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Building a Small IT Consulting Business Based on Linux (Video)
When you call your business Penguin Computer & Telephone Solutions, it's obvious that Linux is your favorite operating system. Company owner Frank Sflanga, Jr. happily works on Windows, Mac and whatever else you want or have around, but he is a Linux person at heart; in fact, he's a founder and leading member of The Southwest Florida GNU/Linux Users Group. But the point of this interview, which some will want to label an ad (although it's not), is to show how Frank started his one-man consulting business and made it successful so that other Slashdot readers can follow in his footsteps and become self-employed -- if they are so inclined. You might want to note that most of Frank's clients were not familiar with Linux when he first started working with them, and most are not particularly interested in software licensing matters as long as Frank keeps their stuff working. You might also want to note that Ft. Myers, FL, where Frank is located, is not exactly famous as a hotbed of leading-edge technology, which means that even if you live someplace similar, where business owners ask "What's a Linux?" you might be able to make a decent living running a Linux-based IT consulting business.
Why does he not call it GNU/Linux? Stallman would be cross . . .
If you want to talk to a nobody who's running a business, I've heard about a guy named Ballmer.
If he asks you to take a chair, literally take it because that's going to be your weapon against him a friendly game of "chairmen".
Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
Businesses don't give a fuck about community support. The Windows shop I work for just completed a $50,000 project to replace infrastructure and migrate from linux. Some local guy like this put in all this kludged up linux shit that never worked right. They fired him, and we refuse to support a linux environment (the migration was just some files and a website, thankfully). Now they have a worry-free environment that works like other businesses. Group policy, managed updates, all these things most business take for granted.
The stability and familiarity of Microsoft, Cisco, and knowing that any IT company can support the infrastructure is well worth the money they spent. They didn't save anything in the end with linux. It cost them a lot more in the end.
They fired him, and we refuse to support a linux environment
Ah, incompetent, I see.
-- Linux user #369862