How to Really Complete a project? | Hacker News Reader

How to Really Complete a project?

9 pointsunknownhad4 comments

Hi, I work over projects which are helpful for disabled people.

Completed a project named "Bol" which is an Android application for Autistic kids [1] . Link to download app from play store is at [2].

Which I have donated to The Autistic Society of India, With the collaboration of SAP labs they launched it over Play Store.

I was working over one more project named "Drishti: Feel The View" [3]. Which was loved by Blind people when I show my prototype to them.Which I have to stop because of funds constraint.

And presently I was working over 1 more project for the blind, which I felt like they really needed it and faced the same problem FUNDS.

I am well paid employee in a good company So I don't need money for doing all this awesome work, But these projects do need so I spent all my savings on these projects with which I never thought about making money out of them.

But now I feel like I should save some money for myself, but I am not sure if I am not going to pay for these projects then how can I bring these things to the end.

All these projects are just to make me feel good and worthwhile, which have nothing to do with my current profession or company.

What my approach should be according to you guys, so that I can complete these projects and provide prototypes for free ?

[1]: http://techautismandme.wordpress.com/2014/05/10/bol-v1-1/ [2]: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bol.app [3]: http://techautismandme.wordpress.com/2014/02/24/drishti-feel-the-view/

Would finding non-profits or some form of crowd-funding be an option?

What do you spend money on?

I am glad you asked,

I am not an electronics guy, so for every new I have to buy it myself, sometimes it is ok for small projects, but in the long run it is not that easy.

For example, I bought Kinect then I have to buy Arduino boards, then Rasberrypi the whole electronics kit and all these things are very small but after that I felt like I needed to test Google glass, but that was too costly that I can afford the same thing with 3D printer too so I tried to build one for myself. This might Sound like few not so costly things, but when they all add up I am all over with my funds, Last thing is travelling after development of some prototyping to get the subject's view for that. All these things do delays the project and in most of the cases the project became dead.

First, you're obviously a very good person. It sounds like you're trying to solve some very difficult, expensive problems. Kudos for having the courage to tackle these problems and the dedication to wipe out your own savings in the process.

However, people who are as dedicated as you still need to protect themselves. In this case, it sounds like you're experiencing some financial stress as a result of your endeavours. Not only does stress like this interfere with your personal life, but it will also make your activism less effective. We need people like you to be able to run marathons and not just 100m sprints!

My advice is to network as much as you can and find a group of likeminded people with complimentary skills. Because you're the kind of person who believes giving back is important, you're also the kind of person who can motivate others to do the same. If you can find a likeminded group of people, not only will you get access to more skills, but you'll get access to more equipment. I also suggest that you blog about your projects, tell stories about people you have helped, and ultimately treat your social endeavours like a business. Buzz will attract volunteers at first and eventually donors.

In the meantime, ruining your finances will harm the very people you want to help because if you experience financial ruin, you'll have less time and inclination to help. Therefore, focus on the types of projects you can implement in your own community, using equipment and skills you already have. It's good to dream big, but with social entrepreneurship it is more important to dream sustainably.

Edit - I won an award for some social entrepreneurship that I was involved in. If you'd like to talk with a likeminded person, my email is on my profile!

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