Ask HN: We are shutting down our startup, I get our code. What now?
- Write, sign and notarize an agreement that the code is either duplicated or transferred to you.<p>- Decide who gets the data: users, you, someone.<p>- Sanitize servers and services by trying to overwrite data with junk values before canceling.<p>- Cancel monthly services and free services.<p>- If it was good, don't let the team relationship go to waste. Talk with whoever's left / worked-with previously about doing something else.<p>---- Then and only then ----<p>- Do "consultingish" work or solve a problem you have to find a problem worth solving.<p>- Sell something good people want before you invest too much time/money/mental health building something too much.<p>- Keep it real: building "your amazing idea" without a feedback loop gathering critical data from paying/potential customers is #fail.<p>- Someone though will have to step-up to be the sales/buzz builder or one will need to be found (hopefully, someone you've known for some time or a friend-of-a-friend). No useless "idea guys" allowed.<p>- Sales/buzz person or someone will need to be the captain of the ship ultimately in-charge of everything.<p>- Iterate fast, executing based on feedback and sales numbers. Prefer the best one you can get into if you can. (YC, hihi.;)<p>- Everyone at the beginning gets equal equity vested over 3-5 years. First employees should get ~1% equity, more if it's an employee-owned co-op.<p>- Don't pray for funding, sales/profit cures all.<p>- Raise funding only if you could definitely grow faster with more money.<p>- Skip accelerators unless you need a network and/or are relatively inexperienced.<p>- When you get big enough, incorporate (California or Delaware C-corp). If it's s consultancy, LLP or LLC. <a href="https://clerky.com" rel="nofollow">https://clerky.com</a>