Balancing a 9-5 Job and Becoming a Micro SaaS Founder
Discover the steps to launch a successful Micro SaaS business while maintaining your full-time job. Learn from personal experience how to manage your time, develop a product that solves a real problem, and navigate the challenges of bootstrapping your venture.
Starting an entrepreneurial journey alongside a full-time job is no easy feat, but it's one of the most practical ways to break free from the corporate grind. My journey as a solopreneur began in 2021, while I was still working a 9-5 job. This approach allowed me to learn the ropes of entrepreneurship without the immediate pressure of financial success.
Many software engineers believe that a great product alone guarantees success. However, this is far from the truth. Our references—Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google—had significant VC funding and resources that are not available to bootstrapped solopreneurs like us. As bootstrapped founders, we play a different game, relying on our own funds to build and grow our businesses.
A bootstrapped company operates without external funding from angel investors or venture capitalists. Instead, founders use their own money to run the business and reinvest the revenues. The first step in this journey is identifying a significant problem to solve. The more pressing the problem, the more likely customers will pay for a solution that saves them time or money.
Balancing a full-time job with a side business requires careful time management. Here’s my daily schedule that helped me manage both roles effectively:
- 7:00-7:30 AM: Wake up, prepare breakfast, and do some light exercise.
- 8:00 AM: Work on my business for an hour.
- 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Work for my employer.
- 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Lunch break.
- 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Continue employer work.
- Evenings: Personal time, rarely working on business tasks.
Weekends are flexible, allowing for work-life balance and preventing burnout. Consistency is key; a little progress every day can lead to significant achievements over time.
Maintaining a full-time job removes the immediate pressure to generate income from your business. This stability allows you to reinvest part of your salary into your venture, covering costs like sponsorships, paid ads, and consultancies.
Over the years, I’ve refined my tech stack to maximize efficiency:
- React: For building fast, reusable component-based web applications.
- ChakraUI: An excellent open-source design system for React.
- Next.js: A powerful full-stack framework for React.
- Vercel: For simple and seamless deployment.
- NextAuth: Easy authentication for Next.js applications.
- PostgreSQL: My preferred open-source SQL database.
Embarking on an indie hacking journey while maintaining a full-time job is a sustainable and stress-free way to start. It allows you to learn at your own pace and gradually build something significant. With the right approach and consistent effort, you can achieve entrepreneurial success without sacrificing your financial security.
