• Software – Remember when you needed to be a programming genius and to work at a designated software development company to create software? That’s not really the case anymore with computers now being a household item and programming languages getting simpler and more powerful. There are more than a few iPhone apps that have been created at home in someone’s spare time.
• Manufacturing – Back in the day, if you wanted to make a small trinket you had to find someone to design it (and you pay for it), find someone to create some prototypes (and you pay out the nose for that), figure out what’s next, spend more money, you’re done…thus it was mostly for large companies with their own equipment or loads of money to do. Now anyone with a good CAD program (getting cheaper now so you can have this on your home computer) and a 3D printer like the MakerBot can create stuff right at home. Sweet!
• Writing – No longer do you need to toil on your typewriter, have an editor, hope you get a deal with a publisher, and cross your fingers to be an author. Now you can write and self-publish your books in various outlets, in various mediums (print, ebook, etc). If you can think it up, you can write it!
• Audio and Visual Arts – Gone are the days of needing to work at a top design firm or Disney to have access to the best computers, cameras, video cameras, recording equipment, and so forth. Now you can create, edit, add effects, produce, and distribute from the comfort of your own home. We all know how much the recording industry is loving this.
• Business Opportunities- The shrinking of the world has created opportunities for everyone. You can outsource programmers if you need, you can import/export more easily, collaborate with your team on the other side of the country, not to mention finding funding or being found is easier…it basically makes everything mentioned above so much simpler.

The barriers are gone…or at least lowered to a manageable level. What the hell are you waiting for? Get out there and create something. There’s really no excuse to sit around thinking you can’t do something. Many fortunes have been created by some industrious folks sitting around in their garage or dorm room recently. I believe it’s your turn to create some cool stuff. I’m working on it as we speak.

Here’s what we have to look forward to in the next few upcoming posts. I started a comparison of two different virtualization apps, Sun’s open source VirtualBox and the non-open source VMWare Fusion. I started testing these two side-by-side on a MacBook Pro with both Windows XP and the Ubuntu distro of Linux. My initial notes and thoughts will be posted and I’ll let you know what I eventually ended up using and why.

I’ll also be setting up a new social networking site or two. I had started to set up one site using BuddyPress but eventually nixed that. Stay tuned and you’ll see why. Next up will be me evaluating other social networking frameworks such as Elgg, Dolphin 6 from Boonex, and possibly PHPibazi. If anyone has any thoughts on those solutions or others let me know and I’ll take a look into them.

I’ve also picked up a few side projects toying around with concrete5. I had tried it out maybe a year or so ago but didn’t stick with it. However, after trying it out again a couple months ago I must admit I like what I see. Dubbed as CMS by some and a “website builder” by others (that’s how it is labeled by some ISPs and they even have SimpleScripts installations on various ISPs). I will of course report on my findings, likes, dislikes, and the such.

What’s going on with Sprint?!? I know, I know, you’re all used to me reporting and commenting on Sprint Nextel’s latest news. I will once again be getting back to my analysis of the number 3 cellular carrier in the US.

Can the Palm Pre survive? Who knows. It’s a pretty damn good phone but…where the hell are the apps? If Apple has taught us anything with the iPhone, it’s that apps are key to the next successful smartphone. There are plenty of smartphones out there. How many can you name? Coincidence? I think not.

It’s funny how companies can change…sometimes it happens immediately (Give Me a Mac went from a “please help I need a new computer” concept to this new vision within half a week of inception) and sometimes it takes decades (remember when IBM made typewriters…moved into the computer hardware arena and now they are a software and services company).

Change is good. Helping out the needy is good. It’s good to see that entrepreneurs still care about the community (yes, I’m talking about myself here but mad props also go to the Woz and, as much as I’m not a fan of Microsoft business practices, I’m fairly pleased with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation).

Go check out Give Me a Mac, donate your old Mac if you can (not looking for money…just computers), and ponder how we can use technology to improve the lives of others. Once you’ve looked it all over and pondered it all shoot some comments and ideas on over and we’ll continue to teach the ways of being a computer geek to those that need it.

