Blogging the Blues February 4, 2010
Posted by Mike in : Mike, Places, Products , add a commentThis “Blogging the Blues” post was originally written on Jan. 5, 2010. I uploaded it for a second but took it down. (RSS feeds don’t forgive second thoughts however). I forgot about it till now when I got a bug up my ass to write again. The reason I’m writing after what…2 months…is the application for “Insultiple.com” is done and I’m about to upload the fucking thing. This little app is one that myself and Alessandra did…I’ll discuss that in the next post…but first…”Blogging the Blues”…
Jan. 5th, 2010
The blogbabilty had left me for awhile. Where have I been? Life had interrupted, primarily due to love and application development. Different things, but inter-related in this boys confused and twisted mind. One went down, the other up.
I also became bored with blogging on making money. I kept asking myself how do you make writing about making money interesting and fun? I figure sex and love add some spit to the glove so I’m going to put it in. After all, love makes the world go round as the cliche goes. It also makes it go down and down.
To catch up you up on my making money, mostly I’ve found creative ways to kill time. God I would love to be able to believe that and say oh poor me (lost love pity), but that just isn’t true. I did a lot. I created a couple of iPhone applications that should be released this month. That assumes the people who are filling in content…ahem if your reading this…hits their schedules. Its an amazing adventure creating an application, feelings of empowerment, growth, potential.
This is love at a nerdy level.
Why am I so “iPhone” app focused. According to the iPhoneCTO blog its the future and I agree. Here is a list of trends they feel will occur in mobile application development that I find interesting. I’ve been hiding out on the bandwagon riding hard and fast like some old western gold rusher with guns blazing and a glint in my eye. The only difference is this gold is not fools gold if you can do the development. It appears I can. “Sah-weet!”
When does money start coming into my hands from these applications? I predict 3 months. That’s when I plan on moving to Manhattan, crossing fingers. Oh yea! Manhattan sidetracked me as well, but well worth it for it reformulated my thinking.
But this post was also on the blues. The blues stem from a lost love. Before that it was money, but like the money that will come soon, love will come again. Self pity aside, my love was also my best friend. Tough to blog when your missing a person who inspired you. It’s not her fault I went MIA. I actually was on the fence and could not release her. Bad bad place to be. “One puts themselves on hold when one does that they do” Yoda says. Only recently, with Manhattan’s help, I was able to jump down and go whew that was a precarious position. You can’t do much else while balancing.
There is so much to learn, so much to do. So I’m back and writing about it all even though there are so many better writers than I. There are also better application developers and better lovers as well, but that shouldn’t stop anyone. Its a list of betters. I missed it here, the warmth of my fingers gliding over the silicon coated keys on the aluminum macbook. (App development can only be done on one of these puppies…clever bastards). With putting my soul and servitude into the things I love, I feel the world is at peace once again.
I feel like quoting Bill &Ted and hollering “Blog on Dude!”
Creativity January 10, 2010
Posted by Alessandra in : Alessandra, Productivity, creativity , add a commentThe creative process is not rational. It’s hard to pinpoint where inspiration comes from. But whatever it is, you can’t just wait for genius to come to you. You have to show up for your part of the job. The sheer stubbornness to keep showing up will allow the creative process to flow and eventually produce something. So put in the hours.
Age Doesn’t Matter Anymore December 31, 2009
Posted by Alessandra in : Age, Alessandra, Entrepreneurship, People , add a commentAge doesn’t mean very much anymore. Women can have babies in their 40s these days and people my age will probably still have careers in our mid-90s. Being able to connect with people of all ages will get you far. Everyone has a story to tell. To put people in boxes based on age means you’ll miss out on a great deal. This even includes dating.
But I’ve noticed people also wonder how I can start a viable business when I’m only 22. Sometimes I feel like countering: “What the hell were you doing when you were 22??” This kind of attitude does piss me off even though most people mean well. First of all, if you go to the coasts, a shitload of startups are led by people around my age. Meaning… it’s time for me to get the fuck out of Michigan and go to New York or some other similarly more enlightened place. But seriously, that’s what this whole thing is supposed to be about. Why not start a business now? The earlier the better. Why wait for financial freedom? Why wait on anything you want to do, for that matter?
I read something in Business Week that said most entrepreneurs rated previous experience as one of the most important factors in their success. Of course experience is important, but without intelligence and passion, you aren’t going anywhere. Plus, I don’t have to unlearn all of these bad habits people seem to pick up in the corporate world, like expecting a paycheck or security. I’m only kind of kidding on that one. I think the willingness to learn and the drive to see it through is what you need in any endeavor. And that will ensure you pick up the right experiences.
