Path: csiph.com!weretis.net!feeder9.news.weretis.net!i2pn.org!i2pn2.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: D Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc Subject: Re: The Joy of *small* business Date: Sat, 14 Dec 2024 23:31:28 +0100 Organization: i2pn2 (i2pn.org) Message-ID: <19ebc64d-c683-a046-e19b-9cdc51c81226@example.net> References: <9eb45192-e996-fa3d-b002-c02798bb2b7a@example.net> <7e375fa6-9dad-927b-ebcb-898b6adafc00@example.net> <998225ad-dc63-23f8-4e4b-92e76ec29636@example.net> <0186e59b-8801-2a6a-c38c-dc4bbddc86cc@example.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Injection-Info: i2pn2.org; logging-data="2881758"; mail-complaints-to="usenet@i2pn2.org"; posting-account="w/4CleFT0XZ6XfSuRJzIySLIA6ECskkHxKUAYDZM66M"; In-Reply-To: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 4.0.0 Xref: csiph.com comp.os.linux.misc:62430 On Sat, 14 Dec 2024, Lars Poulsen wrote: > On Sat, 14 Dec 2024 12:20:58 +0100, D wrote: >>> Sounds like a good man! You should keep him! > > On 2024-12-14, rbowman wrote: >> I don't think it was 'What Color is your Parachute' but there was a book >> from the '70s that had a punchline like 'How to hire an employer.' It's a >> worthwhile way to think. They're not hiring you, you're finding >> corporation that will provide a sales force, accountants, and all that >> business cruft while you happily write code. >> >> Many people dream of having their own business. Been there, done that, and >> found the business part very tedious. > > As I young engineer, I was puzzled at how little interest the "hot" code > writer had in the slightly bigger picture. They would be happy to fix > bugs, but refused to participate in the ECO procedures to release the > product updates. I spent some time in customer support, and got an > appreciation for what customers needed, distinct from what the > programmers would like to tweak. I connected with some of the people > running the ERP systems and learning their report generator programs, so > that I could do a roll-up of the BOMs affected by a changed part, and of > the recent ECOs that affected an assembly that came in for repair. > > Later, when my former boss and I started a company, he took on > marketing, while I did book-keeping. We were both engineers: He was an > RF guy, while I was a systems programmer, but in a small business, each > job is 3-4 part-time jobs adding up to full time. And it makes for a > diversity within the jobs that I find is good for me. > Did you grow it into a big business? How did the experience change from the start to where you are now?