Seriously people…be HAPPY you can get two million dollars, especially now in this economy. While so many people (save from those AIG execs) make a modest living and live paycheck to paycheck. A few more put in a good day’s work and make a bit more. However, this being the celebrity-crazed, sports-loving, voyeuristic society that we live in, we love to see the football players with their multi-million dollar contracts, the movie stars that make $40 million per movie, the companies that are being run by college kids that are being bought for hundreds of millions. Time to come back to reality…

I was reminded that we need to come back down to earth as I was talking to a friend (and coincidentally a business partner from another company we co-founded and sold off many years ago) about one of his pet projects that we’re about to revitalize. Years ago we parted ways (on a good note of course! no speculation here people…we’re best friends and always will be) as he went off to law school and I continued on with my wily ways. As a Mac user he was having a frustrating time in a PC-centric world of law and education, thus he started up the site Mac Law Students. He was bound and determined to find solutions to his Mac problems (what time tracking software is there for the Mac? How can you take an exam that was designed for PCs? What’s the best solution for…) and report this to other law students who didn’t want to trade in their Macs simply to go to school and practice law. (In a funny random side note, my first real gig out of college was doing support for an IP law firm that was all Mac-based aside from the Netware server here and there). The site became fairly popular but as we all have time constraints he could not continue on with this after graduation. It’s been a while since that decision was made and he decided it’s time to bring it back.

So just what does this all mean? What am I rambling about? I start with billion dollar deals and then move on to a small niche site? Stay with me here…

We  have no illusions that doing this site will make anyone stupid rich. And ya know what? That’s ok. It’s kind of a fun project to work on and could bring some sort of notoriety down the road, but it’s just a fun thing for now that could help fund a hobby or two.

Or could it get bigger? Who knows. I mean, wasn’t that company Apple started in a garage? Did you know the first Apples had a WOODEN case? Or those other little companies (FaceBook, Microsoft, Yahoo, etc) started in dorm rooms or as small things that happened to get big? I believe so.

Not EVERY venture needs millions in seed money just to get off the ground. Take a good idea, some passion, and some hard work and you can succeed. Not only can you succeed, you can go nuts and thrive.

So if you’ve got a good idea that you want to try, just go ahead and do it. Maybe you’ll get rich. Maybe you won’t. However, if you don’t even try there’s a 100% chance you WON’T have something to sell off for a hefty price. At the very least, find something you enjoy doing and then you can have something fun to do. At the upper end you’ve got something you can possibly retire on. Think small and go big.

1) Have An Idea And Put Your All Into It – This school of thought is just like it sounds. You have an idea. This is your baby. Your drop everything else and you work on it. You eat, breathe, sleep to this thing. You ignore other opportunities as you work on this. Your entire life is dedicated to getting this idea off the ground and you won’t rest until you do so. The pros to such is that you won’t distract yourself with other ideas. You won’t spread yourself too thin…especially if another project you are working on develops a problem. You know you’re doing all you can for this idea. There can be cons though…if you go into this with the blinders on and focus solely on this you may miss a great opportunity simply because you’re working on this. You could also burn yourself out. And if this one fails, then what?

2) Work On Many Ideas At Once – Again…it’s just as it sounds. You’ve got a couple great ideas and you work on each one. They can be similar ideas or completely different. They may complement each other or they could be totally separate from each other. You find yourself spending your days working on everything and anything that pops up. The cons to this are immediately apparent. You could quite easily stretch yourself too thin and end up neglecting one (or more) idea(s) if you end up working on one (no matter if it’s filled with fires you’re trying to put out or if it suddenly gains momentum and your time/energy). It could sap your financial coffers as you work on them all. Then again, the pros are there too. If one fails, you’ve got the others to work on. Perhaps one will take longer to incubate while others offer a faster return. You can work on one idea if you get burned out on another on any given day.

As I stated earlier, I’ve been in both situations. I’ve seen others in one situation, the other…or both.

Which one works for you? Thoughts on such?

