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Starting a Software Business in Today's Economy?
Ryfar asks: "I'm a programmer with 3 years of experience in C, C++, and Java. With the current low economic trends in the software sector, the small software company I've been working for since I graduated is going out of business. Since it's so hard to get a job at another software company with so little experience, I'm considering the option of striking out on my own with a friend with similar development experience and creating a small software consulting company. Naturally, until we were profitable to the point that we could hire other people to work with us we would be both the programmers and the marketers/salesmen. The question is, Where should we start looking for business? How do we capture the hearts and confidence of potential customers when we don't have PhD's from MIT? Could those here with applicable experience on this subject share with the rest of us?"
How about reading Micheal Tiemann's essay here? It sounds more or less like you. It's an interesting read anyway.
I know, sounds like a buzzword....but think about it.
What is software meant to do? What is the purpose? To me the best app would be one that allows a person to perform a job that they are completly inexperienced at. Like it or not, Windows is as popular as it is for that reason, it allows people who know absolutly nothing about PC's to use them. Don't get stuck in the rut of creating software simply for it's own sake.
Research your chosen market, find out what is lacking in all the software currently being used, and create something that will exceed it. Ask non-techies what they want out of software, what are their biggest complaints about the software they use know. My company develops software for a select accounting market, but it is so complex that it takes a week of training or more just to get started using it, and none of the training is technical. To me the best peice of software is the one that thinks the way I do, or at least appears to.
If you create a really good app, and are willing to customize it (for a fee of course), you will have more business than you can handle. Don't make the mistake of giving it away either, shareware has been the death of many good ideas, simply because the creator could not afford to develop it any further. Develop the app, take it to the customer. If it is really good, it will sell itself.
Find a reputable consulting firm/group and offer your services as a contract worker to them first. Marketing yourselves directly as independant programmers will be very difficult.
Most companies who are looking for out-sourced programming needs are looking for:
1. Small, one-shot deals (a database, a parser, etc)
2. Maintenance on old code.
3. Supplemental help on a large, in house project without any strings attached.
You will not have time to be an effective programmer and self salesman in a slow economy.
However, I think Ryfar needs to concentrate on what he is going to sell. Building a computer consulting business takes approximately 2 letters and about 1 day of work (here in the UK).
What he really needs to think about is the products he will sell. What will they do? Who for? For how much? How long will they take to develop? How will he survive for this period? Where will he get the capital from? What if it all bombs? What if it is exceptionally successful and your price point cannot sustain the labor you need to employ?
The big idea is the key. You build a business around a big idea, not build a big idea around a business.
I found myself in a similar pickle when I was laid off. I am 34 and have about 14 years of programming experience but no MIT type credentials. Anyaways to cut a long story short -- I did not need those credentials and I am doing pretty well -- better than when I was employed . My secret : Open Source. I buried myself in a few selected open source technologies and began to develop marketing collateral and sales pitches. After pitching a few dozen smaller local businesses, I got my lucky break. And now I am building a company around it.
Open source is your best bet if your are starting out. Companies will want you to do a few small projects on the side to validate their own ideas about open source.I learnt that small businesses are aware of the benefit of open source but Microsoft has done a phenomenal job of painting us -- the open source geeks-- as a bunch of untrustworthy slackers. You need to disprove that notion.
So pick a field , research the technology and learn to sell. So dont spend time thinking of cool new product ideas ; dip into the open source pool of products and learn to pitch them to businesses in their language. And contribute back to that knowledge pool.
I have a small business I run by myself. I develop patient management/tracking system for Eye Doctors. I've been doign this for a few years and let me tell you the secret. Find a market where there isn't much competition. Eye doctors have some software available but it really is poor and overpriced (and most of the people who've used it complain about user-friendliness and such). I offer a simple alternative at a lower price and my client base has expanded by 4 in the last month (I know that seems like very little, but it's not when they bring in the dollars that I'm charging and the time I have to spend on each client). Having a connection inside the industry also helps, hehe. In regards to another post here, there are so many doctors/lawyers using out-dated DOS based software. Someone who could write an equivalent in windows or *nix (if the doctor is willing to switch systems completely) would probably be set. Also, in the doctor/lawyer industry, word of mouth is HUGE so I'm getting calls on my software from people I haven't contacted yet. Just my two bits.
The number one thing with being a consultant is communication. You have to be able to communicate with the customer, to find out what their needs really are, and communicate to them why your solution is better than the rest.
But it's more than just communicating facts. The customer must a) be confident that you know what you're talking about. They really don't care about your degree. They care that you know what you're doing. The customer must b) be confident that you know his needs. This is where most people screw up. They talk about what _they_ like - Linux, Apache, open-source, etc. They don't talk about what the _customer_ likes. Customers don't like Linux, but they do like security. Customers don't like open-source, but they do like having control over their technology. Customers don't like technology, they like their problems SOLVED. The better you can communicate both the problem you are solving, why it needs to be solved, and are able to quantify how much is being saved, while still being a likable, lovable guy, the better chance you will have.
