skowmunk

I agree, great book. Especially for somebody who is not the 'people' type or comes if one comes from an introverted family.

Its like learning a new language, you suddenly start getting more information about people and situations.

Another suggestion for the shy types (am/was one - in transition :), so please don't take offense) - Goodbye to Shy by Leil Lowndes. (warning - there is quite some cheesy sounding advise, but if you look past that, you can find good usable stuff)

Thanks for the great advice - gives me one more very good option to consider (used to drive taxis, before and after getting jobs).

Without implying that the advice before the edit was any less useful - because that was definitely very good advice - the one you addded in the edit is a gem of a practical advice, especially for me.

I think I was susceptable to getting distracted by "interesting" stuff and it might have helped me get tagged (albeit, unwillingly) as an asshole in the past.

I agree with both the excellent points made by motothemax:

Don't back off from bidding higher than the disered "quotes" mentioned by customers. Once I went for a designer who was quoting more than twice my initial upper limit for that job. when I looked at his profile, he had a very, very long portfolio of his freelanching designs as well as designs he worked on for customers. He had a lot of very high ratings from his past customers and he justified/explained in a similar way that motothemax mentioned about why his rates were higher. Another thing was, he was very professional and upbeat throughout his communications.

So if you did be interested in some feedback on deciding priorites of a customer:

1) Portfolio 2) ratings from past customers (here the readiness to work initially for lower rates, may be usable sometimes) 3) scores on Odesk tests and the distribution of those scores across different tests - its not perfect system, but its better than no scores

I second what boonez123 and aeden said, that was indeed wise advise.

In addition, I would say, as soon as you see a need (but, validated through market research, formal or informal) go after it. There are lots of intelligent people thinking out there, who are as capable as seeing market needs as you or me or the next person. The only thing that matters in these days of open source and low cost startups is execution - who comes first to the market with the better product.

A need that is not met can be a current $0 dollar idea but if developed well can be a future million dollar idea. If you hit on a million dollar idea when you are poor, thats how you would get rich!

Before/during/after college? - 'Now' would be best.

Where was that $500/day washing windows job? If i don't get funding, I might need something like that when I would quit my job and start working on my start up full time

Would hate to drain up my resources by not having any cash flow.

Have you tried odesk.com, elance.com, rent-a-coder.com?

You might find some good competition from East European, Russian and Asian Coders on these sites- some of them are terrific coders/developers, but you also have some inherent advantages.

From experience of working with contractors/programmers on odesk.com, in my opinion these would be your inherent advantages that you can use to market yourself:

1) working and being avalable to work with, during sane hours (for North Am.) - working with somebody from half way across the world, even if they are very good, can be tiring in the long run

2) Cultural acquaintance - Many programmers from the developing world have not been exposed to the day to day life here in the more developed western world. when websites are dealing with making the day to day life easier, dealing with those whose awareness of it is next to nothing could be a big challenge sometimes. (There are some who really good at understanding, though)

Other problem here is, from experience, even if they could speak english, not eveybody can catch the nuances and subtleties of langauge which does have a bearing in good comprehension/communication. (to be honest, even my english is not upto the mark of an equally educated American, though I have lived in the US for almost 1/3rd of my life)

3) The understanding of confidentiality is next to nothing in many countries. Even if the understanding is there, the enforceability of related laws is very poor or next to nothing. So, thats a big biz risk you can market yourself on to North American customers on these sites, especially when dealing with unique ideas.

Good luck.

That is true, quite often time and work gets wasted because the right specs are not decided or not communicated or the right questions not asked up front .

As a supplier of data analysis and reports to cost cutting/six sigma projects, I have seen it too many times where some project leaders don't go by the 'data first' principle. They pre-decide the direction of the project with no or minimal data and then go about collecting selective data supporting their direction.

If its such a burning desire, then you owe it yourself to quench it by trying it at least once (but definitely not half-hearted).

All you need to do is make sure that you have some savings for the family to survive and some more, if it doesn't work out and you need to get back on the job track.

