Why I'm Building a Side Dish (and Maybe You Should Too) | Hacker News Reader

Why I'm Building a Side Dish (and Maybe You Should Too)

noahbragg.com

52 pointsnoahbragg29 comments

Is there a reason the author uses the word dish instead of project? While I suspected as much before clicking, it would clear up the title if it would just say what was actually about.

Because he is not talking about side project! “Side”-ness in this case is his service not being a necessity for someone.

RTFA: it's not talking about side projects.

Side dish = product built on a platform the customer already uses. Example: Streak (a side dish) is a CRM that lives inside Gmail (the main dish).

+10 RTFA

Well you just explained it better than the author. The introduction definition of a 'side dish' was not clear.

The opposing side to RTFM is for you to just “Answer the fucking question”. I don't have issue with people that didn’t read or understand, but I do have issue with your RTFA nonsense. What does this add? Far less value than a question that everyone seems to want to know...

Thanks for bringing it up. An underlying assumption here is that cordiality should be the default, and I agree with that.

In this particular case, though, this question is essentially "TL;DR?", which is also a question everyone wants to know, but not considered good etiquette by this community.

The question was "Is there a reason the author uses the word dish instead of project?" If the answer is yes, then, you can find out by reading the article. If the answer is no, then a comment critiquing or clarifying would be helpful.

I could have been more cordial, but it's unsustainable (IMO) to counter low-effort with high-effort. Acting annoyed is a convenient shortcut for communicating etiquette expectations.

There are plenty of good reasons to start to read the article, not quite understand the usage, and come to the comments for clarification. I don’t assume, if I’m not following, that reading more will clear up the confusion. If those reasons exist, as they plausibly do, then how do you ensure you aren’t erroneous, and making an inaccessible community.

Side dish in this case does not necessarily mean side project. Its more of a product that is built on top of another product. Take for example an independent WordPress plugin. In that scenario the plugin would be the side dish and Wordpress would be the main dish.

Another similar word I could have used is Entree or appetizer. It helps understand the size of the problem/product.

What about a side-dish as a marketing tool, to get people interested in your main-dish.

This is the approach we are taking with my current start-up. We have a simple entry point, integrating with the apps, and wearables people currently use. But we don't like anything in the market currently for really solving the problem, so while we build out our own hardware, we're building the app, which is a side-dish, but has it's own revenue stream too.

I'm sure there are other businesses that have done this, can anyone give examples of side-dishes that turned into main-dishes?

I like this plan! I think a lot of side dishes can turn into main dishes. Obviously you have to think wisely about what your starting with and make sure there are some possibilities for how it could become bigger and become its own thing. I'll have to think more about examples.

This is a valid approach and is commonly used even with large enterprises. It's also the route we're taking with our startup as it lowers the initial friction and allows you to build out credibility. This is also the approach I used when working in consulting - effectively, you're looking for a small ask/commitment before making the big jump. Good example could be Intercom which is broadly expanding it's offering.

This is a great read for information on how to classify the scale of a project. Being able to compartmentalize the scope is good for determining when to execute and when to walk away.

I am currently working on a "main dish"[1] since it is for a smaller/niche market of people that modify their cars. I consider it the "side dish" to my day job, but with the goal of going full time with it if it takes off. If it takes off then I can start creating my own side dishes, complimentary products, to the main dish.

[1] https://azxiana.io/2020/04/21/translator-gateway-module-maki...

Glad you liked it! Looks like you have a good plan! Hope it goes well!

Thanks for sharing. This is a thought provoking article. I too have wanted to build something and would be happy if it covered something like my monthly rent. There are lot's of great side dish opportunities out there. Just look at the many successful paid wordpress plugins, slack integrations, and so on.

To be honest I've always found myself focusing on what I can build as a main dish for a niche market. This article has given me some new perspective. Thanks for sharing.

Glad to hear it! Yes there are lots of opportunities for side dishes. Because all the big companies want to go for the big opportunities.

This post resonated with me a lot.

It's similar to the distinction between VC compatible business ideas (main dishes) and more niche, Micro SaaS products that are focused on profitability instead of growth.

My main dish is Saasify.sh, a platform whose goal is to help other developers launch and experiment with side dishes. In the context of this excellent article, I'm focused on trying to make the process of creating your own side dishes as easy and repeatable as possible.

Glad it resonated. I like what you're doing with saasify. Making it easy and quick to get businesses off the ground. Nice!

Microsoft DOS once was a "side dish" to the "main dish" of IBM. You should always strive to turn your side dish into main dish. Good luck!

Thats a good point. I think there are lots of ways to turn side dishes into main dishes. Really depends on what platform you start out on.

I sadly work for a company that claims ownership of any kind of "technical" thing I come up with. I have dozens of side-projects that I work on, but sadly they're all kind of stuck running in my basement until I leave my current job.

"Side dish" is not another way of saying "side project" (in the context of this article.

Side dish = product built on a platform the customer already uses. Example: Streak (a side dish) is a CRM that lives inside Gmail (the main dish).

Have you ever checked with an attorney if the IP document you signed was an overreached?

I have, and it seems unlikely that I would win any court case if I were to try and risk it.

This is standard with most tech-oriented employers...to have an "employment agreement" that states ownership of anything you create.

I've managed to get exceptions, but for the most part, this is why I have always preferred being a 1099 contractor. They can only specify client-specific IP ownership and I get to do my own thing without legal repercussions.

I liked this idea at first blush. The only catch is that You give away control of your customer interactions to the platform that You are hitchhiking on. If that is not a deal breaker, side dishes are the way to go.

Thanks for this. Very fun and motivating to read.

Glad to hear it! Are you building a side dish or main dish?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com