Ask HN: Working on side projects, need some advice
1. Is it possible to build and sustain a SaaS business as a solo founder ? For a medium sized project (say something like asana/trello), how long would it take from start->finish (MVP which can be monetized) if one spends around 20 hours in a week?
2. Does one have to be super smart in the algorithms/data structures/programming language and/or a domain expert to take care of both development / customer requirements/support etc ? A feature like adding a new way of auth take at-least 2-3 weeks to complete at large enterprises with multiple folks working full time. What chance can an individual have against these large companies?
3. Is it a good idea to spend 2-3 months on learning the tech, and then start on the side project ? I'm asking this, since with a full time job , one can only expect some 2 hours a day and around 8 hours on a weekend, if most of that is spent on stack overflow,then the progress would be really slow.
4. Since monetization is tricky and not guaranteed, is it a good idea to simply work on the side project to amplify job opportunities? Or is it best to give it all as if there's no plan-b ?
5. Lastly, what's the primary reason to go and start your company instead of say spending the same 20+ hours on getting better at your current job/seeking a better job in the same field at a better company ? Isn't the latter more secure/stable option ?
Sorry if some of the questions sound obvious / cliched. But I wanted a fresh take on some of the above questions that has been brewing in my head for a long time. Thanks in advance :)