Moreover, if you give it serious shot, give it all you got (obviously refering to non-financial stuff) and it still doesn't work out, all that learning could possibly even bump you to the 7 figure category later.

Good luck.

hmm...so its like the opposite of the concept of a mall - where some people sell and others hang out.

this would be = where some people hang out and others sell

I wonder, which of the retailers won't adapt fast enough to this, lose out, wither and die because of this?

It does look like it can be a retail/sales game changer.

.... exhaustive communication, especially about details ..... and ....communicating. Not micromanaging, not ...

I agree with some of your points, but aren't the 'details" and 'not micromanaging' statments conflicting in what you say?

I would agree, that the people who set up the system should have atleast reviewed the work of the newbie, if they don't have a proper process documentation for managing it. (I often found, that excel based worksheets, though used extensively and sometimes for some really big stuff, are not accompanied by decent documentation)

I like to think, that when an employee doesn't perform well, there are three major sources of factors contributing towards that bad performance: 1) the employee 2) the management immediately above him/her 3) The top management which consiously or otherwise sets up the prevalent culture, which often can be an enabler or a disabler of performances.

In reality though, it could be a mix of factors from any one or more sources, in varying proportion.

Pretty good list of management wisdom. I would have to disagree about one point though:

6. Praise people publicly, but discipline people privately

I used to completely agree with this earlier, but somebody(can't recall who) pointed a problem with this principle, a while ago.

Most things in the work place even if 'done' by one person has contributions from many to enable that person complete that assignment/task/project. Praising that one person in front of others can make the other feel shorted.

I would prefer to do this: "Discipline people privately and praise people privately, unless it is the whole team that is being praised"

Of course, there are always special occasions, when one has to boost up the standing of an employee in front of others, in preparation for bigger roles.

my 2c

Would like to add in another factor into this question -

How long do you want that unity to last? the moment the question of commercialising the output of the project comes up, the competition will come out in the open and the unity will break.

Also, is it really required for the whole humanity to unite to take up a project that can affect humanity? Most of technologies and resources that can enable such a project are in the hands of a very few nations.

Hi,

I was going over your past comments and it looks like we have very similar views (though, mine may be nowhere as extensive). Right from your views on whining about paying taxes, realities of globalization, the tendency to be blunt and directly address the facts underlying an issue instead of being politically correct or soft pedal it, your incisive comments, ability to grasp and have very logical opinions on very diverse topics - they are impressive. I also found your comments, while some were very tough, were also very fair, which I repect in a person.

Can I a request a favor from you: Would you mind reviewing/critiquing my business idea/application for YC?

I think I can be considered as an outsider to the tech industry and relatively new to the world of web startups, the perspectives of a person with as much experience in the technical/start up world as you can be very helpful. (not to mention your no bull but modest approach, as was apparent in your comments)

If you are ok with it, can we discuss further on email? In which case, it would be perfectly fine with me if you want to communicate through an anonymous email id (I can understand, you don't know me) and I can give you information to establish my credentials through my linkedin profile or any other agreeable and credible method.

It would be great if you can let me know either way, either as a reply to this 'comment' or to this email id: skowmunk at gmail.

Thanks, Skomunk.

(ps: Dunno if you would believe, but "Great explanations, you have put ...." and this were definitely not pre-planned or anything like that. It was after posting it that I started going through your past comments and a "why not try asking?" just stuck)

while completely agree with your point, the emergence of such corporate biggies can damage some local small businesses, I would like to present a different side of the same argument (can't help being a devil's advocate :)).

Such big companies and the services that only such big companies can provide have also enabled the development of many new businesses. Its usually those who are complacent and could not adapt to the new business realities who usually get destroyed.

"Do you focus on rich, internet savy countries like Holland or Belgium? Or, do you focus on the next two largest languages online: Mandarin and Spanish? " - Good question

In biz speak (or probably in non-linear programming too), i guess it would be where the different curves meet, the converging point of per capita potential revenues, the volumes (current and future), resources required to tap the market.

