Business ideas, how to get started 1

[PatrickIRL]

Hi all, I've recently joined this forum and I must say it knocked my socks off. I've been working as a contractor for the past 3 years, always employed through agencies.
Lately I've been thinking of really going out on my own, developing a product that someone, somewhere can use. Thing is, I've no idea where to get started, how does one go about this ????? I've got plenty of experience in development and confident that I have the skills I need to do this. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Patrick

 

[dwarfthrower]

Look back on your experiences as a contractor. What applications were you constantly being asked to build time and time again only in a slightly different flavour? What were the common "I wish"-s that you heard? Identify a pain point and go for it. But be careful of trying to be all things to all people. Pick one thing and do it well.

[sub]Never be afraid to share your dreams with the world.
There's nothing the world loves more than the taste of really sweet dreams.[/sub]

 

[PatrickIRL]

Thanx for the quick reply. While I love contracting, the downside is that 3 months here, 4 months there, you get to learn some of the business but not a whole lot. So while I know a little bit about telecomms billing, personnel/payroll/T&A software, insurance quotes, cable tv billing, I don't know that I would be confident enough to to into any of these arenas.

Guess I gotta look into this some more and make a decision.

>>But be careful of trying to be all things to all people. >>Pick one thing and do it well.

Good advice, I could never do half a job, too concientious

 

[jrbarnett]

One of the best ways is to find a gap in the market and plug it. Shortly before it is ready for beta release, send out details to companies, individuals, user groups etc you think may be interested in it and ask if they would be willing to test it for you or review it and publish details in related journals.
For beta testers I would provide them with an incentive to do so (eg discount off price of full version if the app was a small utility) if they were interested, with feedback of all sorts welcomed.

John

 

[jonojacker]

Network, market, C.Y.A.

You'll be fine.

Good luck

Jono

http://www.compcerts.com

 

[gabbosgold]

Redsmooth, good opp's are hard to find most of the time, yet
they are staring us in the face most of the time. Having come from the telecommunication field, and having the knowledge as well, you would make a great agent for virtual opportunities, as well as cellular, domain, t1 accounts, and even dsl. If you decide to lean that way, I would like a bit of your time elsewhere so we could fill each in. All that is needed is a reply.

gabbosgold

 

[PatrickIRL]

gabbosgold,

Appreciate the input, <positive spin>still haven't figured out what path I will take </positive spin>. Busy at the moment on contract until end of Jan, who knows after that though ...

(Also, looks like you're on the other side of the &quot;Big Pond&quot; as we call it. I'm in Ireland)

Patrick

 

[infinitelo]

Might i suggest you read
&quot;Think and grow rich by Napolian Hill
Gives insight on how some really rich dudes made it, he talks about ford, canigie, ect..
It may give you insight on what you really want to do.


if it is to be it's up to me

 

[chiph]

One of the things I've learned is that there is no such thing as a &quot;killer idea&quot; that only you know about. There are enough people in the world trying to do what you're doing that it just doesn't exist.

What you *can* do, however, is do it better than they have or will. It all comes down to execution -- can you make a better product that people will want to buy over the competition. Maybe the existing products have an awkward user interface. Maybe the existing products have reliability problems. Maybe the existing products are too complex for what people want to do with them everyday.

So, what you need is more information about what people really want. I would choose a market (you seem to know a lot about billing), locate some people in your area who use billing software (note that I said use, not want), take them to dinner & pick their brain. Try and find out what they currently use, what they like & dislike about it, see if they have any ideas about making it better, and so forth. The purpose of this is *not* to sell them something, but to investigate the market and see if there is enough pain to support you.

I suggest you read Joel Spolsky's site.

http://www.joelonsoftware.com

He started his own software business in New York after working on the MS Excel team for several years.

