I finally finished my website and application packet for the UW job. Still some things I could change and tweak on the website, but I've got more pressing things to do now. Like taxes, contact potential clients, looking for other jobs, working on a second demonstration for my interested client, etc. I probably put a good 40 hours on the application packet and web site. Still not sure if my chances are that good to get the job since there seems to be a pretty big emphasis on an academic background. A lot of that time spent was on getting up to speed on various internet technologies, and I plan to use the same template on my company website as well, so I think I ended up learning quite a bit.
That's it for now, nothing too earth shattering or profound...
... come to think of it, since you most have a little time on your hands, if you've got nothing better to do you could always jump on my uw website and look for the easter egg. Whatever you do, don't click it though. Thanks.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Good news on the business front
Good news on the home business front. The company I've been talking with for awhile had a meeting late last week and they really, really like my product. Evidently their marketing department liked it so much they're going to the corporate head for a request for funding. He's currently traveling in Europe and Australia right now, so he's pretty busy. Sounds like they want to do a pretty complex project, and break it into a product and an educational module (per my suggestion in an attempt to upsell). So when everything is said and done, it might be a $4,000 - $10,000 project.
I know, I know, it's all just talk until you sign the deal and get paid, but things are looking good in that front. In the mean time, I've identified 10 other companies to contact next.
Always trying to swing for the fences, I've been dreaming up ways to increase the scope of the project further. They seemed pretty warm to the idea of having a rather complex educational portion to the project, so I'm going to suggest they have a website dedicated to sound education, offer seminars and DVDs, workbooks and other instructional materials, etc. etc. And of course, who would be the one to bring one integrated solution to them? You guessed it.
In the mean time, if you'd like to see the website I posted for my upcoming job, you can go to www.hiremeUW.com. I've still got some loose ends to tie up on the website, but hopefully by Monday it should be pretty much 100% functional.
I know, I know, it's all just talk until you sign the deal and get paid, but things are looking good in that front. In the mean time, I've identified 10 other companies to contact next.
Always trying to swing for the fences, I've been dreaming up ways to increase the scope of the project further. They seemed pretty warm to the idea of having a rather complex educational portion to the project, so I'm going to suggest they have a website dedicated to sound education, offer seminars and DVDs, workbooks and other instructional materials, etc. etc. And of course, who would be the one to bring one integrated solution to them? You guessed it.
In the mean time, if you'd like to see the website I posted for my upcoming job, you can go to www.hiremeUW.com. I've still got some loose ends to tie up on the website, but hopefully by Monday it should be pretty much 100% functional.
My past two weeks
The past two weeks have been very busy, which is one reason I have not posted a blog in awhile as you might have guessed. Elliana has been teething and needing more attention than usual in the day and at night, which has severly limited my abilities to work on the business and look for a job.
Combined with the fact that late last week I found a job that looked interested at the University of Wisconsin, but the deadline to apply is fast approaching, if I'm not watching Elliana, I'm working on my application for that position/looking for other jobs/working only my business. A few days ago Elliana was up most of the night, and so finally at 3:30am I just got up and got some work done until 7:30 when Debbie went to work.
I should also mention that for the University of Wisconsin position, I'm taking a page out of a listener to Dan Miller who posted a website hiremecompanyx.com to get a marketing position at a particular company. In this case, the job is to launch multimedia infinitive at the university, so a website demonstrating my skills would be appropriate. Also, given the fact that the job is in acidemia, I think I have a disctint disadvantage concerning the fact that my background is not working for another university, so anything I can do to set myself apart will help.
Regardless if I get the position or not, I need to put up a website for my business, so I'm using the same template that my business is going to use, so I'll be gaining valuable experience as I put the website up.
One thing I've been pleased with is most of the time I've spent looking for a job and working on the business I've been able to utilize new skills and abilities, so in a way it's really like I'm taking a course in flash programming, or some other pertinent skill, and happen to have a project related to finding a job or making money creating products.
I've probably spent 30 hours on the site so far, and it's almost finished. When it's complete there will be a talking badger introducing the site, a 90 second promo video to watch, an example of a program I've developed, and some info on my background. I'm basically combining a bunch of technologies both to learn them, and to get across the point I am versatile in my skills. I'll post a link to the site once it's up.
