Topic: Entrepreneurs on rawk

[CraigDS]

Just going to have to work out at what point I can risk letting someone I don't know loose with the technical side of things and crossing my fingers it won't be stolen.

Just get them to sign a non-disclosure, most developers will be used to doing so for the exact reasons you've said.

[conman]

That's why I'm wary mate. Every part of what I want to do already exists in one guise or another - an app, a website, complex database - so it would be hard to say 'this is new and I want to patent it'.

Just going to have to work out at what point I can risk letting someone I don't know loose with the technical side of things and crossing my fingers it won't be stolen.

Could always go on Dragons Den

Can you not get grants from an enterprise board (or equivalent?)

[BCCC]

That's why I'm wary mate. Every part of what I want to do already exists in one guise or another - an app, a website, complex database - so it would be hard to say 'this is new and I want to patent it'.

Just going to have to work out at what point I can risk letting someone I don't know loose with the technical side of things and crossing my fingers it won't be stolen.

Could always go on Dragons Den

Maybe that's the risk you need to take and the essence of the thread?

Break things down into steps you need to take, at some point (seems that you are already there) there will be a major risk to consider. Think of ways to minimise the risk (suggestions already made on here) then execute the plan.

No action is worse than taking the risk.

[BCCC]

I've had an idea kicking around for a few weeks, nothing spectacular or innovative, just an opportunity to make a few quid.

I've just put the plan into action thanks to this thread. I'll have a brand within a week, and be trading in time for Christmas.

Cheers all.

[BCCC]

There's a great quote that I remember but not who said it. It could be an old Chinese proverb.

"When is the best time to plant a tree?", "25 years ago.", "when is the second best time to plant a tree?", "Now!".

[aggerdid]

how long do patents take to set up over here on products? someone told me between 24 and 36 months. i spotted an issue and can't believe its never been produced. its a unique product really but its closest competition sells for £65

[CraigDS]

how long do patents take to set up over here on products? someone told me between 24 and 36 months. i spotted an issue and can't believe its never been produced. its a unique product really but its closest competition sells for £65

They can take a while to be awarded, but you'll often be granted a patent pending in the meantime which recognises the date you submitted the patent and you're effectively covered for that time period should you be awarded the patent.

You'll need to carry out a very thorough patent search first though, as although something may not be being produced it's often likely the method for doing so has been and it's just not made it to market for one reason or another.

[Draex]

Key thing in setting up on your own has to be reward > risk, the best way to offset this is not to go all or nothing, some people will pull it off but for me I'm planning on saving the start up capital myself over time and making sure the misses keeps earning a steady salary to keep us solvent so yeah point #2 find a partner who can support you both for a small period at the beggining.

[AndyInVA]

i think the idea that most regular jobs provide 'security' these days is a bit of a misnomer

unless you have a job with a true tier 1 company that is profitable within its sector then I just dont think anyone has so called job security these days

certainly not in the states. i think more so in the UK with different labor laws

theres a lot to be gained from going out on your own if it suits your personality

it can be fairly all consuming but I just like the flexibilty of working where and when i like

[Growler2]

Got my own software house that services the real estate industry. Got 5 offices in the UK and just opened in Melbourne.

But the truly amazing entrepreneurial thing about me is my ability to redefine the practices of networking and expenses that even MP's would be proud of. I"m known as Sir Lunchalot.


What is the company called out of interest

[Growler2]

Dont worry I have worked out who you are.

[MichaelA]

Dont worry I have worked out who you are.

If you could see what I can see, when I cleaning windows

[fudge]

Dont worry I have worked out who you are.

God that sounds sinister....

[fudge]

I need to get back on the networking and lunches. Doing the work is one thing, the important thing is getting new work.

Veeraswarmy my friend!!

[fudge]

ha ha - got to love the 2 martini lunches  .

In my first job in the late 80s it was not unusual for some fellas to have 5+ pints at lunch time 

Are you talking about first or second lunch?

[Fordy]

Interesting thread.

So what breaks up the marriages then? Al and others?

[Draex]

Interesting thread.

So what brakes up the marriages then? Al and other?

AI puts the brakes on marriages? Sinister, is that their way of slowly taking over the world? Skynets new dastardly plan..

[hixxstar]

It took you 2 years to do a 3 day course? Slow learner mate.

  ... said i was a lazy tw*t... 3 courses spread over 2 years... begin/inter/advanced... 

