Archives of Business Idea

StartupChile (Round 2.1) all finished, thoughts

The odd thing is that I’ve been trying to write this post for 3 months. Having started and stopped several times (including during the flight back from Chile on Oct 15th) I figure I ought to put something out. The journey was, it turns out, somewhat of a roller-coaster ride. Early in January Kyran Dale […]
12 years ago

How I’m writing The Screencasting Handbook

Many people have asked why I’m writing a book without a publisher.  The story has interested a bunch of people so I’ll outline the basics here. Update: there’s a related article by Marc-André Cournoyer covering how he wrote his “Create your own programming language” eBook. I started writing The Screencasting Handbook in the middle of […]
15 years ago

Vicinity-like iPhone app for ‘nearby people I’ve met on-line’?

Another from the crazy ideas dept…. Whilst preparing for the ‘How to build a network‘ workshop last week I got to wondering about conferences and groupings of geeks (and Normals, but they need to catch-up with our tech first). Why is it that when I’m at a conference or event, I don’t know if anyone […]
15 years ago

Recognising number plates to make drivers’ ‘social network’?

Warning – this is a rambling mental outpouring generated during my drive home today… Often when driving I muse on the future possibility of seeing an AR overlay on my windscreen telling me a bit about other drivers – principally whether or any of these drivers are nutters who will drive dangerously.  Sometimes it is […]
15 years ago

The Micropreneur Academy

Rob Walling has been working to build the Micropreneur Academy – a focused site aimed at MicroISV’s who want to grow their businesses into high-value, fast-growth affairs (original May announce). He contacted me a few months back to ask if I’d like to contribute an article on how screencasts can boost sales of software products, […]
15 years ago

£5 App Xmas Special Listing Details

We’re plotting our 14th £5 App meet.  This, our second Christmas Special, will have a gamesy happy crimbo feel.  Picture (from a few months back) kudos to Josh: Date: Wednesday 10th December, sign-up on Upcoming please.  Location The Werks (Hove nr Palmeira Sq) – note their piggy bank for a second projector at the end […]
16 years ago

“Set your own price” for goods?

[Update – added Kottke.org micropatron report near the end] RadioHead have taken a bold move with their latest album “In Rainbows” as they allow fans to set their own pricing for the digital download (summary, long write-up with pictures of the process). Except for a fixed credit-card overhead (around 45p) it seems that you can […]
17 years ago

Becoming a Freelance Programmer (Part 3)

Most people are helpful and supportive of freelancers. They know that freelancers survive by being good, trustworthy and helpful and so they try to help. Do remember to tell people that you are freelancing, what you do and what you’re looking for. Don’t bore them, just let them know what you need and they’re bound […]
17 years ago

Becoming a Freelance Programmer (Part 2)

Turning yourself into a freelancer is easy – you probably want a Ltd. company (see Part 1) and you need to know what you are offering, where you are offering it (probably local places that you can travel to) and who you are offering it to. Articles: Introduction, Successful Freelancing, Talking to People, Making a […]
17 years ago

Becoming a Freelance Programmer (Part 1)

Three years ago I dropped out of being a paid-employee and switched to being a consultant. I’ve had a number of people ask about my experiences as they’re interested in following a similar route. I’m going to write a short set of posts on the subject and I welcome questions. Articles: Introduction, Successful Freelancing, Talking […]
17 years ago