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So the 70's retro look is big in SA? FAIL
"You get that on the big jobs."
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Spamming is the quickest way to destroy a successfull business - voted to remove 
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
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Hi!
I know some lot of web development as well as software development.
So, can I start a business of that??
Will I get customers for making softwares and websites?
I mean, will only the huge software companies get customers, can I too get customers and rely on this business?????
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Well I am no Business guy but, I think you should find out what people need .. like what problem people face using internet or software or mobiles or watever and then find a solution to that problem. Develop a gud solution a gud product and then concentrate on marketing ur gud work...
and then hope that it clicks!..
take care
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Do some Situation Analysis and SWOT Analysis
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Member 7697383 wrote: I mean, will only the huge software companies get customers, can I too get customers and rely on this business?????
It depends on how you are thinking of making your business work, As I am thinking the same thing at the moment with a friend.
1. You can delve into the market of making a product and selling it
2. You can market your contracting services
Or as a mate of mine did made a product but while making his product took on contract work to make ends meet now his product is up and running he's stopped the contracting
As barmey as a sack of badgers
Dude, if I knew what I was doing in life, I'd be rich, retired, dating a supermodel and laughing at the rest of you from the sidelines.
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Hei..., nice to meet you.
That is a very good question. Why not? I am not capable of making software and I only know little about web development. One of my website is about rattan and wicker furniture. It's not a software..., but I can get money from it. I made the website and I am paid for that. Everything starts from small to get bigger and bigger. By the way..., what kind of software can you make? Just remember that you know it that google was made in garage!
I love rattan and wicker furniture. Using it can help this very old earth to stay green.
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Yes you can.
However there is much more to it than just knowing the technical side.
There is Cash Flows, Marketing, Pricing Structures, Business Models, Taxation and Legal Requirements, Insurances, etc
More difficult than you may be aware of.
------------------------------------
I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave
CCC Link[ ^]
Trolls[ ^]
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Great suggestion. 5!
I like those Pete's articles.
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dude, u need a sales guy to sell ur products and do the marketing stuff...
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After you have answered the 'Why am I going in to business' questions, consulted the lawyer, appointed the accountant and all the other pre-implementation i dotting and t crossing, you're going to realise you need money. Lots of it. Quickly. That means customers and/or a financier.
Startups are tricky - having no track record, bank managers look to statistics to see who to lend money to. They have lots of experience, and will look at how much collateral you have, levels of debt, what your business plan says, who your target market is, what your budgets will be, and to a degree, how quickly you can start repaying them.
It is possible to create a business, without recourse to a bank (loans and overdraght and revolving credit and wot not)
It's in some ways harder - raising the capital yourself, and will require a good marketing apparatus. Also if you go this route - you will also need an even better sales apparatus. Look up Direct Response Advertising, and look toward talking to a wordsmith, or other sales consultant. If you're new to business, you may have to learn the hard way, the difference between branding, and selling. Are telemarketing campaigns legal, fax, flyers, etc in your area. No one will buy from you if they don't know you exist.
That said, those 'services' the banks offer are candy with a horrible side effect - they expect you to pay for the money you spend, and they can at their whim choose to make life difficult.
So, talk to people that are self employed - regadless of the field they are in. You will get a better perspective about business, in general. Those you talk to in your own industry have their own interests to protect, and may not give a balanced view of how to create a business, and the pitfalls.
Also, look up a man called Jim Camp. He writes a book on negotiation - called 'Start with no'
Most importantly - don't rush this decision, and good luck.
Chris
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First; thanks for your response. I realised after I replied that it wasn't where I wanted it.
Right. For the record, yes, I expressed opions. Without wanting to have this devolve in to an 'I'm right you're wrong' match, everything I said comes directly from my own experience.
I wont ask you to enumerate which points are most disagreeable (well actually in an offline conversation I would - because you have piqued my interest)
Is my comment subjective? Yes.
Is it absolutely correct in this (or any other) situation? Probably not.
Does it express a point of view that speaks to the realities of business? I hope so.
Maybe I can provide some context, though.
My comments were to do with the naievity one has when starting a business.
Specifically I address the fact that businesses need money to pay for every thing they consume. Including the owners time, rewarding the owner for what will be a long, slow, hard grind.
I'm guessing that I will have to go with anecdotes from here on in. Hopefully it'll provide some insight to someone. Making the time spent writing the next few sentences worthwhile. If not, oh well.
I know that when I first started my company, that there was a period where knowing how and when to close a deal - was a mystery. You can't tell me that a person not armed with some sales knowledge is going to survive very long, without some help from somewhere.
No sales means no income. Banks don't extend credit indefinitely. The sooner everyone going in to business understands these realities, then the quicker they can get to setting their sales strategies in motion.
I was once told 'losing a lot of battles does not teach you how to win' so it is with sales. Get some coaching from someone that can sell.
The quicker new business owners can say 'Look I really know my trade; but what is really going to pay the bills are sales' the sooner it will be so.