You need to understand that they way you market yourself will have a big impact. Don't market yourself as a Linux guy or a C++ programmer. You're not. You're more than that. You are an analyst who can analyze and solve problems and can build solutions.
Be thinking entirely in terms of their business - how they do business, how they purchase, how they manage, how they interact with their customers. These are all important things. If you have the cheapest and fastest customer-billing system in the world, but it can't print the company logo correctly, it doesn't cut it. This is their business, and if you treat it with respect, that will go a long way.
Try coming up with a product you can sell - something simple. You don't have to actually sell it, it will just get you in the door so you can see how they do business and what other solutions you can offer them. For example, maybe try selling a ticket-tracking system (i.e. - Request Tracker), and make a sales pitch, but while your there, take whoever you are speaking with out to lunch, and find out what his _real_ problems are that you can solve. And offer real solutions, not just technology.
Engineering and the Ultimate
"Naturally, until we were profitable to the point that we could hire other people to work with us we would be both the programmers and the marketers/salesmen."
Not to just be a troll, but this sentence alone shows that you haven't really thought this through.
Think about what are you going to be doing in this business. Keywords do not make a business, friend. I don't hire a "C, C++, and Java" programmer; I hire someone who can create an order invoice system (for instance).
"How do we capture the hearts and confidence of potential customers when we don't have PhD's from MIT?"
Another question that shows you haven't researched your market. Potential customers, again, aren't looking for resume keywords. They're looking for someone who can fulfill a specific need. Better yet, they are looking for someone who can explain things to them without resorting to words like "TCP/IP", "HTTP", "DNS", and "C/C++/Java".
To put it bluntly, if you
a) try to sell resume keywords like "C++" or "B.S. in Comp.Sci" as a business;
b) can't explain things in a simple, non-technical manner;
c) pressure your clients to do things your way ("Oh my God! You're using Internet Explorer! UGH! You want me to code what?");
your business will FAIL.
And most of all, don't be flaky! Make your clients feel like they are your #1 priority, even if they aren't. As a consultant, that is the top complaint I have heard regarding other consultants.
I would write more, but I'm onsite at a client's office right now, doing freelance PHP consulting -- that's what I do for a living. It's not easy to be freelance full-time, and you're definitely going to need to put more thought into it than you have already. If what I have said scares you, and you don't want to spend 50% of your time explaining what an "Internet Explorer" is, do the world a favor and don't go into consulting. If, on the other hand, you enjoy dealing with people, dropping off business cards, and generally showing off your work at every opportunity, go for it. You'll most likely find it to be a much more rewarding career in the end.
Simpli - Your source for San Jose dedicated servers and colocation!
...Is more than possible. We do it with almost no effort after 6 years in business (just two of us). And for relatively competant people there is still a lot of work out there. I went to a clambake last week and talked to 5 people just socially and two of them gave me business cards to call them about projects. I could have talked to more people, but I'm really not very social.)
Number one for going out on you own: have someone else to live off of for at least a year, 18 months if possible. Give it time to blossom because it will take time unless your current contact list is amazing already.
Best thing we did for marketing was to join the local chamber of commerce and volunteer on various committees, some on technology so the fit is nice. Go to the regular events and mingle. If you can't manage to hold up a conversation with a business person, leave time to learn how in your business plan.
Get started by volunteering your services to a non-profit (the WORST to work for, by the way, making it a great learning experience as the organizational problems will be at their max) or to a friend's company or a friend of a friend's company. Whatever. Get out and work! even if it is for free. What will happen is this, after the first three or four jobs where you make people happy, people will come looking for you.
Exude confidence, but not cockiness when you talk to people. Offering free advice that people need to hear is the best way to get them hooked on hiring you. Seem busy and act busy. It is just like with dating, potential dates crawl out of the woodwork when you are already taken because of the way you act, this is true in business as well.
Another thing: people are hiring you more on who you seem to be (how you will be to work with) than you think. It is about 50/50 with what you know (this surprised me).
Be prepared to say "no" to work that is out of your focus. Once people realize you are competent they will ask you to do everything, including basic sys admin stuff. This is where we, personally, draw the line. We don't do Windoze which makes this easier to get out of. It may seem strange to imagine turning down work but you will be constantly learning and you need to specialize to really be effective and you can't specialize in everything.
Buy basic marketing books like "gorilla marketing for the home-based business" and "selling your services for those who hate to sell" they helped me get going.
And good luck!
