I'm curious how many of you have (or had) other non-software businesses large or small.
e.g., I'm into LED lighting and right now I'm designing small reading lamps I plan to sell on Etsy.
I've had a gas station in Northern Canada, but it was a total failure, which is sad. We got defrauded big time while we were in Europe and the whole thing almost literally collapsed. Some of our employees had had the great idea to go and gamble in the casino with the proceeds of the business, they would put back the 'borrowed' money before we returned.
You can guess the rest.
By the time I found out about it (a supplier calling to Europe why we had not paid for a month) it was much too late to salvage anything.
So, since then I try to stay out of retail as much as I can...
I lost some money, which was sad, but they lost their livelihood and their reputations, which is probably more of a problem in the long term. It took me a while to get over it though, I had a serious trust problem for a while.
I had and have numerous over the years. I had a successful Contracting business (electro-mechanical) for quite a few years, a Consulting Business in the same field, a Computer School in the days that the masses wanted to learn DOS :), a plastic bags factory. The software business has always been my sideline even when luck was not on my side (running a couple of web projects now).
The Contracting Business found a glorious end when the Zulus were marching in central Johannesburg some years back and the Construction Industry just faded away. The Computer School ran out of capital when Windows came out and I had to replace 200 computers and I sold it to someone else (I hated mice for quite a few years after that). The Plastics factory was a big thing for me until they banned plastic bags and I cashed in! Oh! and I forgot and I had this great software that was used for designing Halon 1301 Fire Protection systems that all the big data Centers were using until the Ozone Layer appeared and halon was banned! I am now busy with the greatest thing after Primavera!
I guess I am from the Old Hacker School. Isn't that what you guys do? Just let your imagination roam and do things? Over the years two things kept being with me right through all the businesses, I take time to revisit my Maths twice a year and I program. It keeps me sane and now and then makes me some additional income.
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[ 0.22 ms ] story [ 28.8 ms ] threadYou can guess the rest.
By the time I found out about it (a supplier calling to Europe why we had not paid for a month) it was much too late to salvage anything.
So, since then I try to stay out of retail as much as I can...
I lost some money, which was sad, but they lost their livelihood and their reputations, which is probably more of a problem in the long term. It took me a while to get over it though, I had a serious trust problem for a while.
The Contracting Business found a glorious end when the Zulus were marching in central Johannesburg some years back and the Construction Industry just faded away. The Computer School ran out of capital when Windows came out and I had to replace 200 computers and I sold it to someone else (I hated mice for quite a few years after that). The Plastics factory was a big thing for me until they banned plastic bags and I cashed in! Oh! and I forgot and I had this great software that was used for designing Halon 1301 Fire Protection systems that all the big data Centers were using until the Ozone Layer appeared and halon was banned! I am now busy with the greatest thing after Primavera!
I guess I am from the Old Hacker School. Isn't that what you guys do? Just let your imagination roam and do things? Over the years two things kept being with me right through all the businesses, I take time to revisit my Maths twice a year and I program. It keeps me sane and now and then makes me some additional income.
You're a busy bee, nice to see you active in so many different fields!