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by daSn0wie 4042 days ago
Sounds like a bad deal. In reality the product you're building is almost entirely technology based. They wouldn't really offer any value to you unless they were technical as well.

What would they spend their time doing while you coded?

The only caveat to this is if they've already exited and are successful entrepreneurs. My guess is they're not, and just looking for someone to do the development for free.
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gregthompsonjr 4042 days ago
Plainly put and well put. They sold the dream, mentioning to me that we can change our lives, buy Patek timepieces, get boats and finally meet Kanye West. At the end of the day, it'll be a major time investment for me and I don't see how 4 to 5 hours a week would be sufficient any any business situation, especially when it comes to tech (although, I would love to only have to invest that much time into anything and change mankind).

It'll really come down to me doing a lot of development between now and October, including managing another developer if they stay true to their word and get another developer to help out.

And no, they haven't already exited or anything of that nature. Not yet. Ambitious friends of mine, though.

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Todd 4042 days ago
As you know, 4-5 hours a week won't get you much. Even a POC will probably take a few months at that rate. The ratio is inverted. It should be two devs to one business person. As others have pointed out, you're going to be doing all the work while they're glad handing and doing lunch. Also, not having the background, they will have unreasonable expectations and will have no appreciation for the amount of work you put into it over time.

It also sounds like you have goals of your own. There is a true opportunity cost here. This will be your side project for longer than you probably expect. You don't really get any others if you're trying to get a business off the ground. I'm not sure how old you are, but divide the remainder of your working life into 5 year chunks. That's how many tries you get, roughly speaking, if you're going the startup route.

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nols 4042 days ago
Right now they've got an idea to jump on the trending app sector, with you doing all the work. Run, this will end badly for you. They bring nothing to the table but inconvenience.
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gregthompsonjr 4042 days ago
The whole "jumping on the trending app sector" thing is definitely one of the big yellow flags to me.
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