It certainly is possible to get into the software biz in today's economy. In fact, if you enter from the proper perspective, the slow economy could be be a money maker itself.
.NET.
Rather than writing YASP (yet another software package), you should examine vertical markets.
For those that aren't business people, a "vertical market" is one in which your business has an extremely narrow focus. The premise of a vertical market is that a product offering is extremely specialized, in demand, and expensive. Since vertical markets aren't large, vertical market products sell for a lot of money.
I'm going to use a real life vertical market as an example for illustrating my approach. The healthcare medical practice management software market.
Every medical practice, hospital, HMO, etc. need to have highly specialized medical practice management software. This software is produced by hundreds of companies that charge BIG bucks for the pleasure of using it.
So, why NOT write medical practice management software and charge a lot of money for it? Two reasons... the market is flooded with overpriced software, and there's a better approach.
Its the better approach, that becomes really attractive to vertical market customers. In the instance of medical practice management software, practice managers think of the software as a "necessary evil". They don't want to spend big bucks, but they HAVE TO, because there are no realistic alternatives. This becomes even more important in a slow economy, because these people are going to be even less willing to spend big bucks on a new system, when their clunky old systems are still chugging along. After all, its a "necessary evil", and doctors would rather drive new jaguars than buy new billing software.
The better approach would be to develop a competetive software package for whatever vertical market you chose, and then GIVE IT AWAY FOR FREE. Not open source, not "freeware", but a commercially supported, industry standard, software package that they can use for FREE.
So now, I bet you're scratching your head wondering how giving away FREE software will make you money. Well...
The software you design will have built-in services that are of value to the customer. This is the KEY. You charge per use fees for these services!! In the medical practice management example, one valuable service would be statement billing. Imagine the customer's delight, when they could simply press a button in the new software you wrote, and it would communicate with your servers via the internet, resulting in their bills being sent to a printing/mailing clearing house. Bingo!! You just saved them time and money, because preparing bills themselves used to take 2 full days... now it takes 30 seconds, and you've made money because you charged $0.85 per bill you handled.
Not only does the end user get new high quality free software, they also save time, money, and enjoy optimized workflow, all courtesy of your software.
This is the next step in the software industry!! Microsoft is already aiming in this direction with
The trick to making this work is understanding your vertical market. Verticals are strange domains, and its not going to be simple to enter a vertical market. You'll need a few sales guys that believe in your concept, that are willing to 'pound the pavement' and "sell" your free software. You're also going to have to know what services you can integrate with your software that are of extreme value to end users.
By providing these services in bulk, across a few hundred clients, you should be able to provide these services for less $$ than it would cost for them to do it themselves.
Remember, vertical market software is a "necessary evil". In a slow economy, free (or low cost) software with integrated services is highly desired!! There you have it.
Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
Rather than re-typing everything mitzman already wrote, I suppose "ditto" fits the bill.
In my case, it is software and services in the construction industry, which happens to be doing well in Arizona (the construction industry... I've just been at my venture for about 3 months now, fingers cross, and business is starting to pick up). In the general case, finding a need that is not being addressed WELL is probably the key.
It doesn't help to have friends... in my case, family ties have helped get a foot in the door. Anyone out there who needs help with computer ANYTHING is a potential client. To get the ball rolling, don't be afraid to take on something that seems simple to you... those easy ones that you do correctly set the tone and get your reputation rolling in the right direction.
I hesitate to suggest doing some work at deep discount or free rates, but it worked in my case and helped me get some demonstrations of my work out there... so I was paid in marketing value, which will hopefully turn into cash.
Finally, I will repeat something, regarding the outdated DOS stuff.... completely true. You would be amazed, and it is true in so many areas, from my state government (I speak from direct knowledge) to a furniture store that is about to open their second store-- that one couldn't generate a report of their inventory and dump it to a file, only to paper, because they didn't understand much about how it all worked (I didn't want to press them).
A few months ago, I was a bit uncertain about starting something, but I actually have far too diverse a resume (ie I worked in silicon valley and took advantage of the high mobility and salary potentials) to get a job in conservative Arizona, where everyone wants 5-10 years doing the same thing, usually doing something very specific and dated, and sometimes requiring either MCSE certification or a secret clearance.
That's my $0.02, hope that helps, and good luck!
Ive been involved in so many failed software company ventures I couldn't count them all ...
:) :)
:)
#1 - Do *not consider* starting a company unless you know exactly what niche you are going to fill.
#2 - Under no circumstance start a videogame company, if I see one more shitty Allegro/Clanlib game Im going to scream
#3 - Get a day job, a couple close friends, and work nights. That way when you fail it wont hurt as bad
good luck
Religion is a gateway psychosis. -- Dave Foley
The logic you're using, that you should go start your own business because you don't have the experience to get employed by somebody else seems faulty. Convincing an employer of your talents is infinitely simple than convincing a prospective client. The amount of risk to an employer is substantially lower if they make a bad hiring decision than for a company who chooses the wrong developer for their product.
