The Value of "Hobbies" for Tech Professionals

In the rush to become "successful" too many technology professionals try to turn every stupid idea they have into a startup or business. The reality is that most of your ideas simply won't work, and many times it's because you end up not wanting to do them. Starting a real business requires you to take a lot of time and a decent amount of money to make it legitimate. You have to do everything from forming an LLC, to designing business cards, to figuring out client acquisition. You'll waste allot of resources on something that is almost guaranteed to fail.

So why not start your venture as a "hobby". If you're not making money you don't have to worry about the IRS. If you're not accepting payments your liability concerns are minimal at most. And if you don't earn a dime getting people to help out is simply about sharing your vision and doesn't involve Workers Comp, and IRS compliance.

Beyond the legal issues you can skip you can also start working with people without having trying to sell to them. As soon as you put a price tag on your idea people will start deciding if what you offer is worth the money. Every person you lose is an experience you won't have. Those first experiences will be the most valuable as you try to figure out if anyone cares about your idea, and even if you really care enough to see the project through.

If a "hobby" fails all you lose is a few bucks and a bit of time. If it succeeds it's a hell of a lot easier to get investor, and spousal buy-in when you can show you already have momentum, people care about your idea, and you're bouncing with excitement because you really like doing the work.