Combined with the fact that late last week I found a job that looked interested at the University of Wisconsin, but the deadline to apply is fast approaching, if I'm not watching Elliana, I'm working on my application for that position/looking for other jobs/working only my business. A few days ago Elliana was up most of the night, and so finally at 3:30am I just got up and got some work done until 7:30 when Debbie went to work.
I should also mention that for the University of Wisconsin position, I'm taking a page out of a listener to Dan Miller who posted a website hiremecompanyx.com to get a marketing position at a particular company. In this case, the job is to launch multimedia infinitive at the university, so a website demonstrating my skills would be appropriate. Also, given the fact that the job is in acidemia, I think I have a disctint disadvantage concerning the fact that my background is not working for another university, so anything I can do to set myself apart will help.
Regardless if I get the position or not, I need to put up a website for my business, so I'm using the same template that my business is going to use, so I'll be gaining valuable experience as I put the website up.
One thing I've been pleased with is most of the time I've spent looking for a job and working on the business I've been able to utilize new skills and abilities, so in a way it's really like I'm taking a course in flash programming, or some other pertinent skill, and happen to have a project related to finding a job or making money creating products.
I've probably spent 30 hours on the site so far, and it's almost finished. When it's complete there will be a talking badger introducing the site, a 90 second promo video to watch, an example of a program I've developed, and some info on my background. I'm basically combining a bunch of technologies both to learn them, and to get across the point I am versatile in my skills. I'll post a link to the site once it's up.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
It's almost 1 in the morning, and I just fired off my first quote and demo to my first potential customer. I've been putting in a number of late nights working on this demo as well as a marketing CD I need to send out this week to future customers, but it's nice to finally complete this first proposal.
I just went out to the car to bring in the milk I'd left from an earlier shopping trip. Tonight is a quiet and cold rainy night and winter finally seems to be departing. As I walked to the car, I wondered if tonight will be the sort of night that marks the budding of a new career path, one where I will eventually be developing products full time, giving talks and advice on acoustics, and able to take time off and take the family to India for a few weeks each summer to do mission work. Or perhaps like with my Home Automation business, a year from now things will have fizzled out. Or maybe my path will be diverted as I take another job I don't enjoy to provide for the family this year.
I don't know, but what I do know is that tonight was a good night. If only for a moment, I'm doing what I love to do, and what I'm good at, and it seems like it has the potential to pay pretty well too. And that, in the words of Michael Scott, is a "win-win-win".
I just went out to the car to bring in the milk I'd left from an earlier shopping trip. Tonight is a quiet and cold rainy night and winter finally seems to be departing. As I walked to the car, I wondered if tonight will be the sort of night that marks the budding of a new career path, one where I will eventually be developing products full time, giving talks and advice on acoustics, and able to take time off and take the family to India for a few weeks each summer to do mission work. Or perhaps like with my Home Automation business, a year from now things will have fizzled out. Or maybe my path will be diverted as I take another job I don't enjoy to provide for the family this year.
I don't know, but what I do know is that tonight was a good night. If only for a moment, I'm doing what I love to do, and what I'm good at, and it seems like it has the potential to pay pretty well too. And that, in the words of Michael Scott, is a "win-win-win".
Thursday, March 4, 2010
I know, I know, if I'm going to write a blog entry on notepad, I should just post it online instead of posting a bunch of postings all at once, and back date them all.
Today I had some promising news for my business. I called my first customer today, and he seemed very interested, and had that sweet combination of interest and money. It was almost like the fish was jumping in the boat!
At first when we talked I was a little disappointed because what he seemed to have in mind for me to do I would probably only charge $1,500, and their business seemed to be the type of business that could pay more. But as we talked, it soon became clear he was limiting what he wanted me to do because he thought it would cost a lot more! That means that my products have a higher perceived value to the customer than I thought.
I know a common pitfall for starting businesses is to think they need to charge a lot less than they actually do to cover their time, because unlike working for a company, you only get maybe 60% billable hours, so you have to raise your rates to cover all the time you spend marketing and other small business stuff.
I think I've done a good job in calculating that already, so I'll be able to offer the customer more than he was expecting for the same price, and also make more money in the process. I guess this assumes I haven't wildly missed something in estimating my time.
In any event, my next step is to give them a proposal with some concept ideas. I'm under no illusion that this means I'll be set for the coming weeks, but it's a positive first step for the business. We'll see how it goes...
Today I had some promising news for my business. I called my first customer today, and he seemed very interested, and had that sweet combination of interest and money. It was almost like the fish was jumping in the boat!
