Sunday, August 31, 2003
Everyday is like Sunday
... especially if it is Sunday.
Readers will be relieved to see more entries on this compelling site, especially from someone other than me.
I've been working on two streams: 1. technical - a proof of concept product, 2. business development.
1. Techies start reading ...
To develop this product I needed an environment containing web servers, mail servers and a few other things. Now, my professional background has always been based on Microsoft products. So that would mean Exchange, full IIS and thus buying new PCs and basically spending quite a bit of money.
So, I decided to develop the prototype environment on Linux. And I wasn't hampered by a knowledge of Linux when I made this decision.
On my first search for Linux distributions I found Tobias Svensson's Topologilinux . This is a current version of Linux which can run on a PC formatted for use by Microsoft's products.
There was only 660Gb to download so I had to wait for my ISP to sort out my ADSL line. I then had to wait some more. Eventually they partially sorted it out and I downloaded the distribution.
But the download kept freezing and I eventually realised it was because the ADSL modem had died, just two hours into its use. A few days later my ISP sent another modem and this one hasn't died yet.
Download completed and I had an ISO file on my PC. I eventually found out what this meant (I've found that Linux guides assume you know quite a bit about Linux). I then found a way of "burning" this to my PC. I ran the installation and ended up with a $ prompt.
The intial jubilation of having a new operating system was soon replaced with a wondering of what on earth to do next.
But basically I now have Linux on my laptop as well as XP and without having to repartition, re-format or do anything to the original build. Booting into Linux is easy, I put in the Linux CD I made from the ISO download. And finding that CD is easy as it's in the cracked case which got that way when I accidentally knelt on it.
Well, after a bit of poking around I decided to load Exim. If I had to explain to my boss why I did this I think my explanation would include a lot of "well, er, um" but not a lot of conviction. But then I don't have a boss.
Exim seems to be a popular email systems and a magazine I scanned through said it was less complicated than sendmail. So that's me sold.
Being less techie than I once was it took quite a while to get it installed. I've now found that "less complicated" is a very relative term. I recall that magazines and guides say it's a complete and easy replacement for sendmail. I know the next phrase will antogonise some people but, installing a Microsoft system is much easier.
Anyway, on the route to prototyping the product I'm learing Linux and Exim. The hard way.
Techie readers may wish to stop reading ... now.
2. Business development
All this techie stuff is great. It's been a few years since I've done hardcore techie stuff. In the last few years I've been managing technologists and in my last role I managed people who managed technologists.
But I want to be rich and that requires massive focus on getting this product into the market. There's a condundrum here: to get this product into market we need a very strong business approach, but to get this product into market we also need a product.
So, whipping off my techie trousers and sliding into my business suit, the one with the braces (non-English readers should swap "suspenders" for "braces", English readers shouldn't):
what I'm also working on, with Peter, is the business model. We now have to work on revenue streams. This product can be configured in the market in several ways leading to a multitude of possible revenue streams based on: fixed, one off price; on-going subscription based on service provision, prices for marginal delivery etc.
Fortunately as there are already similar ideas in market we have a rough idea of ball-park pricing (so that's a very rough idea). So that's one variable constrained. We can constrain a few more on the cost side and then we have quite a nice ball-park business model focussing on revenue.
We'll that's for Peter and me to progress during the coming week (and maybe the week after although I hope not).
Readers will be relieved to see more entries on this compelling site, especially from someone other than me.
I've been working on two streams: 1. technical - a proof of concept product, 2. business development.
1. Techies start reading ...
To develop this product I needed an environment containing web servers, mail servers and a few other things. Now, my professional background has always been based on Microsoft products. So that would mean Exchange, full IIS and thus buying new PCs and basically spending quite a bit of money.
So, I decided to develop the prototype environment on Linux. And I wasn't hampered by a knowledge of Linux when I made this decision.
On my first search for Linux distributions I found Tobias Svensson's Topologilinux . This is a current version of Linux which can run on a PC formatted for use by Microsoft's products.
There was only 660Gb to download so I had to wait for my ISP to sort out my ADSL line. I then had to wait some more. Eventually they partially sorted it out and I downloaded the distribution.
But the download kept freezing and I eventually realised it was because the ADSL modem had died, just two hours into its use. A few days later my ISP sent another modem and this one hasn't died yet.
Download completed and I had an ISO file on my PC. I eventually found out what this meant (I've found that Linux guides assume you know quite a bit about Linux). I then found a way of "burning" this to my PC. I ran the installation and ended up with a $ prompt.
