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Patrysha
07-09-2009, 09:46 PM
A comment on another post where Dan was saying that freelance programming led to copywriting sparked this question...

I was about to add to that thread and then just decided to start a new one...

I started in business by providing home childcare and that over the course of 12 years and some pretty interesting side-trips led me to the marketing and publicity I do today.

What about everyone else? What led you into the business you're in?

Dan Furman
07-09-2009, 10:03 PM
GREAT topic!!!

I was an e-commerce programmer at a large company (EDI mapping, and specifically with a particular platform).

One day, I got a call from a consultant in Florida - he had a client who used the same software, and needed EDI translation (the data maps I made.) He saw my postings on a forum devoted to this software (where I was answering everyone's questions) and figured I knew what I was doing. He asked if I was up for doing a small job, and I said "sure" because hey, I had the mapping software at home, I could e-mail the data map... Nice way to make an extra grand.

So the next day, I get fired. In between thinking "@#$%, not again", I had this little job for the client in Florida. I did the job, they were thrilled I got it done so fast, and said "hey, we need a LOT more of these."

So I figured there must be other companies who needed the same. The mapper was horribly complicated to use, and I could do the data maps for about half the price the company who developed the software could (and still make a nice living.) So I made a crude website, used adwords, and started picking up about a client a month - more than enough for me. Things were great for awhile.

Then, the software was phased out, and I was no longer this big fish in a little pond (the new software was MUCH easier.) I knew things would dry up, so I'd better do something else.

I was always a really good writer - at every job I had, I ended up being asked to write sales copy, letters, etc. It's just something I do really well. I saw from my programming site's stats that most people read every page, so I figured I could do that for others. I put up a little writing site, and haven't looked back.

vangogh
07-10-2009, 12:20 AM
I agree, great topic.

A number of years ago I worked for a start up here in Boulder. The company was basically creating ebooks, before anyone cared about them. Originally my job was to scan a book in it's entirety, run it through some proprietary software, and ultimately proof the book against the digital version correcting errors along the way, before passing the file up the chain.

Pretty soon I too moved up the chain and was checking the files after they had gone through the process above. As part of the new job I worked a lot with the code that was being used to display the digitized version of the books. By the time the books would make it to me most of the errors left would be similar and to fix them I would search and replace the code. It didn't take long to feel very natural wading through the code and pretty soon it was easier for me to find my way through the books by looking at the code as opposed to the actual text of the book. The code was an html like markup language.

This was all during late 2000 and early 2001. You may remember that around that time the economy was in bad shape. In the spring of 2001 half the company was let go on a single day. Not me, but it made me start to think about what skills I had gained at the job would be transferable to another job and I reached the conclusion that the answer was not much.

So that summer I started taking some continuing education classed in c++ programming on my way to earning a certificate. A few months later I did become a casualty of the next set of layoffs, which by that time was fine with me. I stepped up the continuing ed classes to include web design and development and realized I enjoyed it more than programming.

The classes led to a job testing software as a temp. Myself and about a dozen others were told we would be made permanent only to find a couple weeks later that IBM who had acquired the company was closing the office in Boulder. They made a similar product to what we were making and we became obsolete.

Not wanting to go through the same thing year after year and having wanted to go into business for myself for a long time I took the plunge and partnered with a friend on a web design business. Neither of use knew much, if anything, about business, and by the end of the year we were no more. I knew that I wasn't going back to a job though, and took what I learned and started a new web design business, which is essentially the one I run today.

huggytree
07-10-2009, 07:31 AM
ive always wanted to own my own plumbing company....i saved my money through my apprenticeship.....the day i qualified to take my masters test i took it and passed...

i saw a boss who was a screw up and had 2 houses, a lexus & a Dinalli, took 2 vacations a year to Mexico & Italy.....all off 2 employees....how could i lose? i couldnt!!!

he was my inspiration!