[Claire.]

Thanks mate, that's really interesting. Have saved that video to watch tomorrow.

Funnily enough I've been learning a lot of new stuff on Treehouse which is absolutely brilliant for someone with an intermediate skill set like mine. Coincidentally, one of their learning pathways is a complete course in Rails. I'll give it a go.

paying for training things?!



I'm also in the 'got a boss idea' camp, just struggling to find the time to be able to do anything about it. Made a little start on a few things tonight, though, so thanks to the OP!

[Growler2]

God that sounds sinister....

Sorry, didn't meant to sound creepy, we work in the same industry and it just dawned on me who you are.

[Alan_X]

Interesting thread.

So what breaks up the marriages then? Al and others?

We realised we wanted different things. Got married quite young. Some people like my ex see work as something they do 9-5, five days a week to pay for the weekends and two weeks holidays. I love what I do and because it's an extension of my personal interests, I don't have that strict division between work and play. It's all work and all play.

I don't think it's inevitable but if you and your partner want different things out of life then it's probably going to break down at some point anyway.

[Claire.]

I was only messing, Dan, I've not used treehouse so can't comment and if the subs keep you motivated then it's worth it.

Thinking about it, there's so much now in development, so many languages and a zillion techniques and there's always something new to look at that it must be massively confusing and intimidating for beginners. I learnt just dicking about with bits of code until I got what I wanted, appreciate it's not as easy as that these days!

[Claire.]

You got the free ebook for swift?

What I need to do, and it may well help you, too, is to make a scrum board with all the tasks you need to do, it helps to keep things in perspective because as you break each task down the whole thing becomes less daunting. I may go old school and use tape and post its but we use trello to manage ours at work and it's really fucking good - you're more motivated so it may well be good for you, i spent most of the week looking at it! mural.ly is also good for quickly sticking ideas down into a space.

[Claire.]

Haha! Love it. Trello is excellent and I use it for collaborative projects, but for my own stuff, I use a board and post-its.

Nothing feels better than moving a work item into the Deployed column.

Yep! We all take turns at work to share that ace feeling around. I also love moving from 'review' to 'done' and waving goodbye to snag list tedium.

I love using trello for work because I work remotely and it means I can look at the board anytime but for my own stuff can't beat post its and real cards, plus, having to look at it everyday and there's nothing more heartbreaking that when the post it is so old it curls up and flutters to the ground.

[realtarragona]

I'd love to have my own business and got some money to start it but simply not creative enough.

Whereas my best mate owns about 5 bars in Liverpool.

Either got it or you don't I guess.

[jooneyisdagod]

Great thread. Think I'm going to bookmark this one because I want to be working in this space in the future. Currently trying to meet people and make some contacts for positions when I graduate. Would appreciate any tips on that front.

[Fordy]

We realised we wanted different things. Got married quite young. Some people like my ex see work as something they do 9-5, five days a week to pay for the weekends and two weeks holidays. I love what I do and because it's an extension of my personal interests, I don't have that strict division between work and play. It's all work and all play.

I don't think it's inevitable but if you and your partner want different things out of life then it's probably going to break down at some point anyway.

Thanks for the reply Al.

That makes a lot of sense. I clearly don't know for sure but it does seem that a lot of business owners have had marriage breakdowns. It does tend to be with the partners they met when young and maybe it's due to the partners thinking that they should be getting all the attention like what happened when the relationship first started.

[AndyInVA]

Interesting thread.

So what breaks up the marriages then? Al and others?

I had a very supportive wife when I started the business and it was not a bad but not great marriage

when things start going well I felt compelled to keep the over head down so im doing all the work myself

so i was in the office at 4 or 5 in the morning and getting home about 6, then I found my drinking problem became huge as I was pouring down plenty of vodka each night before back up again early doors next morning

then when the money starts coming in, she wanted to spend it without working very hard at her own job. I wanted the money to stay in the business and use it as a cushion, she wanted to spend it

we never had money discussions at home until we had more than we were use to

so marriage 1 ended

then during the recession I married the next girl I quite liked without really dating for a while

and that marriage is about to end with a final divorce next week

Ive owned my own business now for 9 years and I think after about 7 or 8 you probably have a fair handle on things by then so relationships should be easier to handle

[gregor]

Really interesting thread to read through this. I have to say that this life would not be for me at all and I've never had any desire to set up my own business. I enjoy my job (though will be leaving soon as I've just got a promotion) but I also enjoy my free time a lot and I would never want the stress and worry that comes with setting up and running a business. I've got a hell of a lot of respect for anyone who takes the plunge though, good luck to those on here who are thinking about it.

