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In The E-myth Revisited, Michael Gerber paraphrased a quote from Gen. George Patton. It has stuck with me for many years after having read the book.
>The comfort zone makes cowards of us all.
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You should make a 30 sec animated explainer video. Video needs to be much simpler and end with a call to action. People don't need to understand the science: "Get paid to poop and help people." That's enough. https://www.fiverr.com/categories/video-animation/whiteboard-explainer-videos Also hire someone on fivver to do the voiceover.
You should also contact everyone again and ask them why they didn't respond. Otherwise you'll only keep guessing as to why. And actually a 2 to 5 % response rate for cold emailing isn't that bad. You need to treat this like a startup. Look up startup marketing tactics. https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Customer/dp/1591848369 Recommended book.
> I think the primary problem is that the business is "me" and I'm having a difficult time transitioning from a "freelancer" to a "business" in a way that still keeps me flush with reliable income.
Read The E-Myth Revisited.
The first chapter or so will resonate with you deeply as the whole book is about turning your business into an actual business that can function without you so you can get your life back.
Search the main sub for "Red Pill Books Compilation V3"
>Millionaire Fastlane by MJ Demarco: (Mindset - P2) No this isn't some get rich quick scheme or ideas on how to make quick money. Demarco presents the idea in his book that there are different ways of thinking about money amongst people. The "Slowlane" way of thinking which is plagued by the ones who work paycheck to paycheck to survive, and the "Fastlane" way of thinking that breaks away from the norm of the typical "Go to school, get a job, save your money, retire at 65." mindset. Very interesting read on how to achieve wealth through changing your way of thinking.
I also like Ramit Sethi and his book "I Will Teach You to Be Rich". He also has a youtube channel.
I just read The E-Myth Revisited and I cannot recommend it enough for any entrepreneur. It talks about how to build a sustainable business.
You don't need a co-founder and you don't need investors.
Build an MVP in 3 months and see how it goes.
Do not make the mistake of wasting 3 years to build something no one wants. Do not give half to a co-founder for something you can handle in the beginning.
Also, subscribe to Valuetainment. It has phenomenal content on everything you'd need.
There's a good book on this called "The E Myth" that might help shed some light on this for you. It's not a huge long book, but it goes into the idea that running a business is entirely different than working in your field.
Also, try to keep in perspective your experience. If you fail, so what? You have a great opportunity here to try something. If it works then great! If not, you might go back to a 9-5 with a new appreciation for the simplicity of it all.
Not an affiliate link btw
> Decline in SolarCity installations
> TSLA is abandoning solar energy!
Solar is one of the most essential components of their renewable plan (solar + storage = renewable grid) and they aren't going to abandon that because SolarCity's contracts came to a halt, unsurprisingly after TSLA tightened every facet of their spending belt due to this horse-fuckery quarterly analysis.
SolarCity was a stop-gap to penetrate the market with solar before a viable mass-scale solar option came to play (the roof, which is on the backburner while TSLA is scrutinized every Q for automotive deliveries).
lol, come on man. If you can, read a VERY BASIC BOOK on tech investing, and reevaluate how you're perceiving this entire market sector. Try thinking 5Y, 10Y ahead, and not 1 or 2 Quarters ahead.
Do you have any management experience? Do you know how to read and create financial statements? Do you know how to do sales/marketing? Do you have relationships with vendors?
I recommend getting a copy of The E-Myth Revisited. It will help you understand the systems that you would need to setup to form the basis for your enterprise. Borrow a copy from your local library.
If you think TSLA's end game is to prove the electric vehicle as a concept then let the international market take from that, you're in the wrong frame of mind and it's no surprise TSLA valuation or longevity doesn't show. Doing so would be like getting lost in an Amazon valuation as a bookstore years ago, claiming they just need to grow into Barnes & Noble's valuation.
Every time this is brought up, I repeat my suggestion for the same book to get someone started on this concept:
https://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future/dp/0804139296
You can disagree with the book, but if someone read this book in 2012 and went to the markets, they would've been balls deep in FANG before it even became an acronym. The book doesn't say "Buy FANG" ...but covers socioeconomic and modern-market theories that might offer perspective on how to truly look at companies like T/FANG, and what sets them apart from things like GPRO and Yahoo and why their slow starts usually have unexpected big yields.