Happy New Year Everyone. I’m here in Germany and wishing you all a wonderful time as you age into the next year. :)
Business Vs. Politics December 28, 2009
Posted by Alessandra in : Adventure, Alessandra, Business , add a commentWhy is it that every time I look at the news, my eyes skip over the politics and go straight to the science and technology sections? The parts that talk about the latest innovation and the newest ideas? All the wonderful stuff that makes me excited about the future and makes me feel like I’m some sort of grand adventure in this life? It’s like I have to force myself to read about the things I know I should be informed about. Politics. Problem is, the world of politics seems so stale, stagnant, so glacially slow moving and negative that I rarely if ever am inspired by anything I read in that arena.
To me business is a much better way of affecting change in this world.
Somehow politics always seemed far too restricting. Maybe I’m ignorant. But in my chosen profession, whatever that is, I’d like to know I have the freedom to call someone a dickhead if they are, in fact, a dickhead. So I guess politics is out.
So wait, am I a “business woman?” God forbid. I always wanted to be an adventurer. Or a crazy inventor. Like some sort of crazy mix between Lara Croft and Willy Wonka. Business is just a means to that sort of end. I talked about how I think it’s the goal that allows all my other goals to follow.
The motives for art and passion can come from the crudest places. Who cares about landscapes? People care about the fact that Van Gogh cut off his ear for some woman. But he’s only rich now that he’s dead. Bummer. Business gets a bad rap, though. I saw a book on “Business” ethics in the library the other day and was floored to see that the image these geniuses chose for the book cover was of a guy walking a tightrope over a dangerous city.
Um…..wow, was my only thought. Being ethical in the business world is not really that hard, is it? Isn’t that the entire point of being your own boss? You can follow your own rules. Besides the fact that there is no such thing as “business ethics”. Ethics are ethics. If you have a different set of ethics for the work portion of your life, then your code of ethics is not valid. Sorry.
But back to making change. Change is affected by people, in the end. And whether that’s a politician or a scientist or the next Larry Page depends on the type of person, I guess. I always thought starting your own company was much less restricting and more effective than something like politics. The motives for change and passion don’t have to be entirely selfless in order to be legitimate. Many, many great things come out of forms of selfishness.
Need New Scenery December 15, 2009
Posted by Alessandra in : Adventure, Alessandra, Places , add a commentSo what’s the goal? Are we just counting down the days until we’re forced to act? I’m always so afraid of that happening that I give myself deadlines for the things I want to do. There’s something really great about self imposed deadlines. And fulfilling them. Deadlines set by other people induce stress, make you hate the system, and make me want to pull my hair out.
But a goal you’ve set for yourself is magical. You alone are responsible for keeping that promise, and your mind starts working on how to get there. So. 1 year, 1 million. Pretty clear. A lot of stuff in between though. Moving to New York is somewhere in there too. I have it flipped in my mind though. Most people want to move to new york because they want to be amazing. I want to move to new york because (when) I am amazing. So I’m working on that.
Most people are there to “BE THERE”. They move there, get work, hang out, and spend the money they’ve made. A lot of people go because they’re hoping to do something crazy or they want to be somebody. I think new scenery can inspire, but it’s whats within yourself that will carry you forward. Creating and doing and inspiring is all part of the story. I think New York is a great opportunity, business and otherwise, but there’s a time and place for everything. I don’t want to move there and ask: “Now what?” There needs to be some sort of plan, for me at least.
But they say new scenery can inspire creativity and maybe even force the lurking genius beneath to come out. So when is it time to get the fuck out of a town? For those that don’t have the wanderlust bug, this might not apply. But for me the reasons would include not being able to find anything to eat because you’ve already eaten at every godammn restaurant and even that tiny stand in some alleyway no one ever goes near. The list for me also includes knowing every single place in town that sells jordan almonds and actually not getting lost when you drive somewhere because you’ve BEEN THERE TOO LONG. Time to move. Just pick up your stuff and go. Find a new adventure.
When to Quit December 13, 2009
Posted by Alessandra in : Alessandra, Motivation , add a commentWhen do you declare success?
That’s the hard part about projects that you created, they have self-imposed deadlines; and that makes it hard to know when to quit, when to declare success, and when to move on.
You can always convince yourself that you just need a little more time, a little better luck, to get things going.
You don’t want to be the next aspiring writer, business mogul, or whatever, only to find yourself in the same place 20 years down the line: Still just an aspiring writer, business mogul, or whatever, but not having anything to show for it.
People might tell you to “be realistic”, but this means comprising your ideals. So figure out a way to not have awkward conversation at christmas dinner parties when your family asks you why your chosen profession is still not making any money, and carry on. If you have an ability to learn and self correct, you’ll get there eventually. But if you find yourself not enjoying the journey, then it’s time to quit.
If you want to sell yourself, shut up. December 9, 2009
Posted by Alessandra in : Alessandra, selling , add a commentThere’s this misconception that great salespeople are extroverts. I thought this too, and thought I’d never really be able to sell myself because I usually shut my mouth when I don’t have anything to say. I thought great salesmen had to be able to talk nonstop and deliver great one liners at every opportunity. No. Most great salespeople are not the loud mouthed ones. Those are the ones everyone hates. The ones that talk too much and don’t listen. Which will get you nowhere when you’re selling something. And life is pretty much a selling job, so maybe we should all start doing some more questioning and less talking.
