Roddypod

I started thinking about working for myself for the past two years now. Why does this appeal to me? For starters, I’m very frustrated with where I am in my career. I don’t share the same vision and enthusiasm of my current employer. Right now, I’m just “paying the bills”. I’ve always wanted to be my own boss and work for myself. The thought of calling the shots excites me to no end. My dad was self-employed and has recently retired after running his successful business for 27 years. He didn’t have to answer to no one but himself! How cool is that?!?!

So, what am I going to do about it?. I want to start a software business where I will most likely be the only employee. I don’t want to be just any software developer, I want to be an indie Mac developer! I want to write programs for the Macintosh. I also want to write apps and services for the web. I have so many ideas in my head and on paper, I think that I can really make something that can sustain Jessica and I.

How am I going to do this? Where will I find the time? I have no time! Working full time and being in school leaves little for anything else. Getting an MBA is my “back up plan”. If all else fails, I can still find a management position where I can at least call some of the shots but still have to report to someone. So, I’m thinking of extending my studies to give me more time to work on my ventures. I was planning on taking two classes per term but I feel like I’m stretched too thin. So, I’m going to finish this term and next term and then take one class per term after that. It’ll take me about a year longer to get my MBA but it’ll still be worth it in the long run.

What do I want to start first? I would like to start my indie Mac software business first until it generates enough income to allow me to leave my current job. I have several ideas that I think can generate some income quickly. More on that later. As for my web business(es), I have a few ideas kicking around that are mostly based on ad revenue models. Subscription based models are a little tougher to sustain but I might investigate that later. What I plan on doing first is making a compliment to an existing service from another company and hopefully having them incorporate it into their site. I will put advertising on my pages and share any ad revenue. This will also be applied to other sites at later dates.

So there you have it. Sorry I didn’t go into too much detail but I want to develop the apps a little more before I let the cat out of the bag. I’ll definitely do some previews when it comes close to launching to hopefully drive interest and traffic. When that’ll be, I hope it’s soon. Stay tuned…

Okay, I haven’t updated in a while so let me fill you in. Jessica and I bought a house in Wilmot, NH and are under contract. We can’t believe how fast the whole process was. It took three hours from the time our first offer was placed to the time that our realtor called back saying that the seller accepted our offer. During those three hours, there were several counteroffers and a few changes here and there to the contract. In the end, both parties are happy and Jessica and I are thrilled to own a home of our own!

Today was our home inspection. Jac Castle performed the inspection and everything went smoothly. There were a few minor things that need to be addressed but I’m sure they’ll be taken care of before our closing on January 31st. Jac did a standard home inspection, a Radon air test, a potable water test, Radon water test, and Uranium water test. The total came to $570!!! Ouch! The extra tests really add up. Jac was incredibly thorough and he did a great job at answering our questions. If anyone is in a 50 mile radius of Sunapee, NH and needs a home inspection, call Jac.

After the inspection, Jess and I measured the kitchen for our new appliances that we’ll need to buy in a few weeks. We also measured the laundry room for our new washer and dryer. Jess measured the windows so her mom can make us curtains while I measured the wall in the living room to see if my plasma TV will fit on it. Either way, it’ll have to.

I have a CS degree. I should be a programmer but I’m not. My job title is “User Support Specialist II”. They have different levels which only differentiates your salary. I don’t even know if there’s a level III but I don’t want to stick around to find out.

Just last week, I was passed over on a possible promotion. I could have been working on a database/programming project that would be a lot more exciting than what I’m doing now. Instead, someone else was hired fresh out of college to take over that project. I’m not too happy with that.

My dissatisfaction for this job was the final nail in the proverbial coffin. This job has pushed me over the edge. In a way, I am grateful to have this job because it made me realize that being almost 26 years old, I haven’t accomplished anything professionally. This job jump-started my decision to go back to school for my MBA. I knew I’d go back to school, but if I didn’t hate my job so much and want a change, I don’t think I would’ve gone back so soon.

I don’t think I’ll be working here much longer. I don’t think I could tolerate it here for the next year and a half while going to school. I need something less stressful and something that is a little more challenging. On the side, I have been programming. I have begun on a few Mac apps as well as some Dashboard Widgets that I will be blogging about later. Some of the apps will be free, the others will be paid apps. I’ll start a separate site and incorporate. I’m hoping to get this accomplished by next summer if not sooner. Stay tuned…

Many people have asked me why am I going to school for an MBA. I have a Bachelors in Computer Science and I’ve heard, “Why not a Masters in CS?”. To me, I don’t see how a Masters in CS will benefit my career very much.

The short answer to why I am working on an MBA is because I hate working for other people and would rather work for myself. My career is in a rut at the moment and going nowhere fast. Geographically, I live in a highly competitive area where if you don’t have “experience”, you can’t get a programming job. To be honest, I don’t really want to work for another company writing their software. I want to write my own software.

To really be successful, I want to actually know how to run a business. I want to know how to write business plans, raise capital, hire employees, and above all, I need to know how to market my products and services. I know that a lot of people have started businesses and don’t have MBA or any formal business education. I guess you can call it “learn as you go”. That is unacceptable for me. I’m very serious about this and it’s easy to learn bad habits. Now, nothing goes as planned but it’s a good plan to do a little research before jumping into the abyss.

So we put in our first offer on a house that Jessica and I looked at a week ago. We really liked it and thought it’d be the perfect starter home for us and our two cats, Max and Moe.

We called the realtor around 7:30 PM and put in our offer. She called the sellers that she represents and then called us back around 10:00. Our offer was rejected and gave us a new lower price but was still $12,000 more than we wanted to spend. We said we’ll keep in touch and she can let us know if the house price is lowered at a later date. For what the house is, it is grossly overpriced. In the meantime, we’re going to keep looking.

Jessica and I met with two mortgage lenders yesterday. We are trying to buy our first house and it’s very exciting but we’re nervous. This is a lot of money and responsibility on our part. We might meet with some other lenders before we decide on where to get our loan. This is going to be tight but still doable when I start school in two weeks.

“Roddypod” is what my mother called me when I was a kid. She will occasionally let it slip now and then to this day. I didn’t mind her calling me that until she started doing it in public. I don’t even know how she came up with that name. My parents are weird in that way I guess. My sister Andrea also had a nickname. She was called “Andy-Panda” growing up. Don’t know where that came from either. For my oldest sister Amity, I don’t even think she had a nickname.

I feel like I’m getting a late start to this considering my age, almost 26. Why am I even bothering doing this? Well, I want to start a software/internet company and I feel that a blog can help promote my business as well as network with other people/businesses. I am also about to start graduate school at Plymouth State University for an MBA and I will talk about my studies and experience on this blog.

I have always had an interest in software development and running a company. I have been interested in making easy to use applications for the Mac as well as useful tools and services on the web. I already have a CS degree and programming experience, now I need the business knowledge to complete the puzzle and get my ventures started. You can read all about it here.