Starting you own Business "The Journal"

[AAAgent]

Well i've been working on this business since the end of summer and recently within the last 3 weeks i've managed to get myself focused and work on starting this business as opposed to all the brainstorming i did and not actively working on it.

I'm just about ready to push for a quote from developers as everything is set in stone for the foundation, ready to register the business, marketing seems a bit tough as i wanted to produce weekly videos to inspire people to be more creative on youtube and post them on my site. I may have to change the weekly videos to Monthly. Also it seems hard to stay ontop of updating FB, twitter, and RSS Feeds as a one man job to do this daily, I may limit these updates to weekly.

Ontop of that, my new venture which will require a lot more time will start in January. I've been doing prep work for that as well. I feel a bit overwhelmed as it is the holidays, gift shopping, meeting current clients at work and managing my existing accounts which total over 70+ (i have over 140+ main points of contact) and i'm getting more by the day.

I keep looking at the big picture and its so cluttered, i think i just need to take a huge step back and tackle 1 or 2 things at a time now. I always try to do too many things at once and then lose focus and motivation. I'm also getting some anxiety of failure even though i know failure would in no way hurt me.

One step at a time and the finish line will come to due time.

 

[PrettyBoyAJ]

I commend you for actually starting a business. Most people will say they want to do it but never follow through. Your following through though. Good job. I'm definately going to start my own business once I find a better job. Priorities first though.

 

[AAAgent]

I've been looking into possibly registering my business as a foreign entity as i will be incorporating in a different state that i actually do business in but as my business is a service i don't actually have an office in NYC where i will be providing my services so i'm not sure if i will have to register as a foreign entity.

I've also mentioned that i will aim to do either weekly or monthly youtube videos. Maybe something in-between such as biweekly would work better for both my schedule and business. I've decided to not hide myself behind my business because this is not something a professional does. I will make my face and name available to all my clients and anyone else interested in learning more about my business.

I'm also thinking about doing pro-bono work for SS members. Might be able to squeeze something in for your girl or wife for the holidays.

 

[AAAgent]

im writing in this journal to remind myself of my goal. I've hit a work block lately as in though i have plenty of free time i can't actually get myself to work. I will prepare all my work materials and just end up doing something else. I am trying to force myself to continue to work right now.

Gotta push through this.

 

[AAAgent]

just requested a quote earlier this week for the website.

 

[manish]

hey me too building a site

hey..good to know that your are getting into internet business, have you done internet startup before?

i,m also building a new site , related to travel, i,m in website development from past 6 years..but i built it for others..

so now i have decided to do it for myself..

i have two idea's [actually i have lots]..but working on these 2 first..one is very big[people say if you make it..it can grow alot]..and the second one which i,m working on..people dont like it much..but i,m working on it..



the only thing which i currently lacked is good design for the website..i plan to complete the website programming first..then accomodate design aspects..

i dont have money to afford designer...if anybody who is in design over here...can contact me..i will share good percentage[profit] of site.


if you dont mind i can post my progress here..

 

[BigSmooth]

Just found this thread, and I'm rooting for ya.

Creativity and capitalism runs this world, and you my friend, have found an opportunity with your mind.


I'm currently majoring in finance and trying to get into investment banking and real estate investing, so I'm definitely rooting for ya!


Keep up the good work.



One tip: Don't get too focused on just money. Don't work solely for money. If you do that, your brain becomes one dimensional, and you miss opportunities that stare you in the face.

Keep your composure, have fun, learn, and use your mind.

 

[AAAgent]

Update:

Lost traction and interest and ultimately failed. It was a good concept that i had the skill for but for the amount of time/effort i would have to put in for each client and the rate of reasonable return was not worth it imo.

I ended up messing around with a few other business ideas and as of last October i officially incorporated.

I'm starting over again until i succeed or fail. The next business is a mobile app that aims at making the world a better place (to sum it up and protect my idea).