The intial jubilation of having a new operating system was soon replaced with a wondering of what on earth to do next.
But basically I now have Linux on my laptop as well as XP and without having to repartition, re-format or do anything to the original build. Booting into Linux is easy, I put in the Linux CD I made from the ISO download. And finding that CD is easy as it's in the cracked case which got that way when I accidentally knelt on it.
Well, after a bit of poking around I decided to load Exim. If I had to explain to my boss why I did this I think my explanation would include a lot of "well, er, um" but not a lot of conviction. But then I don't have a boss.
Exim seems to be a popular email systems and a magazine I scanned through said it was less complicated than sendmail. So that's me sold.
Being less techie than I once was it took quite a while to get it installed. I've now found that "less complicated" is a very relative term. I recall that magazines and guides say it's a complete and easy replacement for sendmail. I know the next phrase will antogonise some people but, installing a Microsoft system is much easier.
Anyway, on the route to prototyping the product I'm learing Linux and Exim. The hard way.
Techie readers may wish to stop reading ... now.
2. Business development
All this techie stuff is great. It's been a few years since I've done hardcore techie stuff. In the last few years I've been managing technologists and in my last role I managed people who managed technologists.
But I want to be rich and that requires massive focus on getting this product into the market. There's a condundrum here: to get this product into market we need a very strong business approach, but to get this product into market we also need a product.
So, whipping off my techie trousers and sliding into my business suit, the one with the braces (non-English readers should swap "suspenders" for "braces", English readers shouldn't):
what I'm also working on, with Peter, is the business model. We now have to work on revenue streams. This product can be configured in the market in several ways leading to a multitude of possible revenue streams based on: fixed, one off price; on-going subscription based on service provision, prices for marginal delivery etc.
Fortunately as there are already similar ideas in market we have a rough idea of ball-park pricing (so that's a very rough idea). So that's one variable constrained. We can constrain a few more on the cost side and then we have quite a nice ball-park business model focussing on revenue.
We'll that's for Peter and me to progress during the coming week (and maybe the week after although I hope not).
Friday, August 29, 2003
Original ideas and competition
When I initially thought of this product it was a genuinely original idea. It was based on fusing several technical solutions to yield a very useful product.
I talked this through with Peter and he agreed. So we decided to develop the product into a proposition: the business planning would be as important as the technical development.
But then Peter sent me an email with a link to companies who had already developed similar ideas into market.
Bother.
It took a little while for this sickening feeling to evapourate. But it did. Looking at their web sites helped.
Here's why I'm no longer concerned by companies "stealing" my idea before I'd even thought of it:
1. They show it's a viable proposition
2. The features they've omitted can be added to our proposition, I think we can make the business proposition more inviting as well
3. There's no real players in the EMEA space - where we'll be focussing
4. We're not first. It must be hell being first to market, it means you can easily be first out of market
5. There are very few original ideas anyway.
And in fact some of the ideas I have around this project do seem to be unique.
And it means I can draw up funky spreadsheets.
One lists all the attributes of the companies and their products. It'll try to focus on the financial performance. This gives us ideas on costings and price.
Another lists features for each product. I'll grade these in terms of importance and then score each product against these features. That way we get a view of the strenghts of the companies and their products.
When I initially thought of this product it was a genuinely original idea. It was based on fusing several technical solutions to yield a very useful product.
I talked this through with Peter and he agreed. So we decided to develop the product into a proposition: the business planning would be as important as the technical development.
But then Peter sent me an email with a link to companies who had already developed similar ideas into market.
Bother.
It took a little while for this sickening feeling to evapourate. But it did. Looking at their web sites helped.
Here's why I'm no longer concerned by companies "stealing" my idea before I'd even thought of it:
1. They show it's a viable proposition
2. The features they've omitted can be added to our proposition, I think we can make the business proposition more inviting as well
3. There's no real players in the EMEA space - where we'll be focussing
4. We're not first. It must be hell being first to market, it means you can easily be first out of market
5. There are very few original ideas anyway.
And in fact some of the ideas I have around this project do seem to be unique.
And it means I can draw up funky spreadsheets.
One lists all the attributes of the companies and their products. It'll try to focus on the financial performance. This gives us ideas on costings and price.
Another lists features for each product. I'll grade these in terms of importance and then score each product against these features. That way we get a view of the strenghts of the companies and their products.
Credit
The whole idea of blogging was brought to me by Andrew Sullivan in an article in the Sunday Times. So it's his fault.
