Mousedriver Chronicles and day jobs

I read The MouseDriver Chronicles recently because of a review on Brad Feld's blog about it.  I just looked it up and his title for the review was Young Jackasses of the Post-New Economy He wasn't talking about the MouseDriver guys because these guys created a real business while a lot of their B-school buddies where creating dot coms that ultimately cratered.

I've referred a couple of people to this book recently.  It is one of the few books that I've read that talk about what it is REALLY like to start a company.  The last person I mentioned the book to asked if they are still in business, and while it appears that the product has been licensed to someone else and is still available, the company has been closed down.  The book came from the newsletters that John and Kyle sent out over the years of their business, and their website has all of them available online.  There last issue is a summary of the lessons learned and it is a good one - check it out.  As I like to say, "lessons will be repeated until learned" so it is a good list for new entrepreneurs as well as experienced entrepreneurs.  (The newsletters are now available as a pdf here)

I would disagree with them on one point in their last newsletter though.  They said they would not have quit their day job.  There's a saying in Kentucky - "you can't cross a creek in two steps."  Starting a company is hard enough without also having to work a day job too.  I spent a lot of time planning and thinking with my partner Jim before I gave notice, but I believe that when you are ready to go you need to do it full time.  I talk more about this in my Frequently Asked Questions post.