I repeat myself: If TSLA was an automotive company ("product") with no moat or visible escape velocity, I wouldn't be as overweight on 'em. Fortunately, every member of the PayPal mafia well-understands the difference between a product and a platform, so I trust Elong to take us there despite quarterly noise.
Read "The E Myth." It's probably the single best thing you can do for yourself, and I would not start a bakery until you've done so. It's a fast and easy read. I own a small food business, and I'm following the book's principles because it would be a waste of time not to.
Amazon link (it's less than $10)
Highly recommend checking out The Mom Test. It has a ton of great information both about conducting effective customer interviews, as well as how to find them. Best of luck!
https://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future/dp/0804139296
This is my long answer but holy fuck does it do an amazing job at explaining why that shit doesn't matter in the long run. And not just about Tesla, but Thiel explains it so damn clearly that if you read this in 2012 someone would claim you had a Crystal Ball on gainz.
The fluff / development / QC issues matter quarterly, but long-term, that's not what investors are focusing on. Their batteries are going to power the world, and I've placed my very...very...large bets on that accordingly.
Anyone who ever wants to invest in tech MUST read Zero to One. You don't need to necessarily agree with it, but it triggers a new perspective on how to analyze modern tech markets.
This is hardest thing after you find your target market to focus on.
Testing, testing, testing. I read somewhere once that "the best marketers are the best at experiments and doubling down on what works". Every company is going to be different. You might even find channels that work for you but don't work for your competitors.
Just remember that each channel has different feedback loops. For example, direct sales gives pretty quick feedback while SEO can take months to years.
This might be a little outdated for new bootstrapped SaaS's but this book gives you a good framework to work from: https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Customer/dp/1591848369
To answer your questions... I think it's a solid yes.
The speed which new products and services are launched is so high, that "build it and they will come" simply doesn't apply. I'm still struggling with that as I'm a technical founder with no marketing counterpart. And I'm done building a great service (user's words), and it doesn't get any traction.
But speaking of traction, a book that helped bring some clarity is Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth because it explains 19 generic channels and a strategy to reduce the noice in every field and do some focused marketing on channels that actually work.
Your first build should be an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) that has the most basic features possible.
A useful analogy is a hot dog stand… instead of building what YOU think is the best hot dog stand, complete with all types of up-sells and bells and whistles, you want to build the minimum viable product.
What is the “hot dog” of your platform? What is the most basic function that provides value?
Define what that is, then see if you can reduce it some more.
Start there, get it into the hands of users and let them guide you to create what THEY need the rest of the way.
This book is recommended often, and is worth a read: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898
Self-employment is a tough racket — I've been doing this both part- and full-time for the past twenty years. Getting paid is almost as difficult as selling work... I sure do wish I had read The E-Myth twenty years ago. tl;dr: being a good technician (i.e. skilled at what you technically do) is only a third of the battle in running your own company successfully.
"Creative types need to get a 'real job' so that they don't really starve to death."
Myself, I'm a [now retired from] electrician whom is looking to switch careers =|
I like the two MJ Dmarco books. Cuts through the usual “become a millionaire finance books”bullshit which are all similar.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0984358161/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_4N7456HS0J6EPJNX4KRY
There is an amazing book called e-myth: why small businesses don’t work and how to succeed. A best friend bought it for me when I tried to launch my own business and it really illuminated all the unknown unknowns for me. You might be able to rent it for free on your reading app from your public library. I really encourage you to check it out.
Talk to your target audience / customer by phone or in person. 10 interviews will yield 80% of consumer insights.
Ask them what their challenges are when it comes to X (problem you solve) ; How do they currently solve that problem?
Get them to walk you through their day-to-day in regards to the problem you solve.
Find out what media they consume, where they hang out online (websites, news media, blogs, social media).
You may find out that they have other problems you can solve , or that your solution is the right fit for them.
Do not tell them about your solution first (it will ruin the results); Do not ask them what they WOULD do but rather find out what they already do (People are not good at predicting their own behavior).
Best of luck to you and your project!