[AndyInVA]

Really interesting thread to read through this. I have to say that this life would not be for me at all and I've never had any desire to set up my own business. I enjoy my job (though will be leaving soon as I've just got a promotion) but I also enjoy my free time a lot and I would never want the stress and worry that comes with setting up and running a business. I've got a hell of a lot of respect for anyone who takes the plunge though, good luck to those on here who are thinking about it.

its clearly not for everyone, but when you get some kind of enjoyment from your job its really not that bad. Like Alan said, work is recreation on some level and it doesnt matter that you are doing it outside of the 9-5.

Personally I love the freedom of being able to work productively whenever i want and not on someone elses schedule. I can work through the night or early in the mornings and I am not tied to being stuck in a 9-5 or whenever someone else tells me to be at work.

[mulfella]

I've been freelancing in IT for about 8 years now.

Last few years I found a niche working round a specific product in a single vertical market and have pretty consistent revenue. More than I could ever have imagined working 'full-time' with all the bonuses of control and flexibility.

I can highly recommend joining a BNI too.

[BCCC]

Interesting reading the relationships angle on here. My current predicament is that my other half is unwilling to change course in life even though she hates her current lifestyle. I want to quit work and start my own business down in the South West as I love the lifestyle as does my partner. She hates her job and it makes her ill but she won't quit. I get frustrated because the sooner we take the plunge the better the chance of success.

These are the big life decisions that test a relationship I suppose.

[Claire.]

Might be she doesn't want to leave family, but if it's just the risk side of things, can she not take a period of leave so she can spend some time in the area and you both can really have a look at what prospects there are for life and work there?

[BCCC]

She would definitely mis her family although she says not enough to prevent moving. From a work perspective she may even be able to transfer to the area which puts her in a stronger position than me. I'd transfer tomorrow if I could and then set up from there.

[TSC]

Always thought about going out and doing something on my own.  Got relatively good experience across private and public sectors and to all intents and purposes did effectively work almost 'self employed' when I worked as a consultant.  Worked for one of the big 5 and worked for clients all over.  Few things I realised during that period; clients were willing to pay top dollar simply because you worked for one of the big consultancies.  And when I say top dollar I mean at least 4 times what I got paid for actually doing the work.  Also there were some poor 'performers' working with me on some jobs and I wondered how they'd managed to get through recruitment.

Anyway always thought about 'I could simply do this on my own for half the price and still double my salary'.  But things move on and life goes on and you get another position.  Every time I thought about it I ended up in a better job with a good package, to the extent where it became more of a risk to lose it.  Plus the wife got ill so I became the sole earner.  So it'll probably never happen now.  Not complaining like because I love what I'm currently doing and am happy with the package, plus there is little travel involved compared to when I was a consultant.

But good luck to those who are still in position and want to take the plunge.

[BCCC]

I get consulting offers all the time but the constant travelling puts me off. I've worked with some great consultants and a few run of the mill ones. I also have a few colleagues who have left to become consultants either with a big firm or setting up on their own.

Fair play to those who set up on their own as it is tough without a ready made client based.

[jooneyisdagod]

Same here. In fact, I'm seriously considering it although I don't have a degree in finance and my education while quite advanced is not exactly in demand in the consulting field even though they do hire people with science backgrounds like me.

[Claire.]

Couple of weeks on, who's sticking by and getting the fuck on with it?

I've made a board, and I have some tasks and I've completed a couple. Need more hours in the day or a return of the 'i can survive on 3 hours sleep' I had when I was in my teens.

[Billy The Kid]

Same here. In fact, I'm seriously considering it although I don't have a degree in finance and my education while quite advanced is not exactly in demand in the consulting field even though they do hire people with science backgrounds like me.

Have you considered venturing into the space of digital information products?

[BCCC]

Couple of weeks on, who's sticking by and getting the fuck on with it?

I've made a board, and I have some tasks and I've completed a couple. Need more hours in the day or a return of the 'i can survive on 3 hours sleep' I had when I was in my teens.

Got a few samples through for product test and waiting for a couple of others. I'll have to rethink my branding as the name is already in use in Canada. This wouldn't normally be a problem but in these days of social media all brands are global.