Every single person that has heard the idea which is roughly 10-15 think the app is amazing and could be a next trend setter. I even managed to find a developer who i tried to convince to be my cofounder. He partnered with my friend the previous year to the competition i finaled in and they won. He got his masters in computer engineering and is in the process of getting a PhD. I added him on linkedin, then i emailed him, and setup a call last saturday. I pitched him the idea and has a good answer for every question he had. He seemed interested and said he'd let me know by monday. I just followed up today and he said he doesn't have enough time in the next 2-3 months and can't do it.

We exchanged a few emails and he agreed to talk saturday at 3pm. I followed up the next day because i got busy and asked for 5pm and if he could provide me with some general questions he might have so we could both get the most of each others time.

First bad sign: never sent me his questions so i answer them all on the spot blind. Obviously i already thought of those questions ahead of the time and had a reasonable answer for each one but still.

Second bad sign: He said he'd respond by monday and did not. I emailed him wednesday afternoon to see where he stood and got no response. I texted him today and he told me he didn't have enough time.

---

He seemed interested and there wasn't a single question of his that wasn't answered with logic which would theoretically make this business concept a sound one. I was hoping that might make him say yes, but his actions showed otherwise and i was right to judge him based off his actions and he evidentally chose to not to join.

 

[AAAgent]

Now you might be asking why do i need a co-founder to join? I plan on entering 1 of the top 5 start-up incubator competitions.

Here are the reasons below which involve hours of research

1.) i have no education in programming, and having a technical co founder could help bridge the gap there.

2.) A business is a **** ton of work and generally very difficult to manage as a single person.

3.) most start-up incubators encourage 2 or more founders and rarely fund 1 person shops. I doubt they'd fund a shop of someone who doesn't even do the programming themselves.

4.) VC firms will also rarely fund 1 man companies especially when the 1 man can't even code.

5.) I have money saved up but not enough to fund full development of an app. a Co founder with connections to cheapen the costs and even potentially cover some of the costs would greatly help.

6.) The developer could cover the technical end while i focus on the business end which also requires a significant amount of work.

 

[switch]

well getting a PhD is really time consuming, projects, nagging professors ,nagging project mentors ,nagging office workers at the faculty who disappear during lunchtimes and dont come to work on monday just because,

oh and did i tell you that you have to teach as well? yes there is a requirement to teach a bunch of spoiled useless sheep,a bunch of regurgitated material which is just done for the sake of reducing the money the university has to spend for external/visiting professors.
oh and standing 12 hours a day in a cubicle , thats also there

so yeah give the guy a break, he is probably busy. anyway try to find a talented undergraduate student, ask the PhD guy since he is def teaching as well and might know a few future bill gates or something.

as for the app, i dont like selling non existing material.fast food always tops any other business, especially in the US,home of the giant land whales.
just make the food as greasy as possible

 

[AAAgent]

well getting a PhD is really time consuming, projects, nagging professors ,nagging project mentors ,nagging office workers at the faculty who disappear during lunchtimes and dont come to work on monday just because,

oh and did i tell you that you have to teach as well? yes there is a requirement to teach a bunch of spoiled useless sheep,a bunch of regurgitated material which is just done for the sake of reducing the money the university has to spend for external/visiting professors.
oh and standing 12 hours a day in a cubicle , thats also there

so yeah give the guy a break, he is probably busy. anyway try to find a talented undergraduate student, ask the PhD guy since he is def teaching as well and might know a few future bill gates or something.

as for the app, i dont like selling non existing material.fast food always tops any other business, especially in the US,home of the giant land whales.
just make the food as greasy as possible

I know the amount of work required of a PhD student. He doesn't actually know how to code but would have to manage the MVP/protype process. I wasn't asking for full-time just enough to get us a pro type for the competition while i get proof of concept for our clients.

It's a cost benefit type of thing. He decided he had more to gain from his PhD then pursuing this which is fine but now i'm stuck searching for this technical co founder. I do know other programmers but i don't want to have to resort to hire some sh1tty unambitious person so i'm being picky.

I'm currently trying to figure out what i can do to make up for lacking a technical cofounder while also trying to find one.

 

[The_flying_dutchman]

I know the amount of work required of a PhD student. He doesn't actually know how to code but would have to manage the MVP/protype process. I wasn't asking for full-time just enough to get us a pro type for the competition while i get proof of concept for our clients.