Practically this is how the decision tree may look like:

if one has less resources, then it may be wise to tap the market that has the highest per capita of potential revenues(while having reasonably enough volumes)

If one has medium level of resources, then still tap the high per capita market first with the least amount of resouces spent, then once the biz model is validated, deploy the resources for the future biggie market (high vol, low curret potential per capita revenues)

If one has billions to throw like Google, then of course, throw the money in tapping the future biggie and buy off any of the small amart start ups in the developed markets.

Great explanations, you have put the gist of the issue here in the most succint way while covering almost the entire breadth of the problem.

I know I may get downvoted for posting just an agreement/appreciation. But sometimes, it just feels good to openly acknowledge good knowledge and logic. So be it.

I agree, people from a local region or at least those originating from that region can always localize a product better than somebody from half way across the world (unless they are really good at soaking up foreign cultures, even there, there are limits)

And this is the reason why, many of the MNCs have, not just business offices but also technical/development offices across the major markets.

Of course, most startup unless they are really innovative and have some inherent advantages, cannot carry out that feat. One very good example that I can think of which has carried out an excellent simultaneous launch across two different markets is Ginzametrics. In my view Ray Grieselhuber having worked in Japan for long must have been a huge factor in his successfully tapping the market there, right from the start.

I have seen the business side of really great HR/PR policies/strategies like encouraging diversity in workforce that is quite common in the big MNCs. That diverse workforce helps a company gain understanding of a global market much better than a homogenous workforce. Also, that diverse workforce can help a company replicate/customize systems in nascent foreign markets much faster.

Hmm...there is something incredibly sexy about a strategy that delivers a double or triple whammy.

True, Business arrangements like whilte labelling do involve written agreements. But having a written agreement is just one factor, how robust the written agreement is in protecting the rights of the IP owner, hmm that would depend.

And usually you would want lawyers who are on your side of the table to review, if not write up the agreement, not the lawyers that the prospective business partner brings (unless they are a well known and trusted entity whose creds are sky high, like in the case of YC)

Also, a legal document, especially dealing with international business is only as good as the country with the weaker and less robust legal system. I am originally from India, a country with a democratic government, relatively decent free will and an independent judicial system, and still it is far from being as robust as that in the US. Now there are many countries where the legal system is no where as independent as the one in India, so you can make a guess as to how much protection the legal systems in those less 'free' countries will give in spite of having a 'legal document' in place.

This also happens to be the reason why I am trying to set up a company in the US first for my next start up, because it still offers one of the best protection for businesses, while simultatneously being one of the best markets.

Why would somebody whose success depends on safe guarding their IP and developing their IP, share it, especially when they are still small and can't hire an army of lawyers to make sure that their IP is protected even if its shared?

why would white labeling work in an industry, where physical goods have next to no value and the whole value is in a company's IP? isn't white labeling used more in low-IP industries/products?

If one has a low cost back end that can do the translations, do the legal matching work, set up the conditions tables for these things to work seamlessly for different regions while reflecting the options, choices and legalities of the different region, you got a pan-nation service.

Its not impossible, its a matter of matching the possible returns with the costs of carrying out all the customization. Simple terms - ROI - Return on Investment.

Usually for the startups, it could result in better ROI if they invest available funds to increase capabilities and increase survivability in the home market (especially when it is as large as the US and a field as dynamic as the net/IT) than to spend that money on customization of the same services/capabilities in foreign/small markets. Otherwise, one risks losing the home market itself. There's is something from Sun Tzu on that I guess, about securing your home first.

Of course, once the size, sustainability and cash flows grow, then the picture and priorities can change.

That's true, the health care industry is a massive opportunity waiting to be tapped. Not just in the western world, even in the developing world, where the incidence of insurance is increasing.

Many developing countries have had none or next to nothing health insurance till recently. But the market penetration of the healthy insurance is increasing (but still very low now). Because of that more people who could not afford advanced diagnosis or treatments earlier are able to afford them now.

Imagine the potential size of the industry when 1 billion people in India and 1.4 people in China (not to mention a billion or more in other developing countries) can afford as good health care as the 300 million in US, the 450 million in Europe, etc

Could it be that somebody else unrelated to ebay and who is interested in that name send you that email?

