Live product while applying for contracting roles (AU Context)

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Hey everyone
I’ve been working on a product idea for the last 7–8 months. It’s at the stage where one version is ready to go live, and another is a few months away.

The challenge: I’ve run out of funds and now need to take on contracting work (likely for months/years) to get stable.
My background is freelancing + the products I’ve built, but I don’t have traditional job experience.

Questions I’d love advice on:

  1. Can I realistically run a live product of my own while applying for contracting roles? Or do clients generally expect you not to?
  2. How do IP ownership and non-compete clauses usually work in this situation?
  3. Would it be smarter to delay going live until I’ve worked for a while — even though I’d rather not?

I’d really appreciate any insights, especially from folks who’ve balanced side products with contracting. Trying to avoid going bankrupt :sweat_smile:

Thanks in advance