Entrepreneurship. Is it a fad? Why are all my friends doing it?

[KentPhilip]

Actually, I disagree with the others, I think you are a genius, I will be taking a punt but I am prepared to make you an offer. £50 and for that I only want 70% of your gross earnings from any source in perpetuity....

A very generous offer. How could I refuse...

[KentPhilip]

Sounds like you have thought through your plan very well and covered all the possible outcomes. Yeah right, back of a fag packet ? You have a vague notion of a bit of software which might already be available, probably free. You have no idea of the likely market or demand, no ability to present what you have to the market or means of delivery (or is that - I will email you the code perhaps ?)
I suggest you get a job before the skills go, yes a few months is enough for them to slide and turn you into a fool at the next job. While there, in all the time you don't spend working (or some of the time you do) you can properly work out whether you actually have something to sell. This can all be done around your normal job.
I doubt the 'den' are preparing a comfy chair for your arrival just yet, but good luck anyway !

My "business" is not ready for the dragons den just yet, largely for the reasons you have stated.
What I have done is take the concept of a system I used in my old job and apply it to the web. It is highly speculative, but the startup costs are low so I recon it is worth a punt. I do believe the product is useful myself, which helps.

As for the comments about getting a job. Hmmm maybe you're right - it might be better to get a 3 month contract just to keep my skills up to date.

Thanks

[DodgyAgent]

My "business" is not ready for the dragons den just yet, largely for the reasons you have stated.
What I have done is take the concept of a system I used in my old job and apply it to the web. It is highly speculative, but the startup costs are low so I recon it is worth a punt. I do believe the product is useful myself, which helps.

As for the comments about getting a job. Hmmm maybe you're right - it might be better to get a 3 month contract just to keep my skills up to date.

Thanks

Why dont you put it to the test on here? "CUKDen"

[Bagpuss]

Notice on the real Dragons' Den, Banertine gets very upset if he gets contradicted by any of the other Dragons, so much so that he will drop the proposal even if he likes it. He's a seriously petty individual. I bet he's done a few people over in his time.

[oracleslave]

Notice on the real Dragons' Den, Banertine gets very upset if he gets contradicted by any of the other Dragons, so much so that he will drop the proposal even if he likes it. He's a seriously petty individual. I bet he's done a few people over in his time.

Bannatyne even.

[Bagpuss]

Bannatyne even.

No Banertine Odd

[KentPhilip]

Why dont you put it to the test on here? "CUKDen"

I would like to, but if I so much as put the URL of my site on here then any prospective clients will see my inane ramblings on this site when they google my company name. Not a good impression I fear.

I'll see whether I can PM you with a paragraph on it though, and a link.

Cheers

[KentPhilip]

No Banertine Odd

It is Bannatyne

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Bannatyne

I've heard they're renaming the local transport in Newcastle after their favourite son.

They're calling it the "Bannatyne and Weir Metro".

[Jog On]

My "business" is not ready for the dragons den just yet, largely for the reasons you have stated.
What I have done is take the concept of a system I used in my old job and apply it to the web. It is highly speculative, but the startup costs are low so I recon it is worth a punt. I do believe the product is useful myself, which helps.

As for the comments about getting a job. Hmmm maybe you're right - it might be better to get a 3 month contract just to keep my skills up to date.

Thanks

Can you not do it around a 9-5 contract? What kind of market research have you done?

I think lots of people are getting into it because the web makes it much less riskier to start a business than it was in the bricks and mortar days. Also more and more people are coming to the realisation that trading time for money day in day out is not really all it's cracked up to be. Just look through this forum for the "What's it all about - is this really supposed to be it? " threads.

Go for it - I'm doing it as well, I'm getting a software product made for me over the web by some outsourcers in the Ukraine and am getting it ready to beta then market. I've done the research and I know it should sell quite well.

PM me if you want to chat about researching and marketing your thing. It doesn't matter if it's already being done elsewhere, if you can come up with a unique angle and make it better than the competition then market it better and reach more eyeballs than the competition you can beat the competition.

In fact - if similar products already exist in your market then that's an indicator that there's money being spent

[Bagpuss]

I know it's spelt wrong, FFS it's an odd surname, not a word in everyday usage. I just wanted to say Banertine again in case he is so anal it makes him cry

Not that Wikipedia should ever be trusted, who wrote Reach by S-club 7 again?