Dream Team

After finally getting a blueprint on how to effectively launch a startup, I search through my resources, professional network, friends, and family and finally found a dream team.

Yes, I have found 2 rockstars to help compliment myself as "WE" try to take over the a corner of the internet. I have learned from experience as well as many blog sites about startups is that you can't do it alone.

Biz/Product Guy - A very good friend of 25 years that has 10 years experience in marketing that includes product brands, brand awareness, social media, and marketing budgets upwards of 7 million..and oh I ton of connections.

Software Guy #2 - A Flash rockstar with over 10+ years experience. The stuff he does is jaw dropping. He focuses mainly on the UI part

Software Guy #1 - Yours truly, I too have 10+ year in software development with major software consulting firms. I will focus on the infrastructure and back end.

We are in stealth mode and trying to get a POC of our soon to be flagship product. The only thing I can tell you that it is around Real-Time streams!!!!

Boogie

Startup Blueprint

If you are serious about doing a startup below is link to a video that explains it all. It touches literally everything you need to know. From non-founding members equity stake, to raising funding, different stages your startup should follow, etc.

I recommend viewing the video more than once, and take notes and put into your execution plan. I have and will apply everything I have learned from Aaron from Mint.com (just got bought from 170 million)

Pure gold!!

Startup Blueprint

Long Time No Post

Well it been a long time since I posted on this blog. A lot of roller coster rides since the beginning of the year. So what have I been doing? Well the blanket site didn't lauch due to our financials just didn't have enough money to bring to maket. The credit situation was horrific for small business.

My biggest contract (State of GA) was not renewed due to lack of funds as of May. So over the summer my busines partner and I decide to start our own startup company which focuses on the mobile development for iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Palm Pre. Thing were going pretty good, we were able to sustain mostly over the summer, then the money dried up without our product being ready. We had one last opportunity to fund the company with a HUGE contract with one of the larget Healthcare providers in the U.S.

To make a long story short we didn't get that huge contract. However, surprisingly enough my old cntract (State of GA) found some money, and renewed my contract.

Even though I am back on the 9-5 job, I am still working partime on the next big idea. Needless to say it won't happen this year for a corner of the internet to be mine.....but soon..... details to come ....

"Next Generation" Smartphones

Whew, the new year started off where 2008 left off...BUSY. At any rate last week Palm debut the new Pre at CES. Another Smartphone with an awesome touch interface, the phone is not available until later this qtr or next qtr.

So the table is set...4 major cell phone carriers have these "next generation" Smartphones.

T-Mobile - gPhone (Google Android)
Sprint - Palm Pre
ATT - IPhone
Verizon - Blackberry Touch

I also might add that all platforms will eventually have the infamous app store. Palm and Blackbery announced late last year to be on the lookout for its app store/market/whatever you want to call it. I didn't even mention Chinese Mobile is set to release a Google android handset, one of the largest mobile providers in China.

What does this mean, this is probably a once in a life time deal for software application developers. The sky is the limit with everyone predicting the Iphone to have 30 million plus handsets in the market by 2010 and the gphone has more than 1.5 million handset in 5 months of it's initial launch, blackberry has like 7 - 10 millions users (I think). I could go on and on. My point is that this is defiantly a way to take a corner of the internet. All of these handsets touch the internet in some way form or fashion. I just want 2% of all these users...hehe

Stay tuned for some exciting updates coming in the next month!

BTW if anyone has any cool ideas for a mobile phone application drop me a note. I am sure we can work out a deal :-)

Boogie

2008 Almost Gone

Hope everyone had a great holiday. I had a fantastic holiday, spent time with friends and family and literally unplugged (no email, no coding, nothing closely related to work). I got more of the same this week with New Years on the horizon. No really big plans expect spending time with wifey, this is one of my favorite times of the year. I reflect on the past year for lessoned learned and prepare for the next year.

2009 probably will be the most exciting ever! I hate to say it but 2009 will probably make or break the notion of me taking over a corner of the internet and becoming a self made millionaire. There is a lot going on and I will keep you abreast as things develop. Major milestone projects for 2009 include the following; I won't bother with the small ones.

• Launching our quilt site in Feb.
• Releasing a killer Smartphone application for the iPhone, gPhone, and blackberry.
• Launching new tax system for the state of GA for the alcohol and tobacco division.

Happy New Year to everyone and make sure you cherish time with family and friends.

Boogie

Twiistup 5 - Showoffs Announced

Damn we didn't get the nod for a showoff this time around, whooo I wanted that one bad!!! That's OK I am going to keep it moving and launch Feb 1. I was going to the event regardless, it just would have been icing on the cake if we got picked. I think we didn't get it because the site was not completely up and running. Twiistup 6 is in the summer, so I am going to apply again, but this time the site will be full functionally.

At any rate, wifey and I are going to LA for a few days on Valentine's day weekend to do some networking in the LA techie community and enjoying sunny california, can't wait it will be a blast.

Look at who they picked, only 10 out of 100, pretty exclusive list.

http://www.twiistup.com/2008/12/17/twiistup-5-showoffs/

BIG Ideas

When trying to come up with the next big idea on the Internet you have to keep in touch with anything new on the web. I have been going to www.mashable.com every day for about a year, it is a great resource for articles about the web 2.0 revolution and web startup companies.

I have never been short on big ideas, but I always fall short on EXECUTION. True story, I had an idea about creating an e-card in which you could send to friends and family and let them sign almost 18 months ago. I knew it was huge because I couldn't find any other website that did the same thing. Long story short, I waited to late to execute the idea and a company called www.groupcard.com beat me to the punch. Don't get me wrong you don't have to be the first to market all the time but it sure does help.

I guess you win some and you loose some. If you think you have a BIG IDEA go after it and make sure you EXECUTE and bring it to market. I decided to write this entry after I learned on mashable that GroupCard was chosen as one of the 5 companies that received a 225k grant from Facebook from it's FBFund which looks for great apps that make the world more social. (man I knew that was a huge idea).

Boogie