Re: start your own business
 

[quote=saden1;653682]Writing software once and selling it many times seems like a good idea for a business...only issue is you got to have a killer app to make decent money. I've been toying with the idea of writing an Android application but I haven't fully committed myself to it.[/quote]

This is the best idea, but like you said you've got to have a killer app. I've got a few in mind, and I wanted to make an iPhone app, but you have to have a Mac for development. Grrrr, F Apple.

Re: start your own business
 

You could always pay someone to help develop the app for you but I've heard that can be crazy expensive

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=Mattyk;654660]You could always pay someone to help develop the app for you but I've heard that can be crazy expensive[/quote]

Yeah, probably more expensive than buying a Mac and doing it myself -- which I'm sure is exactly what Apple would want.

Re: start your own business
 

I gotta say, when I first saw this thread I thought about Dre's "Lil Ghetto Boy".

... quit payin mfer's for jerry curls, quit payin mfer's for jerry perms, save your money, start your own business ...

Re: start your own business
 

Don't forget that actually writing the app is only half the battle. The other is getting it approved.

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=cpayne5;654674]Don't forget that actually writing the app is only half the battle. The other is getting it approved.[/quote]

Approved?! That figures.

I didn't know you had to get it approved, but I can't say I'm surprised. Open standards > proprietary bullshit. F Apple. F Microsoft. Their business practices ultimately hurt the community and limit progress. But hey, at least they're getting rich, right?

IMO, this is why Microsoft will eventually succumb to open standards, or they will perish. Did you know that if you want to develop .Net apps you have to run them on Windows? So, you get language independence (totally worthless, IMO) but you're locked into Windows (clearly inferior to Unix) and its licensing fees.

I'm a Java developer, and the apps I write are totally portable and totally free to develop and host. They can be developed with any tool (Notepad, if you want), and can run on any system. Did I mention the tools and server software is also open-source and free? Geez, for the life of me I don't know what MS is thinking.

[/rant]

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=over the mountain;654646]those facebook and myspace websites have made a ton of money.

someone should start a website based off that format but for pets.

dogspace.com; petspace.com; dogbook.com; petbook.com

so people could create accounts for their dogs, post pictures and all that other jazz. people love their dogs.[/quote]

I think that already exists. Dogster.com I think, or something like that

Re: start your own business
 

I think the social networking idea has been pretty well exhausted at this point.

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=GhettoDogAllStars;654681]Approved?! That figures.

I didn't know you had to get it approved, but I can't say I'm surprised. Open standards > proprietary bullshit. F Apple. F Microsoft. Their business practices ultimately hurt the community and limit progress. But hey, at least they're getting rich, right?

IMO, this is why Microsoft will eventually succumb to open standards, or they will perish. Did you know that if you want to develop .Net apps you have to run them on Windows? So, you get language independence (totally worthless, IMO) but you're locked into Windows (clearly inferior to Unix) and its licensing fees.

I'm a Java developer, and the apps I write are totally portable and totally free to develop and host. They can be developed with any tool (Notepad, if you want), and can run on any system. Did I mention the tools and server software is also open-source and free? Geez, for the life of me I don't know what MS is thinking.

[/rant][/quote]

Apple is being very Nazi-like with their apps. There have been lots of apps that have been rejected with absolutely no reason given. Others have been rejected for completely bogus reasons.

You don't have to run .NET apps in Windows. You can develop and host .NET apps for free. (see DotGNU, mono, and Silverlight as a few examples)

I think you probably mean UNIX-like.

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=cpayne5;654961]Apple is being very Nazi-like with their apps. There have been lots of apps that have been rejected with absolutely no reason given. Others have been rejected for completely bogus reasons.

You don't have to run .NET apps in Windows. You can develop and host .NET apps for free. (see DotGNU, mono, and Silverlight as a few examples)

I think you probably mean UNIX-like.[/quote]

Funny how the open-platform .Net movement (dotGNU) is not endorsed by MS -- in fact it appears to be created in [url=http://www.gnu.org/software/dotgnu/danger.html]retaliation to Microsoft's proprietary ways[/url]. I also doubt the CLI source code is available -- it seems dotGNU just provides the binaries (because MS hasn't released the source). Please correct me if you know better.

I also checked out Silverlight (which is a MS product) and you need the Web Platform Installer to get it (which is only supported by Windows). There might be a way to hack it, but that's my point. So, it seems, if we just left it up to MS there would be no free, open-source, open-platform, or open anything coming from them.

