[iqonik]

I am addicted to Coca-Cola and need the caffeine to stop the headaches, my diet consists of quick easy takeout so I have enough time to work in the evenings and spend time with my 3 month old daughter. I am currently working on a side project that I hope will prove itself worthy of "giving it a shot". Now I'm thinking I need to get my health right before I even consider that...for want of a better saying, it's definitely food for thought.

[mootothemax]

so I have enough time to work in the evenings and spend time with my 3 month old daughter

It's tough, but really worth it.

After my daughter was born (she's 18 months now), I set a rule that no matter what happens, 18:00 to 20:00 is guaranteed for her and her alone.

It's a double win: something for me to look forward to every day; and my daughter gets quality time with her father before going to bed every night.

[ars]

If you are drinking Coca-Cola just for the caffeine the first thing to do is switch to unsweetened coffee. That's much safer at least. The phosphoric acid in Coca-Cola will really mess you up if you drink a lot of it.

Then reduce the number of cups you drink - or if that's hard then mix using 10% decaf and slowly increase the ratio, while keeping the number of cups the same.

[0x5f3759df-i]

Your side project isn't worth anything if you're dead from a heart attack at 45.

[pm]

Get your health right first. Your side project will always be there, the time you spend with your daughter will not.

[iqonik]

Unfortunately being first to market is key (I think). But yes, you're right, she is already changing so much everyday :-)! Either way, I need to find a better balance, is 3 months too young to teach her to code?!

[mseebach]

> Unfortunately being first to market is key (I think)

No knowing the first thing about your product or market, I'll still go out on a limb and propose that you're most likely wrong. If I had a nickel for every time I thought something was absolutely key, and it turned out to be a wrong assumption - well, I could probably buy a Starbucks latte.

Hey, by all means, work hard, push forward and do awesome stuff and win, I'm all for that - but don't lie to yourself, especially not if it's impacting your health and your family.

[iqonik]

The market is recruitment (in house and agencies) - and knowing the types of products they still use because it "works for them" and how hard it is to get them to change workflows etc; I believe early adoption will be key. Only time will tell I guess, I'll be sure to do a "Show HN" when I am done!

[mseebach]

Ok, so I'm confident in declaring your assumption false. This isn't a green-field market where the first credible entrant has a reasonable chance of capturing a large part in one go, it's a mature, slow and conservative market. They are extremely unlikely to read about a new shiny thing on a blog, decide that afternoon to start using it, and in that decision cut out the superior product that launches two months later.

Sure, by the time they've decided to use a new thing, they are unlikely to change again soon, and if, at the time some team is evaluating a new system yours isn't on the market, you wont be considered.

So take a deep breath, stop sweating "first to market" startup tropes, build a good product and start thinking about how you're going to sell into this market instead that's probably a much bigger challenge than building the product in the first place.

[mtrimpe]

Having sold a product to the recruitment market for a while I can wholeheartedly confirm this.

There's no first mover advantage here; there's only a "most able to convince people to switch from 90's tech to 00's tech"-advantage.

FWIW We sold video interviewing software and decided to abandon recruitment because the market had low requirements for software quality / innovativeness and high requirements for stability and track records; which was the polar opposite of what we offered.

Additionally; ATS integration was paramount for all large players. ATS providers knew that and charged for it at levels only heavily funded companies could afford.

[pjc50]

Recruitment has been around for years, including over the internet. Given that you're talking about workflow it sounds more like a regular LOB application; that's far more likely to be a question of getting sales one-by-one in a high-touch way rather than the first person to launch something getting millions of users.

[peterjancelis]

Not true. Being the last mover is more important than being the first.

Also, having an established competitor is great as it allows you to research what customers say about their experience. An MVP with a slightly different angle can become obvious from that.

[amirmc]

It depends a lot on the type of product and the particular market. You shouldn't underestimate the inertia of something that's 'good enough'. If you're not one of the early ones then something about your product will likely need to be significantly better in some aspect.

[mootothemax]

being first to market is key

How many real-world examples of first-mover advantage can you find?

I think that the advantage might not be as great as you'd think.

[100timesthis]

I have been a Coca-Cola addicted for years, I was drinking at least a liter per day, sometimes two, this when I was a teenager. I've never been fat nor with health problem. One day I decided to stop, It took me two weeks of headaches to kick it off, but now I'm far less nervous, I sleep much better and my life improved a lot. Still if I drink a can of coke I'll have headaches for at least two days, as I don't drink any caffeine.

So do it, use painkillers when you can't handle the pain, but don't exaggerate with them, it's worth it not only for the long run but you will quickly see improvements on your daily life, good luck!

[ryanobjc]

Caffeine withdrawal is just a few days...

[iqonik]

Really? it was a painful week the last time I tried. I will give it a go again.

[cowpewter]

The easiest way I've found to do it is to pick up some Excedrin (or the generic equivalent). It's basically just aspirin and caffeine. Go as long as you can in the day til you start getting a headache, then take 2 pills. Do that for a week. The second week, take 1 pill. By the end of the second week, you won't even need the 1 pill, you just won't get the headaches.

[mtrimpe]

Depends each time. First time I quit it was a week of headaches and two more weeks of sluggishness. Second time it was a day or two of headaches and a week of sluggishness.

Second time around I did just accept that I was going to take paracetamol by default (so on a regimen and not reactive to pain) to take the edge off the headaches though so that could've helped.

[davyjones]

I went cold turkey and it was very unpleasant. I cut it down gradually and it worked for me. Good luck!

[ruidelgado]

Honestly, I had that same thought when I started, and it never stopped. I'm glad you're reconsidering it, especially because you need to eat better. Trust me, it'll even make you more productive.

[jules]

Cooking a good meal only takes 10-20 minutes.

[rab_oof]

Nodoz (caffeine pills)? A fraction of one will help with the headaches associated with withdrawal vasospasms.

[monort]

You should try tea as caffeine source.