Hashing out details in a constructive matter is always a big challenge; most likely the product/service idea is yours if you’re the center of the entire project and it’s tough for us to separate ourselves from this in hopes of objectively digesting information.

At this time is when you must take on a dual existence and step into the third person. Objectivity is essential, whatever you’re selling shouldn’t have any emotions attached to it and unfortunately this is the case when we’re self-propelling ourselves.

There’s no need to offer long and drawn out resolution for matters such as this. The resolution is simply being aware. Cognizance will enable you to make the appropriate decision when the time comes.

A couple of weeks ago a good friend of mine was riddling me with his tales from the cube. He works at a major tech corporation in Silicon Valley; we’ll leave the level of detail at that. Anyways, he mentioned to me that he had recently received a bill from his employer which broke down his company internet usage in dollars and cents. Shocked was I to hear that his amount for the previous month was a few hundred dollars! It’s important to keep in mind that not everyone is as calm and collective as said friend who works at tech corporation; many of the surrounding employees who received this bill began to fret into a world of panic. They didn’t realize that the company was only informing, not charging.
Of course we both laughed as this story, as it was being told. In a world where cable internet is $50+ per month and DSL is $20-30 per month, how in Sam Hain is a company going to tell their employees that they’re individually responsible for a few hundred dollars of net usage?

It’s a slice of what the connected society is coming to. I envision a day where all internet freedom is lost inside a company. I’m all for filters and blocking out gambling, porn, etc. from the employees but it’s ridiculous to think that a company will expect their employees not to have the simple pleasures of checking their personal e-mail, logging into their favorite social network, or reading sports news on their site of choice. Ridiculous to me and you, not ridiculous to all as undoubtedly this is what we’re headed for.

All the more reason to self employ yourself; get unlimited internet for $12.99 per month!

If you’re developing a niche product, then chances are its success will be determined by how well versed you are in that same niche. The point is that you should be the judge, jury, and executioner when it comes to making critical decisions. It’s human nature to follow instead of lead. That’s why there are more followers than leaders. Basically, if you’re not comfortable being a leader then your product is destined for failure.

Your product development initially starts at point A with intentions of getting to point B. If you allow point B to become point Z then you’ve just inserted 25 points of confusion into your path to success. Trust yourself, the worst that could happen is that you learn a few new lessons which may be applied to your next iteration!

Many of us entrepreneurs put a great deal of effort in building our home office. Ikea furniture, state of the art desktop computer… but the kitchen and living room only ten steps away. If you’re like me, then this is a problem. So if we’re not able to fulfill our professional dreams within the confines of our own home then what are we supposed to do?

Leasing an office is very 20th century. In this era of laptops, Wi-Fi, EV-DO, etc. it is very efficient to work from hotspots, libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops. There may be a nominal fee for internet usage and you may splurge on an occasional java or two but other than that everything else is paid for.

My personal favorite is the bookstore. I view these places as advanced libraries in that there inventory is a lot more up to date. It’s hard to read up on recent trends at the library because none of the books are for sale; they’re not as motivated to stock the shelves with the latest titles. Working from local Borders is quite the opposite. When you’re at the bookstore, don’t feel bad about reading a book or magazine from within the store confines and not paying for it. Look around, everyone else is doing it to. Think of it as an implicit fee that is being paid when you drop $5 for a coffee.

The point is, a realized benefit of being my own boss is that I have a dynamic office. If you compiled the top 10 reasons that forced successful business icons onto their own path, I’d bet that one of those reasons is lack of freedom within the corporate office. As long as I have my Thinkpad and Treo I’m confident that I’ll never have to sit through the monotony defined by the confines of the same desk and chair everyday.

For example, I recently received a document in the mail addressed to my business. It looked very official, almost as if it were sent by our friends at the government. Upon inspection, I read through an enclosed form which gave details about California corporate law and the necessity to keep corporate minutes. The document also requested that I mail $150 to the pseudo-federal return address. I was confused, wondering if I had overlooked something in the incorporation process. None of the content I received looked like marketing content…except for the 6 point text at the bottom of the document that read, “This is a solicitation for business services.”

Lesson learned, I will now use my better judgment and instinct when faced with similar future situations. I believe this is just the beginning, long gone are the days when all the junk mail your business receives is for office furniture and stationary. The predators are out there and they are sophisticated as ever; looking for a quick buck.

Don’t let them fool you; it is without a doubt that these business spammers are making money off of their unethical practices. Caveat emptor, our duty as the self employed is to be aware than this and force these spammers into chapter 11 bankruptcy!