It's a cost benefit type of thing. He decided he had more to gain from his PhD then pursuing this which is fine but now i'm stuck searching for this technical co founder. I do know other programmers but i don't want to have to resort to hire some sh1tty unambitious person so i'm being picky.

I'm currently trying to figure out what i can do to make up for lacking a technical cofounder while also trying to find one.

I believe there are websites where you can hire (outsource) programming related tasks to a company in India. Indians are very intelligent, very gifted, and hard working people. All you have to do is tell them what you want.

If I was presented with the option of hiring an American or an Indian, I would hire an Indian. Sad to say, but Americans are the laziest fvcking bastards on earth.

Just a thought.

 

[switch]

dont hire a POT BELLY indian.period.they suck at everything, and do their job in a half assed way, have no work ethic and also stink.
in my profession we regard indians as people who wipe their ass halfway through and leave some sh!t sticking out just so others can enjoy their "body smell" .

a westerner is easier to handle and doesnt smell like he just cooked curry for the salvation army. at this rate very soon we have to outsource our children,penis and everything else to these fvckerz as well...

 

[synergy1]

I wouldn't touch the app market with a 10 foot stick - there are firms out there that do nothing but look for patent violations and basically sue anyone who starts to develop an idea they came up with. basically someone will file for a patent in order to say something is possible, and predatory firms will comb the business ocean to try and find startups or companies that start to actually develop said ideas.

The economy is struggling, but this part of patent law is exploding now ( have a friend who works in such a company). Its a sad state of affairs for the US startups IMO that want to base their initial strategy on application development.

 

[AAAgent]

dont hire a POT BELLY indian.period.they suck at everything, and do their job in a half assed way, have no work ethic and also stink.
in my profession we regard indians as people who wipe their ass halfway through and leave some sh!t sticking out just so others can enjoy their "body smell" .

a westerner is easier to handle and doesnt smell like he just cooked curry for the salvation army. at this rate very soon we have to outsource our children,penis and everything else to these fvckerz as well...

I'm not indian but that's some strong racist remarks there.

I do know that Indian developers from India are cheaper but from what i know and have heard, they make really crappy code. On top of that, they are hard to communicate with, which scratches them off the list.

My app/business doesn't require crazy technical coding and everything is generic. The concept itself for the app is very basic as well but has not been done. The majority of the companies funded by the top Start-up Incubators are App oriented companies.

I don't plan on straying from that Path atm.

 

[AAAgent]

I will start calling corporates/companies to see how many will consider working with my company based off the concept.

In order to do that, i will need to call the companies and keep asking to be put in touch or get the contact info of the person in charge of the xyz department. Once i get that individuals contact info and then get in touch, i'll need to explain my concept to that person letting them know i'm in the process of developing a business app and my funders and would like to know if this is something they would be interested in hearing more about before they consider investing.

Before i even can call the companies, i will need to brainstorm the exact 30 second pitch i will give and also any questions/objections they will give me. Then i will need to email them and get in writing that they would be interested.

 

[The_flying_dutchman]

Wishing you all the best of luck :rockon:

 

[Jariel]

Good luck with the app!

I'm in an almost identical situation. I've designed an app and have created all the art required, but just in need of someone to program it. I was working with someone a month ago, but he just gave up and couldn't get focused. I've had programmers do that to me most of my life and I've learned to expect it now.

It's frustrating isn't it? Especially when you can see the potential behind the idea and just know it could earn a nice little income for everyone involved...and a great app for everyone to use!

 

[AAAgent]

I've been saving my money for the last 3 years or so and have saved a decent amount. Enough to pay a high end development company that is reputable to build my app.

After i get one company to agree to hear more in the future i will reach out to the development company to develop a minimum viable product (MVP aka prototype). By the time the MVP is done and i get the 20 companies i need to say yes. It should be application time for the competition.

 

[backbreaker]

I own a web development company and my best programmer, by a country mile, is indian. I'd be pretty ****ed without him at this point.

Frankley, your project is too small for what we do so I'm not trying to push my compaines stuff on you but PM me before you hire someone so i can look at their stuff for you i can do that for you

If you want to go the indian route i can put you in contact with the guy you need to be put in contact with