserve to be in a place where you feel secure.

Glad you like it!

Agreed! It certainly does seem to elicit thoughtful discourse.

Communicating work schedules and recurring tasks. These industries deal with a lot of turn-over and no-shows.

For context, I designed a laundromat management system for one of the largest manufacturers of laundry machines in the world. Part of the work was flying out to meet with laundromat owners to find out their biggest issues. Scheduling and communication of schedules was a big sticking point (though not something that we ultimately designed into the system we launched).

I'm a firm believer in learn-by-doing. Take a look at these stats:

Learning Retention Rates:

- Listening only - After 3 hours: 70% - After 3 days: 10%

- Seeing or Observing only - After 3 hours: 72% - After 3 days: 20%

- Hearing and Seeing / Observing - After 3 hours: 85% - After 3 days: 65%

- Doing - After 3 hours: 95% - After 3 days: 90%

As you can clearly see, nothing comes close to the amount of information you actually retain by doing. You should try to connect your passion to learning new skills.

For me, I did this by working on personal projects that used the newest web technologies that related to my interests (horticulture, education, biotech). I quickly became proficient in those technologies and became a resource for other developers in my organization. My career accelerated and I rose from junior javascript developer to chief software architect before I was 25.

I try to choose products that are not sold to me. It's a red flag when a SDR has to reach out to me to tell me how great the product is. I want to use a product developed by a company that invests heavily into the quality of the product, rather than the act of selling it (marketing + sales). So, that means word-of-mouth, helpful articles that lead me to the product, and free trials / evaluation periods.

Trust your gut. Start looking for another position now. You don't want to wait for someone else to tell you your future.

As a side-note, recognize that people lie to prevent panic. It may quickly turn from "you are indispensable" to "your position has been eliminated".

Laundromats, gas stations, restaurants, and other companies in the service-industry would find use in a technology like this.