by stasy on 9/20/14, 3:35 AM with 12 comments
I'm a 16 year old app developer. In April of this year, I made a deal with my father for 50% of my company if he bought me a MacBook to make apps on, as well as start an LLC for the apps. I agreed to that deal because there was nothing to lose. I just wanted to make apps.
*Skip to now
For the past months, I've been learning, developing, and publishing apps. I've put as much work into it as I could sometimes working for more than 12 hours at a time. BUT I was blinded by the work and the rewards I might make in the end from realizing that my father hasn't done anything for the company since April. I've been telling him every week to start an LLC. I wanted to make things as fast as I could, but I now see that he just wasn't into it as I was. I was willing to do anything for the company which wasn't even made, but he'd been waiting for months to actually do something for the company.
So, I quit. I didn't feel like working with (although something it felt like I was working for him) that doesn't have enthusiasm to jump into making the company. I don't know if he was afraid of the risk or something else.
I also just gave him his investment back (the MacBook). I'm also going to have to pay him taxes from money I made earlier this year (January) by selling some of my stuff.
I want to continue making apps (I actually just want to work on one app that I want to spend 100% of my time on), and start on a new venture/company. I'll be spending the next couple of months finding a job to get enough money to buy a Macbook.
And that's how I quot a company that was never (formally) made.
by philiphodgen on 9/20/14, 5:16 AM
I'm also a lawyer and I know what it takes to create and maintain an LLC. It's a big fucking pain in the ass, and it is totally irrelevant to the success or failure of a business.
Maybe you can't see the view from your father's side of the equation. Nor can I -- I do not know you and we have never met. But I can guess what is going through his head.
What I do know is that I deeply want my children to succeed in life. I'll bet your father does, too.
I'll also bet that he doesn't give two fucks about owning 50% of a company with you. I'll bet in his eyes the company is 100% yours, and he wants nothing but the best for you.
He didn't invest in a company to buy you a MacBook. He gave you a MacBook because he's your dad and he loves you and he wants you to massively succeed in ways he never did.
He's watching you work hard, and I'll bet he is thrilled at every achievement, big and small. He's probably thrilled just to see you get down and grind hard. Do you know how rare that is in a 16-year old? That is gold to a dad.
He was probably crushed when you gave him the MacBook back. Because that meant you were quitting. I hate it when I see my kids quit. He doesn't care about getting his investment back. His investment is you. He loves you.
You had a company that you 100% owned. You quit. Your reason for quitting is because your father did not give you something you do not need. That's stupid on stilts.
Don't do that. If you quit now you will keep quitting when you are 18. And 22. And 30. And 45. And 60.
You published apps. That means you have a business. A business is one or more people producing something that other people (customers) think is valuable. They vote for your efforts by giving you money to show that they value what you produced.
You have a business. Don't throw that away.
You have a father who loves you. Don't throw that away, either.
by justintocci on 9/20/14, 4:29 AM
Make some apps, as many as you can. keep them small. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Get feedback on everything you do. Get feedback on what you plan to do. The skill you are trying to learn is to really understand what people want and then turn that into an app that speaks to their needs.
Please please please reconsider! I wish you all the best.
by ScottBurson on 9/20/14, 5:52 AM
Sounds like firing him and moving on is the right thing to do.