I'd avoid worrying about the terminology here: whether this is a side-business or a startup. Your project is going to go through phases, and at some point you'll have to make decisions on time allocation.
Creating a minimal viable product can often be done in your spare time (time not spent at your primary job). It will take a significant amount of that time, including vacation time. Some product ideas may require too muc investment (time/money) to produce an MVP in your spare time, but possibly a prototype, or just a proof of concept.
If you're uncertain what your initial goal is, MVP, prototype, or otherwise, I'd suggest keeping it a side-project until then.
At some point you'll recognize you're not making enough progress, then you need to decide if you invest in it full-time -- as the first step to getting investment and potentially hiring others. If you are intending to make a living form the product you need to make this switch at some point.
It's a hard decision, and you need to have budgetted and planned accordingly prior to leaving your main job.
Not all projects require a full-time investment, it depends a lot on your goals. A lot of software is essentially hobbyist software, where people still work a primary job. Others have managed to get a flexible main job and dedicate more time to their side-project. Some people ween themselves off their main job slowly, until they have a revenue stream in their new venture.
If this sounds like I'm just waving my hands about, it's because I am. Every person and project is different. If you are serious about your product, then take the time to create a vision and a plan. What time and money you need should not be a mystery: you can figure this out with planning.
I have already created the MVP of my project (I worked on this during the night and on weekends), but I need to get in touch with my stakeholders and potential users. So, basically, this is the reason why I'm facing difficulties, because my stakeholders are only available while I'm in the office (in my full-time job). I was also trying different ways to get to them, like sending emails, but for these people it does not work.
I think I should take a little risk to finally get in touch with them and finally validate my project.
I'd avoid worrying about the terminology here: whether this is a side-business or a startup. Your project is going to go through phases, and at some point you'll have to make decisions on time allocation.
Creating a minimal viable product can often be done in your spare time (time not spent at your primary job). It will take a significant amount of that time, including vacation time. Some product ideas may require too muc investment (time/money) to produce an MVP in your spare time, but possibly a prototype, or just a proof of concept.
If you're uncertain what your initial goal is, MVP, prototype, or otherwise, I'd suggest keeping it a side-project until then.
At some point you'll recognize you're not making enough progress, then you need to decide if you invest in it full-time -- as the first step to getting investment and potentially hiring others. If you are intending to make a living form the product you need to make this switch at some point.
It's a hard decision, and you need to have budgetted and planned accordingly prior to leaving your main job.
Not all projects require a full-time investment, it depends a lot on your goals. A lot of software is essentially hobbyist software, where people still work a primary job. Others have managed to get a flexible main job and dedicate more time to their side-project. Some people ween themselves off their main job slowly, until they have a revenue stream in their new venture.
If this sounds like I'm just waving my hands about, it's because I am. Every person and project is different. If you are serious about your product, then take the time to create a vision and a plan. What time and money you need should not be a mystery: you can figure this out with planning.
Thanks for the comment.
I have already created the MVP of my project (I worked on this during the night and on weekends), but I need to get in touch with my stakeholders and potential users. So, basically, this is the reason why I'm facing difficulties, because my stakeholders are only available while I'm in the office (in my full-time job). I was also trying different ways to get to them, like sending emails, but for these people it does not work.
I think I should take a little risk to finally get in touch with them and finally validate my project.
Wish I could also unicorn this comment!