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A spreadsheet of the businesses I've started over the past 15 years

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Re: A spreadsheet of the businesses I've started over the past 15 years

#101

Post by tonyedgecombe »

WilliamEdward wrote: post #33

One thing that separates entrepreneurs from normal people is they aren't afraid of having stupid ideas. A good 90% of the ideas on this list, particularly the early ones, are laughable and are ideas you wouldn't catch a serious individual dead trying to come up with. Some people try from the start to be perfect and always fail because they don't understand you need dumb little ideas to be an entrepreneur.

It's often been a surprise to me which projects succeed, several times I've looked at a product and thought that is never going to work only to be proved wrong.

Re: A spreadsheet of the businesses I've started over the past 15 years

#102

Post by zerr »

andyidsinga wrote: post #87
WilliamEdward wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is nothing wrong with working for others if it fulfills you. I envy people who can have comfortable lives with happy families and a simple desk job that pays for what they need. Something in my brain is telling me I need more or I won't be happy, so I have many startups I'm working on and have exclusively begun working for myself. The grass is always greener on the other side, that much I can say. Enjoy your co…

This! - I'm in a similar space myself. At once envious of those happy with a decent day job - corp or whatever (one of my good buddies is a "garbage man" and he seems pretty damn happy). A year into struggling as an entrepreneur and no longer working at BigCo - I couldn't be happier despite having to live with a crazy amount of anxiety :)

And there is that middle-ground of being an independent consultant from where it is even harder to make a step, especially when taking in count your own hourly rate :)

Re: A spreadsheet of the businesses I've started over the past 15 years

#103

Post by segmondy »

safgasCVS wrote: post #7

I don't understand this spray and pray approach to business - I'm not businessman so I may be talking out my ass - but I would have thought business is like a long term relationship. May as well have a spreadsheet of 50 failed marriages. If you aren't in it for the long haul what are you doing?

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_portfolio_theory

Re: A spreadsheet of the businesses I've started over the past 15 years

#104

Post by dedupely »

adventured wrote: post #98
dedupely wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh I forgot. My "big break" product was actually from a mentor who needed the prduct. Had nothing to do with me hunting it down. Kind of funny actually. I can't really tell you what the secret to any success it accept seems that the more you work in the direction you want to go the closer you get. But some of it is just luck. Don't have any strong opinions for you.

> I can't really tell you what the secret to any success You just did ;) Right here: > My "big break" product was actually from a mentor who needed the prduct. Had nothing to do with me hunting it down. That's one of the great secrets to success right there, build something that you already know someone needs. Considerably reduces the role of the luck factor and guess-work.

True, you hit the nail on the head. All the new businesses I start (nowadays) comes down to: do we already have customers? Is there a real (proven) demand for this?

Bottom line, can we prove that this won't be a waste of time?

This is why I don't open the text editor and start new stuff that I come up with now days. I'm too traumatized from all the lessons I've learned to do that. Getting above water is the biggest hurtle. After that you realize that you don't need to touch anything that risks going nowhere.

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