:). Or actually more usefully, work on your MBA. PHD's are nice, but only if you are doing really out there reasearch. Most businesses would rather deal with somebody who has an appreciation of their business needs rather than some egghead theorist :).
Having said that, do either of you have sales experience? While you may both have ample development skills, without being able to land the business to work you'll be screwed. Where do you find that business? I'd suggest doing lots of networking. Getting business through friends of friends is your best bet. If that's not going to work for you, try to find small projects for smaller businesses. You'll likely have to take a lot of the risk of project failure on yourself (why should they trust you). So prepare to have little to no income for a while because until you can proove you can deliver, people aren't likely to cut checks.
Other things to consider. Find a good lawyer to help you in drafting contracts, etc. Find a good accountant to deal with the financial details of all of it. Do you have consulting experience or was your job more of a strict product development role? Consulting is a lot more demanding in the way of documentation, tracking of requirements, etc.
Good luck to you, but I'd recommend going back into the job market and trying to build your exeperience. Work on that PHD
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I work for a small IT company and my boss has over 20 years expirience. Now we hold on to our customers because we deliver. We usually gain customers by word of mouth and usually take over from inexpirienced hacks who totaly destroyed the network.
Business and Retail are two different fields. Retail usually buys on price, they don't care that the motherboard is a piece of s*$! just it's cheap. Business on the other hand will get mighty pissed if the computer they just bought needs fixing after just one year.
Also it is unethical as a professional to pass yourself off as a consultant when you don't have the expirience. Remeber those professional ethics classes at uni? Don't pretend to be someone who has 15 years expirience when you only have 3. That's why there are so many unemployed "IT" people out there. They don't know jack. And those who do, still have a job. In our expirience it has been god-damn difficult to find someone GOOD to employ
After my first job as a programmer went bankrupt (in 1980), my fellow programmers and I toyed with starting a business. We sounded a lot like you. It was hard to get a job, so we would just start a company. Can't be that hard, right. We'd do a better job than the boneheads that put our last company out of business, right. We were programmers, by god, we could do anything if we set our minds to it!
Twenty plus years later I am glad I decided to get another job. I've learned a few things I'll share with you for free that I paid dearly for:
1. You don't know everything when you are 25. Or 35. Or 45.....
2. It is more important to be a businessman than an engineer if you want to be successful.
3. Learn how to write a business plan and execute what's in it.
4. Learn what all those funky financial reports mean, how to create them, and why you're business life (and personal life) depends on them.
5. Become a marketeer. If you don't know how to get a message across to someone, or how to figure out what to charge, or who your competitors are, or what the barriers to entry for you company are you will fail.
6. Become a salesman. Not necessarily work in sales, but be able to sell your idea to investors, to partners, to employees, and to customers.
7. Learn to take responsibility. If you are a procrasinator, you will fail as a entrepeneur. In a startup you are the boss, even if there are five or ten of you. You have no support organization, no secretaries. If you don't do it, it may not get done. Remember, you will have employees, and they will depend on you for their livelihood. What you do and do not do will affect and possibly destroy people's lives. If you are not up to that level of responsbility, get some more experience until you are.
8. Learn to learn quickly. As I mentioned above, you will be doing many different things, some of which you have never done before (and may not want to do again). Figuring out what to do quickly will give you more time to do the important stuff.
9. Management is important. Learn scheduling, people management, budgeting, and espcially how to help others deal with change.
10. Figure out a way to buy a business that is profitable already rather than build one from scratch. It's always easier to make more money and get more financial backing if you are profitable. After twenty years that's what I am doing right now, buying an existing profitable business.
If you are dead-set on going ahead, remember one thing. The successful super-geek programmers were the ones that team up with solid, smart business people, i.e. Gates-Ballmer, Joy-McNealy, Andresson-Clark, etc. Who's your partner going to be and do you trust them absolutely with your life.
Starting a well capitalized business in the best of times is difficult, but even in the worst of times it is possible to succeed in business. It will take more work than you think it will, but also probably the most rewarding work you can do. Before you start, I suggest that you read something similar to What Color is Your Parachute, it is an excellent review to help you make sure that you are ready to be in business for yourself. If you are ready and able to start a business, pick something that you really want to do, and focus in on it. You unlikely to succeed if you try to do everything for anyone. Currently anything related to integration or web services is en vogue, if that floats your boat. Another possible idea would be to get into something similar to what your old company did, especially if you can get some of the old customers, it might be large enough to susutain a smaller business.