The OP asked how potential customers were going to become aware of him. Reading between the lines, he needs to focus more on getting the thing he doesn't have right now - customers. How do you generate those? If you answered 'marketing campaign' - think again. It's a sales campaign you need, which creates leads, which you then convert to customers.
Spending 25k on radio advertising on a marketing campaign that makes no effort to convert listeners attention to sales is silly, and dangerous to a start-up. I know. I have done that too. It hurts when it fails. Moreso, when you later learn that you can make sales over the radio - but they'd rather sell 'branding' - a full 12 moth term, with no clearly defined outcomes except that your name will apparently filter in to the consiousness of your target audience - and the radio stations pocket is significantly fattened.
Newspaper ads - can work. Most people, including the people that work for the newspapers designing pretty adverts, can't write one with the sure and certain knowledge that a particular ad will drive sales. A good way to lose ~$800 per month.
These days, when I do advertising, it is in the form of split tests. Send out advertising copy, create a hook by which you can track the results. Thr best performing forms the basis of the next generation. Keep crafting until the response rate improves. I have read the books written by the Direct Response Advertising greats of yester-year. From the likes of Claude Hopkins, and others from that era. And slightly more contemporary authors as well, but they have recycled most of their content - so you might as well go to the horses mouths. They are extremely valueable reading.
In my country, the Yellow Pages are an investment where even my customers tell me it is difficult to make get a break-even on - many are jettisoning that cost. Stung by that one, too, and never will be again. We have a Barter organisation, that places your ad in to their directory - funny how for their services though, they required real world dollars. Chamber of Commerce? in this country, my best description is that it is a rort, obviously, I will not be signing up to it, again.
The list goes on. The business world is often not nice. It is true that you can have a good time, meet good people, form strong relationships with customers and vendors alike. For my part I would never go back to working for a salary. But there are facts that cannot be avoided. Want to stay in business? Learn to sell.
Lessons, lessons, lessons - these are some of the things that I was quite unprepared for. For the first year it felt like every turn was like riding a horse and being struck consistently by low hanging branches. They hurt, and they teach.
Don't like my opinion(s)? Fine - get another one. It is for this reason I advocate talking to every business owner you can. Find out what they think. Sure it is subjective. Sure you'll disagree with possibly a wide swathe of the things they have to say - but every single one of them faces the same challenges that you do/will as another business owner. You might even create some business for yourself.
As I said - take your time before going in to business, and I wish you the best.
Contrary to the seemingly negative comments - I applaud others that to go in to business, I just don't think they should be taken as prey by - well, anyone.
Chris
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I noticed that there no posts on this section so I decided to create one. 
Anyway, what do you guys think about PTC (Paid-to-click) or PPC(whatever) sites? Is it true that they pay people to click ads? And how do the owners make income on these sites? If I for one, as an advertiser would know that my ad will just be clicked by people, I definitely would not choose to apply for an advertisement on that site, right? All POV are welcome.
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Oh I just noticed that the filter was set so I didnt see the other posts. Plain stupidity. lol. 
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Maximum Of those are false. they have lots of conditions. And rules.
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Thanks for answering.
Ignorance of the ability brings disability.
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They suck
------------------------------------
I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave
CCC Link[ ^]
Trolls[ ^]
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Dalek Dave wrote: They suck
I agree. After reading through the internet about it, I know now that doing this wont really earn you money.
Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment. Barry LePatner
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I did a survey site for a while to see how much I could make.
After spending tons of time over the course of about six months, I made £30.
Too much effort for too little reward.
Although I could see people sitting at home all day with nothing to do, using several of them to make a bit of cash.
------------------------------------
I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave
CCC Link[ ^]
Trolls[ ^]
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PTC Can be good if you have a site with hundred visitors per hour. 
/* LIFE RUNS ON CODE */
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Hi guys!
I've been programming professionally for 5 years, and all the companies that I've worked for in the past have had all the development tools in place before I arrived. I'm currently starting a new job, and the company wants me to develop some in house software for their use. My question is, how do I go about choosing the correct environment(VS2008, VS2008 Pro, VS2010?). Do we need MSDN licenses? What about SDK's? I know these seem like pretty basic questions, but all of the other companies I've worked for the IT department handled these issues, and I had no control over them. This is a small company, and their first attempt at software development, I don't want them to have to buy unnecessary tools, and I don't want to be halfway through a project before I realize I've missed a huge component.
[Insert Witty Sig Here]
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VonHagNDaz wrote: This is a small company, and their first attempt at software development, I don't want them to have to buy unnecessary tools, and I don't want to be halfway through a project before I realize I've missed a huge component.
Microsoft has something called as BizSpark[^] to help startup businesses flourish. They offer Visual Studio Ultimate with MSDN subscription under this plan at a MUCH subsidised rate. VS Ultimate with an MSDN subscription will give you nearly everything that you may need.
Of course there are terms and conditions, fees, etc., but you could apply for one of these subscriptions through the link I provided, and they'll help you out with the rest.
"Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.
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Again, thank you.
[Insert Witty Sig Here]
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Rajesh, you submitted the same thing before I could. I guess I have to give you a 5. 
Steve Maier
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