startups

How do you manage all your projects and ideas?

I have a billion potential ideas running through my head. About five of those I have actually started and have become "side projects" in addition to my "day job". Some are further along than others, and a few are even demonstrable. The problem I have is that one always takes attention away from the others. I don't want to give up any of ...

What should a software engineer read before branching out on their own?

I'm a software engineer living vicariously through the Venture Voice podcast and books like Founders at Work. What should I read before I branch out and try to write and sell software on my own? ...

Which startup VIP do you follow?

Do you have a prominent example of a startup person you follow? Like the Twitter, blog, video podcast of Kevin Rose from Digg. Or the writings of Joel Spolsky? Is it common for the startup people to share their thoughts on blogs? Or do you feel like there's not enough information about your favorite startup? (Personally, I love the stac...

Internet startups outside the US

Most Internet companies are based in the US. Some start to appear in (eastern) Europe, Australia and Israel. What are the advantages and challenges of such 'foreign' companies, baring in mind that most of the Internet's activity, hype and bandwidth are still US centric? edit: Mind you, Israel has its own Paul Graham like startups hub. T...

I have an Idea, now what?

I have an idea for a website that I think could be successful, but it will require ALOT more work then the other projects that I have worked on in the past. Where should I start? ...

How do you talk to non-technical bosses

Ok, so I'm a lone developer at a PSEUDO startup... it's a new venture for an existing small company. This is the FIRST time I have managed a project alone, usually I work for startups with lead tech guys that mentor/manage me. It's really difficult for me to communicate priorities to my boss. With some things he is good, other things n...

Opensourcing a starter web application

I am just starting with a web application to maintain a household budget. I really want to opensource it and let anyone who wants to work on it do so, as it is a hobby I don't really have the time to develop on it that much well The only problem I have is that if this is an app I want to host on my domain, how do I go about doing th...

Working in a Startup (or a small company)

I am of personal opinion that startups are the ideal place to start your career. Mainly because you get to do a lot of work yourself and also as there are fewer people the bonding between them will be better. What do you guys think? ...

how do you get past small startup issues?

Two friends and I started a venture to develop small game applications. It seems like we have the great combo: artist, programmer and a business person. We started two projects so far, but it seems hard to get a product out. There's design questions, wondering if we should make the perfect application or get something out there to test ...

Must have resources for startups?

What do you consider the most valuable information sources(news, blogs, and books) for fresh (and wannabe) startup founders? ...

What are the most important prerequisites to start my own software company?

Quite a number of us (I guess) have the dream of an own software company. Me too, although I'm not sure, if this dream does not clash with my lovely family ... But what are the most important prerequisites for a startup? I'm sure some of you already founded a company and have some useful hints. ...

Finding a partner for a for-profit software project

It's great when you have friends that have the skills necessary to do a project with you. But what if all the ones with skills are too busy, and the ones that have free time and want to work with you don't have the skills? Where would you start looking for partners? ...

What is your favorite IT-entrepreneurship web forum?

What is your favorite IT-entrepreneurship web forum? And why? ...

Good ways to find startup partners?

What are some good ways for a developer to find quality partners for a startup venture? Specifically, technical guru with business ideas looking for a business person, graphics person? Best web site? Best other methods? ...

Moving from Employee to Business Owner smoothly

I currently work for a company, a big company. I have a contract that states that I need to ask for permission to have another job. Very standard I suppose. I'd like to start trying out some ideas for start ups. Some of them work without moving money (write a program, release it as shareware or something like that and see if people is i...

Finding ideas for a startup / switching gears during development

I found and reviewed a couple related questions, but I don't think this one has been asked. I also read Paul Graham's essays with some regularity. However, the essays seem to be centered around what to do once you have an idea, rather than how to find them in the first place. I'm familiar with some of the regional startup groups, weeken...

Technology Venture

what is the best way to start a technology venture? I don't know the first thing about code or programming but I have a great idea. Is there a book out there that could get me started? ...

Is Microsoft BizSpark a good deal for startups?

I learned about Microsoft BizSpark the other day and started the sign up process. Has anyone else heard about it or had success with it? ...

How to overcome "it has already been done" problem when starting a project/business?

So, you come up with an idea that seems to be a good solution for an existing problem, or a different approach for solving a problem which makes the existing solutions obsolete or not needed anymore. Then you devote yourself to googling for relevant documentation, making plans about setting up the project, finding fundings and people t...

What are the main pitfalls you've faced when negotiating contracts for commissioned software?

I'm making my venture into the small business world and I've got my first gig lined up. I was wondering if you guys had any advice or lessons learned from negotiating contracts for commissioned software? Are there any common pitfalls? How you come to agreement on the scope of work even when the client isn't sure of what they want? etc.. ...