Where To Find Ambitious Business Partners?

LostInTranslation asks: "If I were an MBA looking to make a fantastic new dotcom company, I would look around places like /. to try and net some technical wizards to do my bidding. Sites like this collect that kind of tech genius. But the problem is that I already am a technical wizard, and what I need is someone who is driven to sell wizardry. Where does one find that kind of person? Is there some kind of newsgroup they frequent? I've done a few searches, but nothing of value came up. How does a geek find a suit that wants to be exploited?" "I should clarify: I've run at least two quasi-successful companies in the past ten years, bootstrapping and innovating along. I don't want to run my own business anymore. It's tiring, it takes me away from the front lines, and I don't have the right personality for it. I am looking for a business partner who can turn my good ideas into success stories. I've got angel investors waiting for something to spend on, I've got a massive number of satellite resources to make any idea shine, but I'm missing someone with that je ne sais quoi ... that chutzpah, that integrity in the face of adversity. And I'm not gambling anyone's money on my ideas when I'm fully aware I don't want to run the show.

Someone out there in Slash-land must know where these people collect. They all seem too buzzword-aware to not be on the web somewhere. So give it up: where are they hiding?"

Comments

Talk About it

[MyLongNickName]

Talk about your ideas. Talk about them with your friends. Talk about them with business associates. Takj about them with strangers. These people find you, not the other way around.

The more you talk, the more likely someone will be willing to listen. If it is something you are passionate about, it will strike a chord with someone else. And, if no one picks up on your idea, you have to face one of two possiblities: You have a good idea, and no one realized it. Or you have a crappy idea, and it should just die.

Either way, you have to get people excited to get them to invest their talents and money.

Good Luck!

Here's a suggestion

[mindlessreflex]

Ask Woz!

If it weren't for gravity, I could fly.

[Grabble]

So lemme get this straight...

You're excited about what's possible if you could find the right people? ... and they'd work for you?

...and you're frustrated you can't find available visionaries?

You are describing nothing special, unique or unusual. You have money, experience and ideas... and you want very talented people to help you execute those ideas.

Join. The. Crowd.

And since you know that ideas are fucking worthless, here's some links to help you execute, IE, find some talent....

Search google for headhunters

Guru

Elance

Idea: Purchase ads in various publications likely to be read by people you want.

Good luck. I hope you can find who you're looking for. (and by that I mean, "It's hard to find good help."

Mommy, where do MBAs come from?

[CyberVenom]

Not that I would know, being but a lowly techwizard myself, but perhaps you should go to the source? Universities are still popping out MBAs like it's going out of style. Find a reputable university and ask their job placement department or business professors about fresh MBAs to exploit.
Or if you prefer slightly aged MBA, perhaps your local headhunter (the one who was always trying to sell you extra ALGOL programmers and VAX technicians) knows of an MBA who has recently dropped off the corporate radar due to cutbacks or outsourcing. Obviously said executive would be in no position to hire normal headhunter fare without a company, but would likely welcome with open arms the full hit-it-big package complete with techwizardry, angel investors and solid gold ideas.
-CyberVenom

Sites like this collect that kind of tech genius.

[photon317]

WTF are you smoking?

To re-interpret without permission from the immortal Hartman of Full Metal Jacket:

Holy dog shit. Slashdot? Only trolls and posers come from Slashdot, Private CowboyNeal. And you don't look much like a troll to me so that kinda narrows it down. Do you use Windows?

article +5 Funny

[complete loony]

Did any of you actually look at the links? bootstrapping / kidney sale on ebay, integrity / SCO, angel investors / piggy bank.
ROFL

A startup is 1st like Dating then like Politics

[infonography]

I have had a sting of lame business partners. They are all hot for my ideas and when it comes to real work they sort of drift off like disinterested craigslist dates. Ambitious won't cut it. They are like horny dates, hot for what you got but gone in the morning. You are gonna need college grads with about three or four years of actual experiance as middle-upper management. The Startup model has always been a Beard and several Suits. This works, you need more then one Suit. Some of the warning signs are the suit is sort of hip. You want bland bland bland. Anal Cost accountants are best. Hip business people are dangerous because they are constantly on the make. You need to know some of the signs for lameness.

'I am behind this 100%'
=
'Show me this will work right now or I am gone Monday.'

'I don't see any problems here'
=
'I am too distracted by my next project to concentrate on this one'

Once you have found your Suits you need to start playing the part Bush has been playing the last four years. [I don't like the guy and hope he's gone soon, but he is playing the role well.] You will need to steamroller everybody. Any sign of weakness and they will all bail at once. Only two things kill a startup, Monsterously bad judgement or indecision. Hear that before? You should it's been the theme of the opposing politcal parties. Bad Judgement has been sticking on Bush because it's true. The indecision ploy hasn't been working because Kerry isn't confused. Carter was a prime example and to a lesser extent Gore. Nixon was a good example of the Bad Judgement side.

You will need to start living the Prima Donna lifestyle. This is Human nature, you must act like a Midevel Japanese Warlord at all times. The rest I am keeping quiet. Good Luck.

Re:A startup is 1st like Dating then like Politics

[infonography]

Also it's ok to be on the front lines and still be delegating to the suits the details of running the company. Put a sign on your door that says 'Unless it's a fire, go away.' Your fellow Beards will enter at will, and the drones will look at you like you were made of solid gold. That's called the Merlin Ploy. The nice thing about this is you can actually devote full time to your hacking. Have fun.