Before you start the business, you or the other founder should take a class on accounting. Your local community college is very likely to have something that you can audit, take at a reduced rate for no grade. This will be quite helpful, especially if neither of you has experience with bookkeeping. Get something to keep your books, Staples has Peachtree for free after reabate, or GNUCash might be enough in the beginning. Related to accounting, the one thing every failed business has in common is that they all ran out of cash. Profits don't matter, its how much cash you pull in, your suppliers will not let you spend retained earnings. Keep a close eye on your cash position, and know whether you are making cash or spending it at least monthly. Finally, if you decide to go into business with another person, spend the few hundred and let a lawyer either create the articles of incorporation, or partnership agreement. They know many more potential problems than you or I can imagine, and should have some advice for how to structure the company to minimize them.
More frankly, it is extremely rare for a business to be profitable in the first year. If you and your partners do not have enough save to meet each of your personal expenses for at least 6 months stick out for anything you can find to come up with a little capital.
Some of the better ideas I have heard to drum up business are:
1. Help some folks with their PCs first, then eventually you might meet a small business owner who needs help with a bigger project.
2. Give a talk and be willing to answer questions about IT to your local chamber of commerce or businessperson's association.
3. Advertising. One of the places you might consider is talk radio, most of the audience is less techincal, usually wealthier, and more likely to own a business than the average American.
The advice about finding a salesperson is excellent, we geeks are not usually the best at selling things.
Do not try to get too big too quickly, you will kill your cash flow as you grow. But realize that the way businesses make money is through leverage, either charging more than it costs for your employees, or on the financial side, through the use of debt. I doubt you will find a bank willing to offer you a loan early in the life of your business, but be extreemly careful regarding debt. Non-debtors never go bankrupt, they may not succeed, but the lender never has to come after assets if you do not owe them anything.
Lastly, (Is this the third time I have tried to close, I am beginning to sound like a pastor)good luck especially if you decide to venture forth in the the exciting world of business.
Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
Start small. Projects you can pump out fast and charge a minimal amount for, but do your best work on these, really polish them and make them shine. Be prepared to work a LOT of really long nights, and on boring shit like web design. This is not to make money, it is to build a base of clients who will recommend you to other people. The better your reputation, the more money you can charge for your time.
Where to look for clients? Everywhere. Friends and family. The net. Newspapers, yellow pages, and bulletin boards. People you meet on the street. (I'm serious.. face to face has a really magical quality to it that makes people listen to you 100x more than a phone call, fax, or email) Carry a really cool conversation piece that demonstrates your talent (example: a graphics demo on a PDA)
Want to know what people want in today's economy? (Well, always, really) To save money. To get businesses to spend money on you, you have to demonstrate how what you can do for them will save them money. Show them how they'd be fools NOT to buy your software.
And make you you put a lot of work into building a truly reusable code base, it pays off huge in the long run.
"Mind, as manifested by the capacity to make choices, is to some extent present in every electron." -Freeman Dyson
are you kidding? 3 years of experience??? People straight out of college are getting jobs you should be able to find one. I only have about 4 1/2 years of experience, I was laid off 3 weeks ago and I have contract work to do and people calling me (probably about to accept a job) and my strong points are Perl and PHP.
Seriously if you know C and Java you have it made, you might have to relocate but there are hundreds software jobs out there. I'd suggest going to ComputerJobs.com or to Monster.
I'm not saying you shouldn't start your own company, I don't know anything about the local economy where you live but I'm going to say that with 3 years experience and your skills you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a job.
The Anti-Blog
I take comfort in knowing that there is somebody else out there who is having the exact same life experience as I am.... I just hope yours turns out better. Regardless, here is my story, I hope you can gain at least some wisdom from it.
I graduated with a BS in CS in May 1999. I started my career immediately out of school hacking C++ for a fortune 500. I left after a few months to join a start-up embedded systems company. At the time, I felt that this was my ticket to fortune and glory (after all, when I joined this start up in the middle of 2000, the Dow had just hit it's all time high. It seemed every 20 year old with a CS degree moving to Mountain View or San Jose was becoming a paper millionaire). When I interviewed with them, the Engineering VP reassured me that I was going to become financially secure after the IPO from all of the stock options they were waving in my face. So in my naive enthusiasm I jumped at it (wouldn't you?).
6 months pass, I show up to work one brisk Monday morning in November of 2000, only to be told that I had been laid-off along with all the other engineers and marketing people. They weren't able to secure any more venture capital, and the seed money had dried up. When I started, I was employee number 12, during that 6 month period they ballooned up to 40-something (I lost count) just before the lay-offs.