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=GhettoDogAllStars;655059]Funny how the open-platform .Net movement (dotGNU) is not endorsed by MS -- in fact it appears to be created in [url=http://www.gnu.org/software/dotgnu/danger.html]retaliation to Microsoft's proprietary ways[/url]. I also doubt the CLI source code is available -- it seems dotGNU just provides the binaries (because MS hasn't released the source). Please correct me if you know better.

I also checked out Silverlight (which is a MS product) and you need the Web Platform Installer to get it (which is only supported by Windows). There might be a way to hack it, but that's my point. So, it seems, if we just left it up to MS there would be no free, open-source, open-platform, or open anything coming from them.[/quote]

Of course it's not endorsed by Microsoft. [URL="http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=42927"]Here[/URL] is the CLI standard, which Free Software is probably building against. The source is available.

Microsoft provides a Silverlight installer for Mac, and you can use Moonlight (developed by the mono folks) if you want to run it on Linux. For MS FOSS, check out Codeplex.

Re: start your own business
 

Okay, don't laugh ... but anybody ever thought about opening a strip bar or adult video or book/magazine store?

Sleazeball? Sure. I'd probably never do it, but I've always heard that the sex industry in whichever form is practically recession-proof. Not even a bad economy is enough to kill the sex drive of guys who can't get any.

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=Beemnseven;655106]Okay, don't laugh ... but anybody ever thought about opening a strip bar or adult video or book/magazine store?

Sleazeball? Sure. I'd probably never do it, but I've always heard that the sex industry in whichever form is practically recession-proof. Not even a bad economy is enough to kill the sex drive of guys who can't get any.[/quote]

Yeah, but porn is free on the Internet! So, that only leaves strip clubs, which is actually a great idea. Follow your dreams Beem! ;)

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=Beemnseven;655106]Okay, don't laugh ... but anybody ever thought about opening a strip bar or adult video or book/magazine store?

Sleazeball? Sure. I'd probably never do it, but I've always heard that the sex industry in whichever form is practically recession-proof. Not even a bad economy is enough to kill the sex drive of guys who can't get any.[/quote]

I know a guy who use to own an adult porn store and you would never know that by meeting him. He grew the business and sold it before his kids got old enough to know what he did for a living.

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=Beemnseven;655106]Okay, don't laugh ... but anybody ever thought about opening a strip bar or adult video or book/magazine store?

Sleazeball? Sure. I'd probably never do it, but I've always heard that the sex industry in whichever form is practically recession-proof. Not even a bad economy is enough to kill the sex drive of guys who can't get any.[/quote]

Maybe you could partner up with the artist formerly known as CantheTuna

[url]http://www.thewarpath.net/parking-lot/12951-help-re-name-my-store.html[/url]

Re: start your own business
 

I've worked retail since I was 17 and been management since 19 so I'd be comfortable in a sales environment no doubt. I'd love to run a spirits shop or something like an outfitter store. I really have a lot of passions I just have a problem narrowing it down. I already do IT/comp repair, etc on the side.

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=saden1;653682]Writing software once and selling it many times seems like a good idea for a business...only issue is you got to have a killer app to make decent money. I've been toying with the idea of writing an Android application but I haven't fully committed myself to it.[/quote]
friend of mine is in the process of selling an iphone app to a company that grosses billions/year

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;653738]If you want to make some quick bucks, just put an ad in the newspaper saying, "Computer running slow? Have spyware? $75 flat rate cleanup."

I easily made $1000 the week that ad ran. It's also very non-active work. I just have them bring me the tower, I hook it up in my office, run ComboFix, give it back and collect my $75 for about 5 minutes of actual work.[/quote]
you can charge 75 out there? heh.. I should've upped my prices

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=tryfuhl;655322]you can charge 75 out there? heh.. I should've upped my prices[/quote]

You're in MD now tryfuhl? Weren't you in or near Detroit?

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=Beemnseven;655106]Okay, don't laugh ... but anybody ever thought about opening a strip bar or adult video or book/magazine store?

Sleazeball? Sure. I'd probably never do it, but I've always heard that the sex industry in whichever form is practically recession-proof. Not even a bad economy is enough to kill the sex drive of guys who can't get any.[/quote]

I've thought about being an actor in the adult entertainment industry. I think the only reason I've never seriously considered it is because I have a daughter.

There you have it, 12th wants to be a porn star.

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=12thMan;655327]I've thought about being an actor in the adult entertainment industry. I think the only reason I've never seriously considered it is because I have a daughter.