For example, surf onto any corporations’ website and take a gander at their mission statement. This is usually abstract in meaning and does not contain much tangible sense. However, any executive will tell you that the mission statement is one of the most important facets within the foundation of a company. If your business wishes to exude honesty, integrity, and loyalty, then you’ll need to draft tangible business operations in order to achieve this. It is these tangible tasks that make up the elements that are contained in the entrepreneur’s periodic table.

Society is constantly searching for new scientific compounds to improve quality of life; society also has it’s arms open to new and useful business ideas. Titrate these ideas and the elements of success will be revealed!

Picture your company as a football team. If you’re in charge then you’re playing quarterback. We all know that great QBs throw touchdown passes. However, they also have their fair share of interceptions as well. As the catalyst for the entire team, it’s important to deal with the disappointment of committing an error by analyzing the situation in which you failed and doing your best to figure how to reverse the outcome the next time around. Whether it’s the 1st, 2nd, or nth time after, eventually you should be able turn the odds into your favor.

So now that we’ve established what a niche is, how does one go about finding one? To me it’s simple; do what interests you! Admittedly, I was one that would try to justify that what I was doing in computer engineering actually appealed to me. I figured that if I was going to be stuck doing this (as a means to get by) then I’d better well enjoy it. However, I was never able to excel in that role and it made me wonder, “Is this what I’ve spent my whole life working towards?”

Enter the world of sports and technology. For me the fusion of the two creates a vision that isn’t shared by many people. I would define this as a “my niche.” It’s intangible to many and not reproducible by most. If we look at society today, one can see that the upper echelon of success is comprised of entertainers, athletes, musicians, etc. Chances are that these people are uniquely skilled in their profession of choice; almost as if they were created (by whichever way you believe!) for that specific purpose.

The challenge lies in identifying this purpose. There may be multiple iterations in the discovery process but I believe it’s safe to say that you know when you’ve found it. Take a snapshot of society today and you’ll see living proof of people being able to do what they want (successfully) simply because they set their minds to it.

Give me a break! The sad fact is, most of us have no idea what the startup environment is like. Once again, I’m new to all of this and shouldn’t be mistook for a veteran. However, I do value my opinion very highly and if you’re reading this then chances are you do too. Most people will look onto your wishful endeavors and see them just as that: wishful. I figure one of the unique things about our dreams is that they’re so abstract that only ourselves (and choice others) really understand their significance. I’m not talking about dreams in our sleep rather our dreams of success. As clear as it may seem to you and your business partners, don’t expect everyone else to see it that way.

Understand that starting your own business goes against the grain of the American working class. Sure, we all want to be our own boss, set our own hours, take vacations whenever we want, and still get paid. The latter is the toughest part; seldom can we have the best of all worlds. Because of this, the majority of society punches a clock. In turn, the majority of society thinks you should do this too.

Being mentally prepared for situations such as this is paramount in achieving success. Consider yourself a scenario machine that constantly runs plays through your head, each yielding different results. The more data you can crunch, the bigger your database gets. You’ll need to consult this database when the unforeseen problems occur.

Don’t be caught slipping!

-Jay S.

]]> http://alreadyfording.com/?feed=rss2&p=6 http://alreadyfording.com/?p=4 http://alreadyfording.com/?p=4#comments Mon, 27 Mar 2006 23:35:34 +0000 Jay S. CommentaryDellGalileoIBMTesla http://alreadyfording.com/?p=4 There are many realizations that occur once the transition is made from the corporate office to the startup garage. One of these is the answer to the question: “What am I doing this for?”

Everything we do should have purpose. When we buy toothpaste it’s for the purpose of brushing our teeth, we pay for gas so we can drive from point A to point B, but why does one start a business? If your answer is “To make money,” then chances are you’ll be part of the statistic which constitutes failing startups. An analysis of my motives revealed something that I’m comfortable with; a justification for my endeavors which lies outside the realm of financial gain.

To me, it’s all about being able to pursue spontaneous delusions of grandeur. Ideas only become great after they’ve been successful; until then they are only delusions. Think about it, Galileo was exiled because of his then wayward astrological ideas, Tesla was ridiculed for claiming that we would never be able to explore the vast regions of Space. Only today do we see them as innovators of thought, pioneers of the unknown.

I don’t believe young minds are afforded this liberty when they first start working. Perhaps, after 10-15 years of diligence would someone like myself be entrusted to make the decisions on whether we should go with Dell or IBM for our laptops. Seriously though, with what I’ve seen (and heard) the only way I figure happiness in my work is if I’m allowed the freedom to create, manage, execute, and deliver.

Put me in the driver seat and I’ll get to the finish line first, give me the 1st place trophy! The last thing I want to do is ride in a bus on cruise control and receive a consolation prize.

It’s about facing the challenge and ultimately winning; being the best is all the gratification one could ask for…don’t twist my arm to give me the winner’s check either!

-Jay S.