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Comment by stevefarnworth | Hacker News Reader

I'm from the UK, so I don't really know how much the cost of living is in the States, but it seems like an amount to save some, upgrade your tools (I'll assume they're a tax write-off, and new equipment should always perform better than old), and live off whilst developing new things.

It'll essentially give you a ramp to create new things with enough time to really get to grips with them.

I wont ask a personal question about what project it is you've sold (congrats though), but how long did it take to create, and do you think you can do something similar (+ get an exit) in a similar timeframe?

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personal questions are fine: it took approximately 2-3 months to build, plus another 2ish months of client-driven iteration to drive it that last 20%. It is a talent management system that has a lot of very specific metrics that are being tracked by the client, so while it is highly customized to the purchasers specifications, the underlying framework could be ported for a similar exit. Definitely will think of that path a bit more!

Be careful of reusing code if you've exited though.

But taking a concept with which you're familiar and building it out for a new purpose should be a good short-term approach if you're able to pull it off. You've got $60k, which is a good sum which gives you a nice chunk of time making it easier to earn the next $60k, which makes it easier to earn the next $120k.

So you earned a good years salary, in under half a year, with knowledge to apply in new projects.

Is there another business opportunity in your client's industry, or another industry with which to apply similar toolsets you just created? You have the luxury of a bit of time to make a decision.

I actually maintain all rights to the core code ... as part of the agreement I'm hosting the application for the client, so they are technically subscribing to the application (first year is, of course, paid for, next year a small amount of money will exchange hands)

I'm inspecting now for other opportunities within the industry. This was fairly customized for a very specific need, so it still remains to be seen ... I also do not want to distract myself from my current startup, but I'll take the opportunity if it arises and I can manage it!

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