Dale Carnegie said to become genuinely interested in people and that means asking questions, finding out what they’re about. That’s especially important for selling something, because you can’t just assume you know what people want.
You can’t take yourself too seriously. Most of the time I’ve seen people fail to ask questions out of sense of self importance or fear, mostly. Being the slick nonstop talking salesman is a turn off. You’re not going to sell yourself by overwhelming people. Most businesses fail because of lack of sales, pure and simple. You have to persuade people to take action and use your product. So start asking questions.
Build your product cheap, fast and good! December 7, 2009
Posted by Mike in : Mike, Programming , add a commentCheap, Fast and Good. That’s what we all want when we go to build a new product. However the motto is: “You want it cheap, fast and good? Sure! Pick two!”
Why?
If you want it Fast and Good…it doesn’t come cheap.
More resources are required to be thrown at the project to get it done quickly. That means more people have to work on it and possible overtime. Also, to get it done well, you have to get the best people on the job and their time is at a premium.
If you want it Good and Cheap…it’s going to take a long time.
If you hire a software company to do work for you and you want the results good but cheap, they will put a decent programmer on it but only let them work on the project during their down time. If that company gets a client who is willing to pay more than you are, you get relegated to the back of the line and have to wait.
The other option is they will throw a newbie at your project. That way the company you hired gets to train them and you will just have to live through that persons learning curve.
If you want it Fast and Cheap…it won’t be good.
If your having your kitchen floor installed and you want it cheap and fast, the person showing up is in dire need of money and that will be their focus versus doing the job right. And because your paying them next to nothing, your going to get the bottom of the barrel in terms of quality of workmanship.
If your needs are for a custom software solution, the company you hire will toss the lowest paid employee at it. You will then receive a non-disclaimer stating they are not held responsible for the quality of workmanship.
Fast and cheap is usually not good for anything.
So that’s the motto, tried and true. Decide what fits, then pick two.
Persist through fear until you hear yourself say Holy Shit! December 6, 2009
Posted by Mike in : Mike, Motivation , add a commentI just had that. My fucking heart is racing.
I’ve been looking at the same thing for what seems like eons. So much shit floating around me. My ‘Day to Day’ states:
“At the fishbowl looking at the world and letting everything fade but 1 thing. iPhone databases. Very very complex, yet very very simple. Just focus…focus. See this one thing as the world…the future. Let the energy of it fill you. Feel its fire. I am above the bullshit, I ride alone, this beast is mine to tame. Talk seems to be the appeal in all the twitters and facebooks I see flicking around me. I shut it all out and only see this. I shall sit here till I have it or I will die in my seat. Fishbowl is open 24 hours. Give me database or give me death.”
Within minutes of writing that statement, of letting everyone around me fade, the hundreds of minds dicking around with some shit, when BAM it hit me! I heard myself say “Holy Shit!”.
My Holy Shit was that I finally found out how to take a vast database of data and simple query it for use in my iPhone application!
I just stared at my computer until the screen faded under screen saver. Stared wide eyed. It must be the same feeling a scientist has when they stumble across something no human has ever seen before. They see the truth in it and just pause.
I have been on this for months. Over all the bullshit. The meetings. The talks. Its the persistence that is of the only value. No matter how you feel. The key is shutting it all out, looking at the world, letting it go and rising above it.
In the article “If you want to be rich, first stop being so frightened“, billionaire Felix Dennis says “The number one reason why people fail is because of a fear of public embarrassment”. We fill our minds with this mind clutter. We worry about what others will think. About not making the money. About missing out on all the parties where everyone is mingling, networking, having fun and moving forward. The fear that you will be left behind. It’s bullshit.
The real value is in coming back to the core. For me it is here. In a room of 500 buzzing computers and freeing my mind of all of it. My passion flared a few minutes ago. Vast and beautiful. My skin is still goose bumped. My breath is short. So persist. Persist again. Read this post on overcoming fear if your having trouble letting go of the inner monologues.
The only other answer to how I feel is I had a stroke and am lying on the fishbowl’s floor unconscious dreaming all this…someone call 911.
Launch Party December 6, 2009
Posted by Alessandra in : Alessandra, Promotion , add a commentLast night my company Saagara had its launch party for our first product, an iPhone app called Pranayama. Watch a demo video here. It was fun, a lot of standing around shmoozing and telling people over and over again what our product is and what the hell it is we’re doing. Yes, and here we were thinking that people would do their research and avidly read all the stuff we had sent them. Guess they just came for the booze. And free appetizers! Anyway, the party was a good way to get ourselves out there and promote our product. But still, it was Ann Arbor. Everyone knows each other anyway. It’s not good being a big fish in a small pond. So hopefully we’ll get some national media coverage at some point. But we have to start somewhere.