Why you should work on side-projects 🔜

❌ Dissolving Link To eSports, my 1st company.

Have you ever had a brilliant idea for a project but were too hesitant to start?🤔

Today, I am closing down Link To eSports, a company I founded 6 years ago, while working at Itnig.

Like many entrepreneurs, I had a notebook filled with ideas and potential problems to solve. After discussing these with various people in my circle and weighing the pros and cons, I chose to launch Link To eSports, envisioning it as a platform similar to a combination of LinkedIn and Strava for gamers.

Given my limited knowledge and experience in the sector, I started by conducting a market research, talking to different stakeholders, and understanding their needs, challenges, and opportunities. I discovered that, unlike in traditional sports, no agents were representing gamers. After multiple discussions with potential clients, I identified a promising business opportunity where they were willing to share a portion of their earnings in return for negotiation support and new income sources. Despite not fully understanding what starting a business entailed, I decided to dive into this venture full-time.

After 2+ years of growing and expanding to new business lines like amateur on-site competitions, the business was profitable and I believe it had the potential to make a living from it indefinitely🫰. However, I felt isolated and my learning curve started to flatten, as I was not learning from others—only from my mistakes. This realization, along with my encounter with Plug and Play, led me to continue Link To eSports as a side project. Since I joined Plug and Play 4 years ago, my commitment has decreased, and although I could have dedicated time to sustain the venture, I chose to prioritize other things, gradually losing motivation.

It has been a long, passionate journey, full of learning experiences, and much better than a paid Master's.

We should view failure as a learning opportunity and normalize it, especially when experimenting with new ideas.

Shutting down a company is always challenging and not the desired outcome for any entrepreneur. However, it is often a necessary step.

That said, almost half of new business owners in the US launched their ventures while working part or full-time last year.

Generative AI emerged as a major factor that has allowed more people to run side projects while holding on to their full-time jobs.

Here’s why I believe nurturing a side project is crucial, along with some tips for success:

1. Fostering Personal and Professional Growth: Side projects allow you to explore new territories outside your daily job scope, take other responsibilities and increase your learning curve.

2. Building a Safety Net: In the current economic climate, a side project can serve as a financial backup in case your main income source fails. Moreover, nowadays it is difficult to make money by being solely a salaried employee.

3. Networking Opportunities: Pursuing a side project can open doors to new personal and professional circles. Through Link To eSports, I met and connected with a diverse range of individuals, from gamers and teams to corporate brands and VCs, expanding my network substantially.

The challenges of keeping a side project alive:

1. Time Management: Balancing a full-time job with a side business demands excellent time management skills. It's about finding that sweet spot where neither your job nor your project is compromised.

2. Sustaining Motivation: After a long day at work, it can be tough to find the energy to devote to your side project. Keeping the flame of passion alive requires constant self-motivation. It is normally easier if you do it with other co-founders.

3. Scaling Up: Expanding the project can be challenging as it demands more time, resources, and often a larger team.

In conclusion, while managing a side project like Link To eSports alongside a full-time job is challenging, the personal and professional rewards are immense.

Key Takeaways:

✅ If you have an idea or a passion, dare to pursue it. The experience is incredibly rewarding, regardless of the outcome.

✅ An increasing number of businesses begin as side ventures.

✅ Even for a side project, finding co-founders is key. To get where you want, you need to have the right people on board, so surround yourself with people you can learn from.

✅ It’s better to act and make mistakes than to wait for perfection - BETTER DONE THAN BEST.

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