(I'm almost to the point of the story) So my roommate was also hacking code for them (he was writing Linux device drives and such, he had much cooler tasks than I did) and laid off that same morning. So we headed back to our apartment, played some Counter-Strike to cool off, and tried to figure out where we go from here... That's when we had the idea to start our own software consulting company. We had both worked with consultants, and we both felt that we were as competent and experienced as any consultant we had worked with. So we got out selves a lawyer and an accountant and started Treknetix Software out of our apartment. Our plan was to just write anything for money, then as we get settled in, we would find a specialty to focus on. Well, it turned out, finding clients is at least ten times more difficult than actually engineering a software system. We ended up getting a few contracts, mostly web work. We did a lot of LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP) sites. It was during this time that I migrated completely away from Windows and to Linux %100 of the time. But we just weren't getting enough work to pay for rent and lunch meat each month. Slowly, I started to dig into my savings to support myself. I kept telling myself that I'd just borrow from saving now, and everything will be all right after things start really picking up. Well, of course they never did.
With only $14 to my name, I moved back home with mom and dad at the end of 2001. I created a resume, and started applying for jobs like mad. When that didn't work, I went to professional recruitment firms... my college's career office.... local networking events.... nothing worked. I tried all the "best practices" for finding work, namely, treat it like a full time job. Spend at least 8 hours a day looking into positions and sending out resumes. My roommate went off to graduate school... I think I'm going to follow, there is just no work to be had.
Do I regret starting Treknetix? No way! I learned so much about working with non-engineering managers. I've really broken out of that "anti-social" programmer mold from my experience working with clients. This is a good thing. Now only if I could apply this somewhere else.... (bitter anyone?)
My advice to you. Try it. But, if you can, move somewhere you don't have to pay rent, or get married to a rich girl first. DON'T TRY TO LIVE OFF YOUR SAVINGS! I can't stress this enough. That's the only regret I have since graduating college. I should have moved home immediately after the layoff.
This has gone on longer than I would have liked. So to make a long story short: SOMEBODY HIRE ME!!
http://resumes.dice.com/thomasmis
Check out my podcast: DreamStation.cc Video Game Show
But I also learned that the most difficult part of getting a business going and making it self-sustaining is marketing. Word of mouth will be your most powerful marketing tool, as others have suggested. However, in my experience, lead conversion is the most difficult part of building the business. Once someone expresses interest in your services, you have to convince them to actually lay down the cash to have you do the work.
One book I've found very helpful is "Managing the Professional Service Firm" by David Maister. This book really brought home to me the reality that as a technology consultant, you really are in the service business, and as such your marketing efforts have to be an integral part of everything you do.
Another thing I discovered is that getting someone to let you do work for them is not the same as them actually paying you in a timely manner. Developing a billing procedure that lets you provide deliverables in stages, which are tied to invoices, might be something to consider. We've been doing that for the past few months with much better results than the "build it, bill it, wait for weeks and weeks to get paid" process, which really sucks. It may seem like a minor detail, but cashflow can be a real problem when you need to buy a development tool or some service, and suddenly you find that you don't have the cash because your clients have been late in paying you.
Also, treat the business process as you would a technology process. Constantly critique your business efforts and try to learn from your mistakes. As obvious as this sounds, a lot of small business people simply don't conduct any form of self-evaluation or process critiquing.
Don't let the naysayers get you down. It takes a lot of courage to go out and start something on your own. There will always be people sitting smug in their salaried positions, ready to sharpshoot you. But they'll never know what it means to put yourself out there on the edge and go for it.
Finally, for the financial and legal matters associated with starting a business, check out Nolo Press. Their books are very thorough and have been extremely helpful to us in negotiating the often frustrating local, state, and federal paperwork shuffle.
Best of luck!
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
I am in a similar situation having been laid off a while ago and I too have considered doing some consulting work. It is awfully tough though because you won't be alone and so few companies are willing to spend. Some reccommendations:
1. Work out of your home, keep expenses low and your rates very reasonable. You need to have a very attractive pricing advantage over the larger, more established out sourcing firms.
2. Even though you are working out of your home, you need to look professional and not a fly by night venture. If you live in a basement apartment or the low rent district of town don't advertise it. Also don't use a PO Box. If necessary hire the services of an office front where they offer admin, mail and boardroom services. Have your mail sent their and pick it up or have it forwarded to your place. Whatever you do, make sure you look professional and as good as the other guys.
3. Define a very small target market or a very small set of services you wish to sell. Become a Java consultant not a Java/C/C++ consultant. Even better would be a Java web developer or a Java enterprise software developer. Choose whatever you know best, learn to know it better, and market only those skills. You will need to market yourself as being 'experts' in that field as opposed to a couple of smart guys who knows a lot about software development and can do whatever people may ask. If you try and be too much you will come across as not being an expert in anything and right now I think companies are only interested in talking to the experts.