At first when we talked I was a little disappointed because what he seemed to have in mind for me to do I would probably only charge $1,500, and their business seemed to be the type of business that could pay more. But as we talked, it soon became clear he was limiting what he wanted me to do because he thought it would cost a lot more! That means that my products have a higher perceived value to the customer than I thought.
I know a common pitfall for starting businesses is to think they need to charge a lot less than they actually do to cover their time, because unlike working for a company, you only get maybe 60% billable hours, so you have to raise your rates to cover all the time you spend marketing and other small business stuff.
I think I've done a good job in calculating that already, so I'll be able to offer the customer more than he was expecting for the same price, and also make more money in the process. I guess this assumes I haven't wildly missed something in estimating my time.
In any event, my next step is to give them a proposal with some concept ideas. I'm under no illusion that this means I'll be set for the coming weeks, but it's a positive first step for the business. We'll see how it goes...
Monday 3/1
Today I got up at 6, as Debbie had a (veterinary) surgery she was supposed to perform this morning, that she just found out about on Sunday. I was going to spend a few hours before she had to leave trying to get some stuff done, as I was going to be watching Elliana until noon, which was going to eat up half of the day.
As it turns out, she didn't have to do the surgery, and I ended up spending about an hour reading the Bible and praying instead. I probably should have planned on doing that in the first place, and the day seemed to go much smoother than normal, and was very enjoyable too.
Case in point, I sent off four letters and one e-mail to various companies about offering my acoustical software services to them. I got a very positive response from my e-mail within an hour, and I'll be calling that company up on Thursday.
I had figured I'd have to contact each company about 3 times just go hear back from one of them. I've spent all this time on business development, and trying to figure out the best way to market, and my first response came very easily.
One of my friends got a good laugh at my quick response, since he knows I always put a lot of thought and research before I go out and try and sell myself. Maybe I just should had fired off a bunch of e-mails two months ago instead of spending all this time planning!
Now that I've sent my first round of letters, the pressure is on to come up with a good demo CD to follow up my letters with. It will probably take about 20 hours to do, and I don't know how I'll get it done this week watching Elliana Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, but I'll just need to figure it out.
Today I got up at 6, as Debbie had a (veterinary) surgery she was supposed to perform this morning, that she just found out about on Sunday. I was going to spend a few hours before she had to leave trying to get some stuff done, as I was going to be watching Elliana until noon, which was going to eat up half of the day.
As it turns out, she didn't have to do the surgery, and I ended up spending about an hour reading the Bible and praying instead. I probably should have planned on doing that in the first place, and the day seemed to go much smoother than normal, and was very enjoyable too.
Case in point, I sent off four letters and one e-mail to various companies about offering my acoustical software services to them. I got a very positive response from my e-mail within an hour, and I'll be calling that company up on Thursday.
I had figured I'd have to contact each company about 3 times just go hear back from one of them. I've spent all this time on business development, and trying to figure out the best way to market, and my first response came very easily.
One of my friends got a good laugh at my quick response, since he knows I always put a lot of thought and research before I go out and try and sell myself. Maybe I just should had fired off a bunch of e-mails two months ago instead of spending all this time planning!
Now that I've sent my first round of letters, the pressure is on to come up with a good demo CD to follow up my letters with. It will probably take about 20 hours to do, and I don't know how I'll get it done this week watching Elliana Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, but I'll just need to figure it out.
Sunday 2/28
Sunday the sermon was excellent. It was on having peace in the midst of the storm. I think I've been trying to get peace from thinking the storm will eventually pass, or by X date I'll have a job, or my business will be humming. I now think that in the long run, this phase in my life will be judged ultimately a success not by the prospect of financial security, but instead if I am able to learn to have real peace when things don't seem to be going to plan.
I have a feeling that's one of those life lessons you can only learn when you struggle, and so if I get through the struggling part without learning how to find peace and trust in God in the middle of it with no end in sight, I'll miss out on an opportunity to grow.
I usually try and take the long view on things, and I've had the feeling in the back of my mind that this time around, God might really want me to grow through the struggle. I think I'm finding that one downside of the tendency to take the long view is that you can stay calm through the unknown without necessarily relying on God.
It reminds me of when I swam across the lake this past summer. I really dislike swimming, but there was this swim across the lake and back - I think it was about a mile total distance, I don't remember exactly - and I decided to do it just for the challenge.