This was one of the few articles of his that I've ever read. The reason? Well, I'm not a foaming-at-the-mouth Republican. [Lawyers: I'm not stating or implying that Mr Sullivan, his readers, the members of the Republican Party of the United States, or anywhere else, do foam at the mouth. Of course not.]
He does have an enviably good web site. Eventually I hope to move this blog to my own site and also make it look better.
The whole idea of blogging was brought to me by Andrew Sullivan in an article in the Sunday Times. So it's his fault.
This was one of the few articles of his that I've ever read. The reason? Well, I'm not a foaming-at-the-mouth Republican. [Lawyers: I'm not stating or implying that Mr Sullivan, his readers, the members of the Republican Party of the United States, or anywhere else, do foam at the mouth. Of course not.]
He does have an enviably good web site. Eventually I hope to move this blog to my own site and also make it look better.
Astute readers of this blog will soon realise that the venture started a few weeks ago. But I've only just started this blog!
Well, don't worry. You haven't missed much.
The proposition is about a month old. We haven't yet formed a corporate entity (er, that is a company) and I've only got to page 12 of my engineering journal [What? Well technically I am an engineer, this is a technical product, and I've learnt the hard way that you should write everything down in a fixed leaf book.]
"And just who do you think will read this site (apart, of course, from Smiths fans)?"
I'm expecting this to go on the reading list for the Harvard MBA course. Eventually. Meantime, well, anyone who's interested in business creation, overcoming various difficulties, experiences in learning new technologies or haven't got anything better to do.
So, how will you fill in some missing details, especially the missing month?
As I write this blog I'll back fill (some readers might be grateful. I'll be grateful if we get some readers).
Anyway enough writing. Another old friend set himself up as a translator. I told him a simple test: if you're not spending at least 90 hours/week working then the business will fail.
Well, don't worry. You haven't missed much.
The proposition is about a month old. We haven't yet formed a corporate entity (er, that is a company) and I've only got to page 12 of my engineering journal [What? Well technically I am an engineer, this is a technical product, and I've learnt the hard way that you should write everything down in a fixed leaf book.]
"And just who do you think will read this site (apart, of course, from Smiths fans)?"
I'm expecting this to go on the reading list for the Harvard MBA course. Eventually. Meantime, well, anyone who's interested in business creation, overcoming various difficulties, experiences in learning new technologies or haven't got anything better to do.
So, how will you fill in some missing details, especially the missing month?
As I write this blog I'll back fill (some readers might be grateful. I'll be grateful if we get some readers).
Anyway enough writing. Another old friend set himself up as a translator. I told him a simple test: if you're not spending at least 90 hours/week working then the business will fail.
The start
I've had enough. I can't get the mail server to work (I replaced sendmail with Exim, I think), I can't understand a potential competitor's product offering on their web page, I can't get a job, I can't follow the German comedian on the radio, it's Friday and it's raining. Whilst I'm typing (not too fast for you I hope) I'm listening to a webcast of a German radio station but it has the act of a Bavarian comedian. It doesn't work: Bavarian is too difficult for me and I don't think it's a funny comedian. I guess you had to be there.
And I'm trying to repost this blog, and this entry in particular.
So, what is this blog about? Is it about the "every day is like Sunday" England which I currently inhabit. No.
It's a journal of our attempts to develop a multi-national business. I have an idea which I think I can develop. If it was already available I'd buy it. A friend thinks so too, so we've decided to develop this into a full business.
Now, before anyone gets too excited, I'm not going to give full details of the product (you might get to market before we do), and I'm going to try to keep full names out of it. This will probably change.
I've had enough. I can't get the mail server to work (I replaced sendmail with Exim, I think), I can't understand a potential competitor's product offering on their web page, I can't get a job, I can't follow the German comedian on the radio, it's Friday and it's raining. Whilst I'm typing (not too fast for you I hope) I'm listening to a webcast of a German radio station but it has the act of a Bavarian comedian. It doesn't work: Bavarian is too difficult for me and I don't think it's a funny comedian. I guess you had to be there.
And I'm trying to repost this blog, and this entry in particular.
So, what is this blog about? Is it about the "every day is like Sunday" England which I currently inhabit. No.
It's a journal of our attempts to develop a multi-national business. I have an idea which I think I can develop. If it was already available I'd buy it. A friend thinks so too, so we've decided to develop this into a full business.
Now, before anyone gets too excited, I'm not going to give full details of the product (you might get to market before we do), and I'm going to try to keep full names out of it. This will probably change.