This site has more tips: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898
Read "The E Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Fail" https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0887307280/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_ES01N8ABZP33E20TFBEZ
You'll learn a lot about running the business part of it and the team of people you'll need. It's about a bakery so you'll find a lot of parallels. Short easy read, do this right now before your start anything else.
The E-Myth Revisited is another great read for somebody thinking that being a good technician will translate into being a good owner (hint: not often true). Personally, I would not leave IBEW to run my own residential shop (did that for a few years — residential is boring and most customers think you're ripping them off).
Do both. Take a small contract and manage your new business. Find out how much hands on you need to run the bakery. Can you be the manager ? or do you gotta be the janitor and baker too
Before you buy the bakery go read
The E-myth. It will teach you to avoid the pitfalls of being a small owner operator business
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0887307280/
Oh boy where to start? I can ramble for hours about my personal do’s & don’ts, but of course every situation is different. I would say my number one advice to someone going in business for themselves is to build a BUSINESS not a JOB. I made that mistake & had to correct it 5 years in. I’m still dealing with the pains of customers coming in and only wanting to talk to ME. I would advise reading The E Myth (link below), it changes my perspective and helped me transition my store from a “job” to a “business”.
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It https://www.amazon.com/dp/0887307280/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_MGNCHJRBNPHTAB64QCVM
Ok, as you think of features, put them on a list. Use something like Trello so you can organise them.
Once you have you list of features, start to make note of the things that take the most time for you. Those should be the things you outsource or automate first.
When I say automate, you may be able to look into "no code" solutions like IFTTT and different actions that trigger based on things you do. i.e. when I get a WhatsApp message, add a new line to spreadsheet a. etc
I can recommend this book for your stage of business:
Welcome to the club — read "The E-Myth" (not for discouragement, but to be realistic about going beyond TECHNICIAN roles — you are now an accountant and salesman, too).
Carry "change order" forms right behind your invoices, and always have the client sign it for ANY change. Don't underbid yourself just to get work — if a scheduling conflict occurs, which prevents you from working productively, BILL THE G.C. for it.
Your first employee will be the most difficult decision you ever make — don't let it be a family member. Don't employ or work for family — or if you do, set realistic expectations and MAKE A CONTRACT.
PAY YOUR TAXES. Get insurance. Don't leave your tools on a jobsite EVER.
The great news is your goals and dreams are super realistic. Even a home on the smallest amount of land can be turned into a farm.
There are lots of good books on the subject, but check this one out.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0865717656/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_P6xlFbG6FJHFF
Personally, I've turned my small lot into raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and grapes. All super low maintenance and all super rewarding with how much they produce.
First and foremost, grats on the job! PHP Development and Web Development in general is an exciting field to be in. The key to my own personal success has been to never stop learning. As cliche as it sounds, it's the truth. Force yourself to learn something new everyday from every aspect of the LAMP Stack and you will see how quickly you start applying your knowledge over and over again.
From the PHP perspective, learn to see how OOP works. The design patterns book by Matt Zandstra that you mentioned is an amazing resource that I read time after time again. There is also this book called Rework (http://www.amazon.com/Rework-Jason-Fried/dp/0307463745/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442819706&sr=8-1&keywords=rework+book) that changed my thought process as well. It is a very easy read from the guys over at 37 Signals that is a 'take it or leave it' advice book about the software world. It completely changed my perspective on how I go about solving problems and addressing a project's priority.
Just keep yourself actively engaged, don't be afraid to fail, and learn when you break things. You'll do just fine. :)
It started as a slight varnish on top of what was Extreme Programming that was easily packaged and sold by consultancies. These focused on brining Agile to big enterprise aka "your Agile transformation", and honestly most of these were face-value only. The true power of Agile requires an entire cultural shift for the organization, not just Engineering.
Scrum shops and scrum consultants typically peddle this watered down mostly-broken Engineering-only version, and well it sucks.
The best book I've ever read on distilling the true heart of Agile is actually a business book. I highly recommend it: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898
Design engineer who went down this process. Injection molding this will be 50K+ with first production runs. Read this, changed my attitude on product development. True adopters will pay money for a 3d printer version and you will learn the most from them