So there I was…jobless already. Oddly enough, I didn’t fret. I’ll admit my heart sank (or maybe it was my adam’s apple dropping down to my stomach…it all felt pretty much the same). How am I going to pay these bills? What am I going to do with life? Ummmm…well…

However, within minutes of putting it out there (Twitter…which also fed to Facebook) I was getting loads of messages from people. Resume was sent out within an hour to someone but more importantly I was reassured that opportunities still exist.

I’m a firm believer in pursuing our passions. I don’t care if I’m good at this and that and I SHOULD do something based on a particular skillset. If it’s not my passion it still leads to a fairly miserable existence. We’ve all heard the phrase “I work to live, not live to work”. Now, given this economy one would say “stop being so damn picky and get whatever job you can.” Problem is, EVERYONE is doing that…which means we’ve got a nation full of miserable people.

In the past few weeks I’ve seen a few other friends and associates lose their jobs too. The associates that I knew gained instant street cred with me because instead of boo-hooing how rough life was and lamenting on the fact they don’t have a job, they went out and started their own ventures. This is the perfect time to start your own thing (given you’re filling the right niche). Why wait for someone to tell you that you’ve got no job anymore? It just doesn’t make sense to me. Why not go out and work hard and reap the rewards of your hard work? Control your destiny, stay in control of your financial security, and do what you like.

So here I am…Friday afternoon, jobless, nothing lined up yet, pondering life. It gives me the opportunity to not leave my girlfriend for three weeks, the opportunity to have a few more drinks cheering on the Steelers in the Super bowl this weekend than I would if I was in training, and I’ve got the opportunity to work with some great people doing what I’m truly passionate about. I’m hoping I’ll have even better news to report by early next week. Stay tuned…

Keep your heads up. Don’t look at this as a time that is beating us all down. Look at it as a time to separate the weak from the strong. Look at it as a time to find new opportunities. I’ve seen more opportunities now than I have in the past few years. You can do it too…you just have to believe in yourself, your abilities, and have the will and determination to get out there and do it the way YOU know it should be done. Here’s to all the entrepreneurs that are taking the risks and realizing the rewards.

Are you done rolling your eyes and calling me various derogatory names? It’s true…all true. Now granted, those of you that know me and those of you that have been loyal readers for a while have known about this entrepreneurial bug that inhabits my body. There is no vaccine that can rid me of this thing. I’m glad though…very glad. It keeps me fresh, it keeps me young, and it keeps me on top of my game. I will never be complacent or rest on my laurels as many do once they establish themselves in a job.

So…back to the details. I had a job doing support work for a company that does EDI. Probably the worst company I’ve ever worked for (the management decisions that these buffoons made were mind boggling) and the position took a turn for the worse as they moved me to the graveyard shift. Yeahhh…my body didn’t react to well to that, let alone scaling back on every social and networking event for the past few months. Finally enough was enough and I started up another consulting firm to start bringing in some side money until I had the company established enough to take care of me…or until I found a better job.

Both came to fruition. I found a MUCH better job (better pay, better hours, better company, better benefits, better all around). As nice as it was to have a “stable” job during these times I never stopped looking. Lo-and-behold, look what happens.

BUT…the true excitement comes in the side work I was doing. Originally contacted to do some web work, I was able to help them out with their immediate needs while spewing forth some business ideas. I couldn’t help it…I saw so much untapped potential in what was going on and soon we were feeding off each other, tossing ideas back and forth and discussing how to move forward on a myriad of projects, new products, business ideas, and so forth. Now I’m already pulled into the fold and in discussions to be a permanent member of this all. I’m not at liberty to discuss the details yet…but, let me tell ya…it’s big. And all this came about because I refused to put the blinders on, refused to be complacent, and was able to jump on an opportunity as I saw fit.

So that’s where things stand now. My desire to stay on top of things, to better myself, to help those that deserve the best, and to leave myself open to opportunities as they arise has opened a few doors for me and they are all very exciting.

No matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, keep the possibilities open to explore new opportunities. It doesn’t always have to be as drastic as quitting your job but can instead be an opportunity make new friends, partake in a new activity, enjoy life. Keep your eyes open and undoubtedly you will see something good that is worth jumping on.

“It’s too hard to start one.”
No it’s not. There are companies out there that handle all the work for you and help you choose between a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or LLC.