I am a very weak swimmer, and have zero form. I don't like the water, and I hate water in my nose. However, I think I've become a bit overconfident in my physical ability after running a few marathons, thinking that mental toughness can push me through almost anything.
When I woke up that day, I did put my chances at drowning at maybe 20 percent seeing as if you're on a long run and have to stop you can walk, but if you're on a long swim and have to stop, you're hosed! So I was kinda nervous. But when I got to edge of the water and found out my name would be on a plaque on the inaugural swimming event, there was no way I was going to wuss out.
It was long, and it was hard, but once I got going, I enjoyed the challenge. In fact, I spent a good portion of the time talking philosophy and cosmology with the guy in the jet ski who was next to me the whole time (I think he put my chances of drowning at about 40% since he saw me struggling a few days back on a 300 meter swim).
Ok, I'm getting off track. Point is, through the whole ordeal I thought if I was determined enough, I'd eventually make it. I didn't think that God would have to deliver me via divine intervention from the swim (although without jet ski man by my side on the way back, my theology probably would changed), I just gritted my teeth and swam.
I think I've been bringing that mindset to finding a job and working on my business the last few months. I just grit my teeth and go, and seem to be ok even when it gets really tough at times. I get the suspicioun that perhaps God keeps piling on the diffulities and stress level because in the back of my mind I still think I can get through it was sheer power of will. I've not yet been fully trusting and focusing on God first.
I'm not saying that the only reason I haven't landed a job and my business is a success right now is because God's preventing it, that would seem a little arrogant I think, but it does seem that things have been unexpectedly rocky lately, right when it seems things are about ready to come together.
Hopefully God doesn't have to break my will before I start relying on Him more and less on my stubbornness...
Sunday the sermon was excellent. It was on having peace in the midst of the storm. I think I've been trying to get peace from thinking the storm will eventually pass, or by X date I'll have a job, or my business will be humming. I now think that in the long run, this phase in my life will be judged ultimately a success not by the prospect of financial security, but instead if I am able to learn to have real peace when things don't seem to be going to plan.
I have a feeling that's one of those life lessons you can only learn when you struggle, and so if I get through the struggling part without learning how to find peace and trust in God in the middle of it with no end in sight, I'll miss out on an opportunity to grow.
I usually try and take the long view on things, and I've had the feeling in the back of my mind that this time around, God might really want me to grow through the struggle. I think I'm finding that one downside of the tendency to take the long view is that you can stay calm through the unknown without necessarily relying on God.
It reminds me of when I swam across the lake this past summer. I really dislike swimming, but there was this swim across the lake and back - I think it was about a mile total distance, I don't remember exactly - and I decided to do it just for the challenge.
I am a very weak swimmer, and have zero form. I don't like the water, and I hate water in my nose. However, I think I've become a bit overconfident in my physical ability after running a few marathons, thinking that mental toughness can push me through almost anything.
When I woke up that day, I did put my chances at drowning at maybe 20 percent seeing as if you're on a long run and have to stop you can walk, but if you're on a long swim and have to stop, you're hosed! So I was kinda nervous. But when I got to edge of the water and found out my name would be on a plaque on the inaugural swimming event, there was no way I was going to wuss out.
It was long, and it was hard, but once I got going, I enjoyed the challenge. In fact, I spent a good portion of the time talking philosophy and cosmology with the guy in the jet ski who was next to me the whole time (I think he put my chances of drowning at about 40% since he saw me struggling a few days back on a 300 meter swim).
Ok, I'm getting off track. Point is, through the whole ordeal I thought if I was determined enough, I'd eventually make it. I didn't think that God would have to deliver me via divine intervention from the swim (although without jet ski man by my side on the way back, my theology probably would changed), I just gritted my teeth and swam.
I think I've been bringing that mindset to finding a job and working on my business the last few months. I just grit my teeth and go, and seem to be ok even when it gets really tough at times. I get the suspicioun that perhaps God keeps piling on the diffulities and stress level because in the back of my mind I still think I can get through it was sheer power of will. I've not yet been fully trusting and focusing on God first.
I'm not saying that the only reason I haven't landed a job and my business is a success right now is because God's preventing it, that would seem a little arrogant I think, but it does seem that things have been unexpectedly rocky lately, right when it seems things are about ready to come together.
Hopefully God doesn't have to break my will before I start relying on Him more and less on my stubbornness...
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