4. Read books about sales and marketing strategies. Few "techies" really understand what sales are all about. We've all heard and told the jokes about sales and marketing people. Be prepared to become one. When approaching a company, try to figure out what services they might need and focus on solving their needs as opposed to what you can do for them. They aren't interested in what you can sell them, they are only interested in having their problems solved. If you don't think you can solve their problem, forget about it. Don't waste your time on a potential contract you likely can't/won't get.
Other than that, be prepared for a lot of work but have fun. Don't expect to make a million dollars. If you are only in it to get rich, you will certainly fail. If you enjoy what you are doing you are more likely to be successful.
How can an Open Source software company make money in today's economy?
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By selling solutions, not software. The software "product" idea is going away. In it's place, there will be numerous tools developed by people building solutions for others. If you sell a a product that you obtain for 0 cost, people won't need to do business for you. But if you sell solutions that consist of free elements that you put together to solve business problems, you will be paid well. In fact, the business usually won't care how much you pay for the pieces, as long as you deliver the full package.
Those solution providers will release the tools they develop themselves solving business problems as free software. Why? Because they recognize that it is important to maintain the environment that allows them to be successful.
The legal environment is a good analogy. Legal knowledge is free. All court cases and laws on the books are accessible at zero cost. However, lawyers are one of the highest-paid professions. Why? They put the pieces together (which were obtained at zero cost) to create a valuable solution for the client (getting out of jail, etc.)
Engineering and the Ultimate
It might seem annoying or below you, but there are a huge amount of small businesses that are not on the web and want to be. I can't tell you how many times people have approached me about creating/maintaining their business' website. These people have no idea what the internet is, but they want to be on it but can't afford the cost of "professional" web design. You could make a killing by marketing directly to these people.
It's not glamorous and it's not exactly programming (unless someone wants an online front-end), but it's an area of the market that has been virtually untouched because small businesses can't afford the high prices that silly corporations pay. The only drawback is that "webdesigner" doesn't look that good on a resume anymore.
Computers are everywhere these days, and we don't seem to run out of people who have problems with them. In many cases, simply having a policy that says that the owner must provide the software on original media can keep you out of any legal trouble, and in many cases, "fixing computer problems" can be reduced to simple software reinstallations.
Or you could perform hardware upgrades--many computer users won't remove the cover and install a part themselves. There's almost always money to be made here, because computers keep getting faster and better, and people simply aren't comfortable upgrading on their own.
These alternate courses are feasible, will turn profits fairly quickly and don't really require much in the way of education/certifications, and can be done even with a staff of one. Really, the biggest part of such a business is advertising.
Note, that word of mouth is the best reward is a two way street. When someone mentions they are looking for X, pull out the buisness cards of all your clients in X, and give them out. And tell your contact the next day you did so (if they are good salemen they will call right away to see if your friend is serious)
Referals are a two way street, if your customers find out that you don't refer people back to them when the opertunity comes up they will drop you (and perhaps activly refer others to your compitition). You can only contact a few people a day, and not all are interested in your business, but if you work for all your customers and suppliers they will work for you a little, and you contacts will go way up.
Eventially you hope to hire salesmen who do this, and love the doing the referal game, but even then you should refer when the oportunity comes up. Your pocketbook will thank you.
PS, always make sure your referals are to good companies. If you know one of your customers does cheap work, don't refer them except when cheap is the only consideration, and then make it clear that cost is the only reason to consider them. In general you should refer people to the best.
Uh, yes and no. You don't talk to small one man mechanics in a suit, you wonder in, and while talking up the benifits of your software, guide the transmission while he lowers the jack so it comes out faster. You will have much better luck if you can speak the language. (Warning, do not try this unless you actually know how to do it right. The salesmen that wonders in and helps do a task that should have two people can get a sale, but the salesmen that turns a $200 job into a $2000 job with one wrong move not only loses the sale, but all chance of others in the industry) In reality you will never touch a car when you talk to the mechanic, since it looks like you are pushy, and trying to take the job, you just need to have the ability.
Don't even look at a bank without your suit. Make sure when you go to a dry cleaners make sure you have it starches perfectly. When you mail to an envlople company spend as much effort on the envelope than you do on the rest of the presentation. You can wear jeans into most (but not all) computer companies, but the suit is better until you are sure. With some clients the suit will hurt you, with most you can't get by without.
Move to India, become a citizen of India, and then come back to the US on a H1B visa! I GUARANTEE you'll get a job..
If you're not a Liberal in your 20's, then you have no heart.If you're still a Liberal in your 30's you have no brain.
(* I have always had good luck with doctors and lawyers. Both of these fields tend to overpay for very bad software, and would be thrilled to pay less for better software. Try asking your dentist. *)
Something generic like "dentist" tends to be saturated with software solutions already. There seems to be more opportunity in highly niche markets. I personally would look for markets where there are only one per small town and a few per large town.
