Category Archives: Bootstrapping as Method

Building Blocks of Startup Success – Authenticity

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Charlie B

Something really rubs me the wrong way about the business of software conference. I can’t quite put my finger on it – something about the whole thing just feels wrong to me, which is (only partly) why I don’t go. … Continue reading →

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New Business Launched – Golem Technologies

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Charlie B

After many months of work, I have finally officially launched Golem Technologies, a website and web application security scanning SAAS application. This is designed to be the world’s easiest security scanner, offering one click scanning (only enter a URL and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bootstrapping as Method, Startup Challenges | Tagged entrepreneur, Golem Technologies, Security Scanning, startup, website launch | 3 Comments

Conventional Wisdom Will Kill You

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Charlie B

I heard this phrase at a creativity seminar, and it caught my eye. Conventional wisdom exists to help mitigate risks. In business, we often use conventional wisdom to reject ideas quickly, but this can be a critical mistake. Some high … Continue reading →

Posted in Bootstrapping as Method | Tagged awareness, building expertise, entrepreneur, opportunity | Leave a comment

Going Solo: How Much Income Do You Really Need?

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Charlie B

If you are like me, and dream of starting a successful small online business one day so you can truly be self employed, it helps to know ahead of time what constitutes success. If you read my about page, one … Continue reading →

Posted in Bootstrapping as Method | Tagged entrepreneur, planning, small business, startup | 2 Comments

How to Get Stuff Done by Setting Aside Time

Posted on November 19, 2010 by Charlie B

I was recently in a discussion on the business of software forums where a user was asking for advice on how to complete the project he had set out for himself. He was having trouble finding time to focus on … Continue reading →

Posted in Bootstrapping as Method | Tagged inspiration, motivation, time blocking | Leave a comment

SaaS and New Business Models

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Charlie B

My previous work on gaming came to a standstill several months ago. Many things happened to cause me to abandon my foray into the gaming market. Project Darkstar was shut down by Oracle. It has since re-emerged as Red Dwarf … Continue reading →

Posted in Bootstrapping as Method, Startup Challenges | Tagged opportunity, planning, product design | Leave a comment

Why Network Marketing is Evil

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Charlie B

In the past few years, growth of network marketing has moved around the globe in a variety of product categories. Also called Multi-Layer Marketing, Pyramid Marketing, and Direct Selling, (although direct selling is a broader term which encompasses business models I will not discuss here), network marketing has touched almost everyone’s life in one form or another. There are many proponents of network marketing, although if you look carefully you will see why network marketing is not a business model but a scam based architecture disguised as a business.

Internet Start Up Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Posted on December 13, 2009 by Charlie B

I launched my first web business 2 years ago, and just like that the venture flopped. Resurrecting the whole thing was pointless, and I spent a fair amount of time reflecting on what went wrong, what went right, and why it was doomed to failure from the beginning. Since that time, I have met many people in the same boat, or who were heading in that direction. To help prevent others from facing the same situation, I compiled a list of the main mistakes I made and see others making, and some tips on how to avoid them.
1) Not seriously writing a business plan

Many first time entrepreneurs and even some long-term entrepreneurs make this mistake. Everything you read online will suggest writing a business plan, but many people take this step for granted, hubris that they have skills others do not, and thus are bound for success with their great idea. The problem is that the idea may not be so great, or the execution of the idea may fail. The business plan forces you to consider this carefully and honestly, to assess if it will be a successful venture, and what your chances of success are.

Project Darkstar Game Server Risk Benefit Analysis

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Charlie B

I am in the late functional Design stages of an Indy MMO, and the early technical design stages (Secret for the time being), so a couple of weeks ago when I was searching for a very inexpensive, scalable, smart solution to the ‘server problem’ all MMO’s face, I found Darkstar and a couple other MMO backend products. Darkstar is an Open Source server platform developed by Sun Labs, specifically created for massively multiplayer game creation. It has a long list of useful features, and allows the development team to build application logic directly on top of it while handling all the low level server tasks which are traditionally the most difficult – concurrent data access, user connection level loading, multi-node scaling, and persistence across server crashes or shutdowns.

Indy Game Economics 101

Posted on November 15, 2009 by Charlie B

I recently entered the Indy gaming market, a crowded market if ever there was one. I liken being an Indy game designer / programmer to being a first cut author, except without an entire publishing industry looking for hot talent. Imagine being an author and getting your first book put on Amazon for download, or included in an online store along with millions of other titles, many of which have name brand recognition, thousands or millions of dollars in marketing spend backing them, or a lower price point (free). Your book is new, it touches universal themes, the writing is solid, and the characters alive. Still, it is useless unless people see it and buy it. How is such an author to make enough to feed the family?