There you have it, 12th wants to be a porn star.[/quote]

I thought you were going to say you never seriously considered it was because you had a small penis :laughing2:silly:

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=htownskinfan;655349]I thought you were going to say you never seriously considered it was because you had a small penis :laughing2:silly:[/quote]
edit edit

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=12thMan;655327]I've thought about being an actor in the adult entertainment industry. I think the only reason I've never seriously considered it is because I have a daughter.

There you have it, 12th wants to be a porn star.[/quote]

I did to but they needed more then two minutes of film.

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=firstdown;655374]I did to but they needed more then two minutes of film.[/quote]

I know a great producer who can enhance your credentials in this area:)

Re: start your own business
 

by the way 12th man,I was in no way inferring you had a small penis,lol
just when I was reading it thats what I thought you were going to say as a joke

Re: start your own business
 

About a year ago I was reading somewhere about how during tuff economic times, lottery and booze sales rise dramatically. So I thought the perfect business would be to find a used ice cream truck, pimp it out ofcoarse, hire a couple of strippers and stock the truck with booze and lotto tickets, and take the product to the people, brilliant!

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;654139]That's the best way to do it. The town I live in is small and basically it's a college town with both Washington and Lee and VMI. What I hate about living here is that the people coming into town (most retirees from the north) open up the most idiotic business ventures ever and they all fold within two years because their fortune they made in NYC dried up.

OK, basically my community is made up of college kids and retirees, and just recently opened are three new banks, a freaking SMOOTHIE stand and a dog bakery. How many of those do you think are going to work out? I'll let you guess, only the banks are still standing right now.

Basically, just give the students or retirees what they want... booze.

If someone were to come in here and open up an actual sport's bar that doesn't get taken over by the town white trash and have student specials, trivia, kind of like a Buffalo Wild Wings, they would easily make a profit within the first two years.[/quote]
smoothie stand near a college failed? that sucks, usually those are big in the college crowd

I know a guy who bought a few of those smoothie and food carts (think the ones that do icees, smoothies, coffee, bbq/hotdogs, etc) and put them in grocery store parking lots, etc and does pretty well with them.

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=firstdown;654270]A store opened up called "Great Mistakes" they sold items that had small flaws in them. I passed the store one day and their sign read like this.

Great Mistakes

Going out of business sale

I got a good laugh out of that.[/quote]
looool

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=Daseal;654435]The more I study for certifications, the more I realize that good prep materials really lack. They write these 800 page books full of fluff that you have to sort through to get to the things you actually need to know. I'd LOVE to see a line of books aimed at people that basically know what they're doing, but need to pass the test. So you look at what subjects are on the test, cover those subjects without frills, and move on. For the Cert I'm studying for now (Security+), the book Im reading could easily be condensed to 100-150 pages instead of 800.[/quote]

former roomie who did this cert used this guide

[url=http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470404841.html]Wiley::CompTIA Security+ Review Guide: SY0-201[/url]

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=over the mountain;654646]those facebook and myspace websites have made a ton of money.

someone should start a website based off that format but for pets.

dogspace.com; petspace.com; dogbook.com; petbook.com

so people could create accounts for their dogs, post pictures and all that other jazz. people love their dogs.[/quote]
I've known some people from webmaster communities that sold some clone sites like that, there's decent money in it but you can also pay a few thousand and really get nothing as well. There are sites like you suggested though and it reminds me of something that my great-uncle did years ago. He paid a local dev group to come up with a site that would help cow breeders find matches based on some crazy number of criteria. You could do something like 10 traits for free as a trial and you paid to match more than that. He ended up selling it for somewhere in the 7 digits, this was at the start of the dot-com boom.

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=Mattyk;654697]I think the social networking idea has been pretty well exhausted at this point.[/quote]
yeah I thought that then boom comes twitter out of nowhere.. I think that there will be some more things like that but with better options, more media embedding, etc.. I don't think that it's necessarily a BETTER idea, but I'd imagine there's work being done on stuff like that anyways

there are a lot of twitter knockoffs coming out now.. well.. they're more niche-based

[url=http://blippy.com/]Blippy / What are your friends buying?[/url]

Re: start your own business
 

[quote=GMScud;655323]You're in MD now tryfuhl? Weren't you in or near Detroit?[/quote]
Yeah I've moved way too much lately. When I first joined here I was in Lynchburg, VA... moved to Charlotte, NC last March I believe.. Detroit area in umm September maybe.. Job dried up in MI and I wanted to come back to this area (though a bit closer to DC, but oh well) and an opportunity came up. Just have to secure a decent job and I'll be set, then another move will be in store (not a lot directly around here) but it'll still be in the DC area hopefully.