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Ask HN: The Difference Between Startup & Side Project?

7 points by james-fend ↗ HN
Just a general question; many times I see someone setup a Yahoo store and call it a startup. What's your opinion on where to draw that thin line?

7 comments

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maxbrown
Personally, I think that it needs to be at least one person's full time job to be a legitimate start-up, as opposed to a side project where it may be one or more persons' part time gig.
glimcat
Intent to scale.
proexploit
I agree here. A start-up not related to a dollar value or certain incorporation, it's a specific intention to start a business.
fezzl
Business model and user acquisition plan.
latch
% of total income. If most of your income comes from a project, it's startup. Otherwise, it's a side project.
okstr
I think it is about the type of person running it. It comes down to the difference between an entrepreneur or a person who likes to tinker with things.
Roedou
Forgive me if this is a naive, newbie understanding, but long term exit plans seem to be something of a key.

If I launch a new business, it's just that - a new business. If it takes off, it becomes a successful business.

I understood that a 'startup' is implicitly looking for an exit - be it an acquisition or an IPO.

It's quite possible that you'll launch with a 'startup mentality' and later realize that this is a business that you want to profit off for a long time, but I don't think we should overlook the fact that not every small business which is run online is a startup.