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[chiph]

I also just came across this:

http://www.fourmilab.to/autofile/

which is the story of how AutoDesk got started. Read their working paper - it has this in it:

[tt]If you view your work with microcomputers as a hobby, if you look on the microcomputer business as a way to write off your home computer on your taxes or mollify your spouse about the money you spend on computers, if you're looking for a supplementary income to pay for a disc drive or outboard motor or whatever, you do not belong in MSP. MSP will be composed exclusively of people who intend to develop quality products, aggressively market them, and reap rewards far greater than those available from their current employment. We don't expect most people to start on a full-time basis; in fact, we're deliberately organizing the company to provide full time support services to moonlighting implementors, but if we're successful, we expect those involved to increase their commitment as the business grows. [/tt]

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[johnk]

I started a contract programming business 29 years ago rather than look for another corporate job. Ups and downs along the way (currently recovering from a major down).

Finding a killer app is a long shot. My successes have come from finding owners of smaller businesses who needed my knowledge and experience, and then really learning enough about their businesses to identify where significant contributions could be made to its success by applying my knowledge and experience. Sounds trite, but your relationships with your customers will last through technology changes, competitor's efforts, etc.

Good luck


John Kisner

 

[MikeBronner]

johnk, thanks for your post above describing your situation. I'm currently complementing a similar move and am starting to transition into taking more contract jobs.

Seeing that you have been doing it for almost 30 years now gives me some confidence in what I'm trying . Thanks for that!

Take Care,
Mike

 

[GwydionM]

If it's a real gap in the market, someone else may already have spotted it. Or you may find that software that you design works perfectly when you use it but fails when someone else uses it their way.

Another problem people find is that though they sell a lot of their product, there are problems with 'cash flow', actually getting paid for it. Look at all of the inventors whose products were a success but who made little or nothing out of it. James Watt's first partner went bankrupt and he was lucky to be taken up by Boulton, who had business skills and political contacts. (Read The Lunar Men for an account of what early business was actually like.)

Success comes from having the sort of business skills that help for running a small business. It's a knack, quite distinct from being clever or hard-working. And a lot of it is luck, finding a major gap in the market and then being better at filling it than anyone else around at the time.

A lot of Bill Gates success was down to being in a small market that happened to grow gigantic. An interesting book called The Soul Of A New Machines describes similar people who were unlucky enough to be in a doomed sector, Mini-computers.

 

[dgillz]

Rather than building a product, consider finding a product someone else has already built, and develop some real expertise in it. That is how I became an ERP consultant charging $125-$175 per hour when I used to be an accountant.

Also, while I share the comments made about the politics in the corporate culture and govt workforce, there are some sapects to being independant that aren't always fun to deal with. I don't have just one boss anymore, I have several (all of my clients).

Software Sales, Training, Implementation and Support for Exact Macola, eSynergy, and Crystal Reports

http://www.trianglepartners.com

 

[chiph]

An interesting book called The Soul Of A New Machines describes similar people who were unlucky enough to be in a doomed sector, Mini-computers.

I have a 1st edition (paperback) of the book - written by Tracy Kidder. A classic!

But you have to take into account that it was written in 1981 -- when a CPU would take up 2 or more separate circuit cards. The computer was the Data General Eclipse MV -- my college had one, and it was extremely user-friendly.

At the time, Data General was in danger of falling behind in technological leadership. The Eclipse MV saved the company, as it was completed in about a year.

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[CajunCenturion]

Great story -- The Soul of a New Machine -- and IMHO, a must read for serious IT professionals. The Eclipse was a good machine. Had the pleasure of converting onto the MV4000, considerable programming (COBOL) and later onto the MV8000.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[chiph]

Cajun -

That's right -- I had forgotten the model number - it was a MV8000. Brown case, stood about 4 feet high. When I was using it, we were on borrowed time, as the company had ceased supporting it, and the IT staff were buying refurbished parts for it when it broke.

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[Rhea737]

Hey! Eons ago, I worked on an Data General Eclipse MV8000. I thought these were so old that no one else had ever heard of them!

 

[CajunCenturion]

Rhea737, Eons ago?, so old that no one else had ever heard of them?

I shutter to think of your reaction when I tell you that I programmed and IIBM 1130 in assembler long before the MV4000 (much less the 8000) came into being. And even then, I was tutored by those who had been in the industry for over 15 years.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[Rhea737]

Wow! Cajun, you really are one of the original mentors!

Hats off to you! I bet you can program in anything on anything anywhere.