Lack of software engineering talent 'could derail London’s Tech City'

[eek]

Cool, you're part of history. How NOT to run a startup! Apparently Boo had something like 400 staff and could have been run with like 50!
though my memory is fuzzy..


I'll have to pull boo hoo off my bookshelf and see if you're mentioned.

I'll save you the hassle. I'm not although neither was the person i reported to or his boss.

I can give you stories that aren't in the book including the solution to the first finance crisis. Did you know that a middle east governments kept $10m in cash in their embassy. The money arrived so late that one bank closed 4 branches in central London to count it between the time the cash was received and close of day.

[SueEllen]

As for internet connections I didn't have any problems working from home via my cable modem (a fast 512kb line).

Yeah but most of your punters where on dial up - not everyone could and still can get cable broadband.

[eek]

Yeah but most of your punters where on dial up - not everyone could and still can get cable broadband.

You missed the earlier statement. Anyone who wasn't working on the front end knew it was insane, unfortunately those working on the front end were working all plausible hours only stopping to see their mates at other startups or digital marketing agencies. Common sense had left that department well before I first saw them and ran away.

After that all I did was invoice, invoice, invoice, laugh and add a large sum to chris Evan's bar tab.

[lilelvis2000]

I'll save you the hassle. I'm not although neither was the person i reported to or his boss.

I can give you stories that aren't in the book including the solution to the first finance crisis. Did you know that a middle east governments kept $10m in cash in their embassy. The money arrived so late that one bank closed 4 branches in central London to count it between the time the cash was received and close of day.

Given the book was written by one of the company directors...it did have that "alls going well, ah we need more cash, got some back to normal, ah we're outta cash again, oh darn now we really are broke, oh the humanity we have to close down" kinda vibe.

Was that the investor from the middle-east...Lebanon was it? Now they were stupid. I was shouting at the book, "Noooo" when I read that part.

[Clever Hans]

Boo's financial acumen seems unimaginative compared to the Wrekin construction group which went under with 300 jobs a couple of years ago.

This despite having the fabulous £11 million "Gem of Tanzania" ruby propping up its accounts, which eventually went under the hammer for the slightly less fabulous price of £8010 which - according to the article - appears to be an overestimate of a practically worthless lump of purple rock which first appeared to attain its fabulousness when owned by a peddler of a cure for Aids based on Goat Blood.

Inspirational.