part time business for programmers [closed]

Question

I would like to start a small part time business other than my full time programming job. Have you guys done that before? I know programmers who teach in evening schools after work. But then again, that is not business. What would you recommend to get another income stream going?

Answer 1

I have a full time programming day job, and I just started a small software enterprise this year.

My advice would be to start small, and make sure you have the time & energy to work on something after your day job is done. If possible, choose a business in which the code you write will be different from the code you write at work. A different language is a good start, but different types of problems would be a much better goal. If you end up working on the same thing 12 hours a day (8 at work, and 4 on the side-job), you will go absolutely crazy in less than two weeks.

As for what type of business to start, take a few things into consideration:

1. What kind of project would you enjoy working on?
2. What skills do you have, or can you learn in order to get this done?
3. How much time do you have available?
4. How much money is your time worth?

Once you have this figured out, you will know which projects make sense for you.

The only other piece of advice I can think of is to specialize. If you are a one-man operation, you can't compete with Microsoft. Choose a market in which you offer something really good to a small group of people. These little niche markets are the best place for small software companies to thrive.

Good luck and have fun!