Grow slowly over a year before quitting other work - most businesses take 7+ years to become great
Insight from David Heinemeier Hansson
When to use
When you have a stable income source and are building a business on the side - use this transition period to validate product-market fit and build sustainable revenue before going full-time
Don't do this
Quitting your job immediately after initial traction or first revenue - early success rarely reflects long-term viability, and premature full-time commitment creates financial pressure that forces bad decisions
5 Founders Who Did This
Started Draft.dev as part-time freelance writing, grew slowly for 3 months validating demand before going full-time
Grew slowly and steadily, doubling revenue year-over-year while keeping team small (34 employees). Never grew faster than what they could profitably sustain.
Grew slowly and methodically - $200 MRR to $500 MRR over several months. Brought on co-founder Ayush after initial validation. Didn't rush to hire or scale prematurely.
Built EmailEngine as a side project while gradually increasing revenue over multiple years. Revenue grew from 36K EUR (2022) to 73K EUR (2023) with steady linear growth rather than explosive scaling.
Built ZenMaid as a side project for 2 years while working at UserVoice. Took 3+ years to $10K MRR, 7+ years to $100K MRR in a late-adopter market