“It’s too expensive.”
No it’s not. You can do all the paperwork yourself and only have to deal with the licensing fees and such or again, you can get in touch with one of those company forming entities and lay down $500 or so and have them do it.

“I don’t have time.”
Really? Is “Wheel of Fortune” keeping you from achieving financial independence?

You don’t have to aim for the stars to get your own company going. Don’t think you have to compete with Microsoft, Target, Chevrolet…whoever it may be in order to succeed with your own company. There are so many niche things out there that you can do. Better yet, do what you like…and get paid for it.

Do you like to sew? Do it…sew to your heart’s content and then sell your goods online, at a flea market, at a consignment shop.
How about programming? I’ve seen some simple programs be the foundation of companies as they’ve grown over the years. You can do it too.
Photography? Design? There’s a need for that, both digital and print.

I just want to emphasize that you don’t need to make $100,000.00 a year with your new company to be successful. Wouldn’t it be nice to make an extra $20,000.00/year just by doing what you already enjoy doing? So why not do it? With unemployment rates the highest they’ve been in the past 14 years, it’s worth a shot. At least you’ll be pulling in some revenue in the unfortunate case of getting laid off. This can help you survive until your next gig. It can also hone your skills as you look for something new. If nothing else, it’ll show potential employers that you’ve got the will to succeed. It also affords you the luxury of not having to find such a high paying job out in the market place as you’ll already have this side gig bringing in supplemental income. That means you can have more jobs available to you as you get to lower your starting salary range.

Go on. Get out there. Start a new company. Many giant companies started in dorm rooms, in garages. If you want to be the best, there’s hope. If you want to keep it simple and simply have a supplement to your income, keep it small. It’s that easy. There aren’t many good reasons out there why you shouldn’t have a business of your own right now. Start up and have fun!

So why have I been remiss in my duties? It’s been busy out there. In case nobody has noticed, our economy is going in the shitter. Luckily I wasn’t one of those that bought a house during the bubble so I’m not affected too much by that, however the ensuing stock market meltdown has hit me. Thus I’ve been busy working on some side projects and on the new gig I’m doing at an EDI company.

One interesting thing to note is an article I read in a small business/entrepreneurial focused magazine. They noted that many small business owners were closing down shop and returning to Corporate America. I found that rather ironic as I was just finishing up my paperwork to start another company. I’d much rather build something solid, something I trust, something I know the ins and outs of and how it is affected by market conditions, the economy, the competition, and so forth instead of being an underling in some company that cuts jobs reacting to those forces. The new gig is still in the works…a lot depends on me getting back to the Bay Area and simply being in close proximity to the tech geeks, the VCs, and just a culture that fosters such innovative thought. With a mix of a couple big ideas and enough smaller ones I think I’ll be able to sustain life while working on the small ones and hopefully hitting one out of the park if one or more of the big ones take off.

I must give credit to a longtime friend from Carnegie Mellon who sent me a text message tonight. His text not only supplied yet another good business idea for me to mull over but it also inspired me to hop on here and let my readers know I’m still alive and kickin’. Thanks Stu…I owe ya one.

Just a few more random thoughts before signing off for the night.

1) The process for getting Apple to sign off on selling apps for the iPhone is ridiculous. I’ve been talking to a few friends about various ideas (three or four good ones to start things off) but after seeing the time and brain drain we’re rethinking that. Can we say Android anyone?

2) Android phones…I didn’t really plan on getting giddy about them but after seeing HTC’s G-1 phone…good…freakin’…googly. I want that. I’m looking forward to seeing how it fares out in the real market.

3) “What about the Samsung Instinct that you’ve been talking so much about?” Eh…after picking it up and using it for a bit, I was less than impressed. I still love my Treo (Palm OS-based…not the new Windows version) and love Sprint’s plans and service. I just hope Palm comes out with a new OS soon or I will be tempted to wander…

I think you’ve got enough of my rambling for now. I’ll try not to let side projects keep me from posting. As always, if anyone has a question or a comment please feel free to write. Interaction makes life much more enjoyable.