Sold My Side Project
It’s been 3 months since I launched Open Startup List, what an incredible milestone, a time in which I built, marketed and now, sold the project.
I'm currently writing an ebook on my journey of building and growing my side-project. You can check it out on gumroad: https://gum.co/side-project ↗
In this 2020 acquisition retrospective, @randymonday reflects on the journey of bootstrapping and successfully selling their business.
Core Principles for Independent Builders:
Unsolicited buyer inquiries versus running a deliberate auction process require very different negotiation leverage.
Bootstrapping for years without external capital provides extreme freedom, but exits are often triggered by energy depletion as much as financial gain.
Retaining ownership of code and operations creates pride, but transitioning to an acquirer requires letting go of absolute autonomy.
Community Debate Themes:
Hacker News peers debated transaction structures (cash vs earnout), founder tax strategies, and life after liquidating a long-term indie asset.
CATEGORY Startup Exits →
HISTORICAL ERA Pandemic Bubble (2020–2022)
COMMUNITY SCORE 15 points
TOTAL DISCUSSIONS 5 comments
How did you decide to sell so soon rather than building it up further?
Is this the first one?