Could they have placed a backorder on that domain name and trying to force you to let it expire?

Even if it is an automated mail, I would find it very hard to believe that such a mail would not have some contact info under the "Edith eBay......"

Work hard enough (and smart enough) early enough in your life and you can have an option of taking it easy later in life. If not, you won't even have that option later. Just make sure that you work hard in an area that can help you make money.

But, irrespective of what you say in the post, I think you are already on the right path, you visit HN and you ask for advice, thats definitely a great start.

About the part one not being able to run a business, nobody is born with that capability, they learn one way or the other. So if you learn, you can run one sooner or later.

If you learn enough and fast enough, you don't have to program for 5 hours for the rest of your life, you can manage others who have to program for 5 hours, for you.

Good luck.

I am sorta similar, in the sense used to be more of a introverted/shy person. A tip that I came across in an audio book helped - go early to such meetings when there aren't so many people. Then, the 'circles' wouldn't have formed yet and the early birds themselves would be looking for someone to converse with. It would be easier for you to approach them and make some small talk.

Once you get to acquaint yourself with a few, you will find it easier to join a circle later without being held up by the thought that you don't know 'anybody' in that circle.

Good luck.

I do a different type of data analysis (one of my core job responsibilities), not anything web related and each of the points made in the article are so true to the one that I do.

At the end of day, I guess, all data analysis is similar, its a tool to discern various aspects of reality (or the truth, if one is more philosophical).

And the interpretation of the truth is only as good as the tools used to arrive at it and how well they are used.

I can think negotiations as being important for business/entrepreneurship.

If this interests you, this is one book I have read and am glad I read. It was good enough to open my eyes on certain ways of the business world.

Trump-Style Negotiation: Powerful Strategies and Tactics for Mastering Every Deal by Donald H Ross.

few times when the days were very long and I kept banging my head without a solution, getting a bit of rest helped - was surprised how easy I got the solutions the next day ( I think fatigue was a factor there).

Another thing I have learnt to do and found to be very helpful - surround myself with a lot of good and relevant books.

Around 70% of my programming solutions, I get from the net, the other 30% from books. Quite often (at least for me), the books also help me to figure out what to ask on the net.

These, just in addition to the other very good suggestions in the comments.

would be tough to estimate without knowing their product (and income) pipeline for the future. I am sure they have got more features planned up but not known outside.

It would also depend on how well they implement them in face of competition for those features.

The 5 year one, it would be a joke to even try to estimate it, its too unpredictable in the web business. One misstep, and you can be gone!

It looks like my situation when I joined my current job.

My situation:

Took up a job that I was not looking for(didn't really think I would enjoy it and that I would have to 'bear it' for 18 months, but it satisfied some of my other criteria including my wanting experience in a very large company so that I could observe the culture) (the 18 month thing is the min duration at a job before one can change jobs at this company)

Opinion:

Without alluding that I am better of than if I had gone with what I wanted (project engineering/product development - in line with my previous experience) since I will never that know for a fact, it has been a great learning experience.

The things that I learnt, that I had to do at this job were completely different from what I had done previously, and exactly for that reason it has increased the breadth of my skill set in a very good way. Now, I consider them as invaluable additions in my attempts to achieve my future goals.

Companies spend massive amounts to know what the customers want, domain experts are forced to interface with customers so that they can use the feedback in designing better products or systems.

Your new role can be a treasure trove if you use this opportunity to get inside the customers' minds and give you that added edge if you were to get back into systems design later.

About the 'job responsibility' that you mentioned, this would be my suggestion for you:

By all means, use the fact that you were given responsibilities that you didn't apply for and were not looking for as a negotiating point for better assignments, favors or whatever..

But, if you really try to limit yourself to 'job responsibilities' you will be shorting yourself, closing yourself to new learning experiences that can actually enrich your knowledge base.

Dive into it and learn all you can. That is, if you really can't change the jobs and get what you want.

Good luck. (Make lemonade when life gives you a lemon :))