Bigger companies tend to target bigger markets and filled them up. It is not worth it for them to go after a few side fish. That is where the little guy might have a better shot. The hard part is finding a way to eat, drink, and sleep their business in order to understand it.
Table-ized A.I.
2) Read up a little on tax law.
3) Read up a LOT on selling, cold calling, marketing. Self help stuff too if you need motivation. Many people do.
4) SELL, that's right, *SELL* your service. Be a salesman first, geek second.
I did the Java programming route for five years in NYC. Fun, but even my bubble went pop and working as an S Corp has soooo many benefits. Shall I list a few?
1) You are your own boss.
2) You have no limit to what you can earn (no bottom either, carefull!)
3) You are officially an Officer of a Corporation, a "President" actually, and you can tell that to cute girls in bars and it's great. Much better sounding that "Java GUI programmer". GUI sounds icky, makes most girls run away.
4) You keep most of what you make (you'll know exactly why after reading a bit on tax laws).
Good luck!
What I have learned:
- ~80% of all new businesses are started by engineering types.
- ~80% of all new businesses fail.
- Technical people, for the most part, are not business people.
- 3 years of experience will not you make a business success. Trust me. It takes a long time and a large effort.
- You must be focused and have an over abundance of energy.
- You must be able to put your ego and ideals aside when required; you will have ample opportunity to show your $hit; patience truly is a virtue.
- You must be able to ride the storm. In most cases, life will be feast or famine.
- Quickly gained success is quickly lost.
- There is no substitute for experience.
- A partnership is like a marriage. You better be ready for this one.
- You must be prepared to fail. And, when you fail, you must get back up and keep going. Otherwise, you are wasting your time; get a job.
- Attitude is everything.
Jamey
Jamey Kirby
So what do you need (or rather what was it that made me "succesfull")?
Here's the top hints that would make me hire you:
Read reviews of shopping cart software
Personally, in your situation, I would rather flip burgers. If the reason for starting your own business is inability to find work, then it's not going to be easy. Because starting up your own businness is expensive. Both in time and money.
The first thing you should do is to start is to contact local companies telling them that you are in the process of deciding whether to start a local business and see if they are interested. This will give you a chance to see how many paying clients you will get, what kind of work you will get, and how much they are willing to pay.
The second thing you should do is to contact an accountant, preferably someone with experience of helping small startups (i.e. plumbers, hair-salons, etc...). This is important for two reasons:
I would also consider contacting the employment agencies in your city. They may offer courses, etc..., for people thinking about making a startup. At the very least, they should be able to point you in the direction of somebody who does (again, I don't know about US, but I imagine the situation is similar).
There are a number of pitfalls:
And finally: don't go bankrupt! If you do, you will loose everything in the process. Remember that this might also include such things as your wife, kids, and house!
If you are still interested in starting your own business, then have a go at it. But don't do it because you might think it to be easier than just getting a job.
As a physician, I should be able to settle a few myths about medicine. I cant say much about the Legal field.
1. Doctors drive Jaguars. I drive a 93 Civic. I know hundreds of doctors and none of them drive Jags. The most common car is probably a Jeep. The financing in medicine has gotten tighter along with the rest of the economy, and medicine is no where as lucrative as its made out to be on TV.
2. Doctors will pay any "big bucks" for bad software. Yes and No. Yes there is a lot of bad software, and Medicine is way behind other industries in the use of computers for information management. Yes, much of medical software is rediculously priced. But if your going to sell something to me you've got to prove that your product will be better. We've learned from our mistakes, and unfortunately you'll need more than a few programming skills to be sucessful (evidence, the number of failed companies in this field). You need to know about HL7, standard vocabularies (SNOMED, ICD, UMLS, etc) and what makes them good and bad. You need to know about HIPAA and privacy issues with the EMR. You need to know about modelling complexity in medicine. How is your system going to handle it when the pharmacy adds a new medicines, or labratories change coding schemes How is your system going to access old labs and medicines. This is what makes current medical software bad. To do better, get a degree in informatics.
3. A startup with a good product will suceed. Unfortunately, one of the most important characteristics I would look for is a track record that demonstrates that your going to be around in a couple of years to support the software I buy from you, and that you are backward compatable with my existing software. Your best route in consulting is probably going to depend on learning and supporting other existing software.
I hate to be pessimistic, but you've got your work cut out for you.
Yes, actually. The rule of thumb with a resume is that a lie of omission is NEVER a lie. You're a PhD and you're being told you're overqualified? Only list everything up to your Masters. Still overqualified? Only list up to your bachelorate.
You worked for your own company for five years? Pick ONE of the 'hats' you wore during your time, that's appropriate for the job your hiring for, and build your entry around that.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.