2003-12-16 03:09:50.648513+00 by Dan Lyke 7 comments
Yes! We're celebrating two successes tonight:
After lots of work and struggle, Delightfully Cherished, Charlene's business, is now open. If you're into the elegantly erotic, these products might be a good place to start.
And Charlene was also offered the job she wants, working with developmentally challenged kids in a local school. She's accepted the position.
[ related topics: Erotic Dan's Life ]
comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment Re: Delightfully Cherished made: 2003-12-16 06:53:48.120142+00 by: Diane Reese
Ahhhh! Congrats are in store on two fronts, then! All the best, in both directions and more.
#Comment Re: Delightfully Cherished made: 2003-12-16 16:26:48.132226+00 by: meuon
I placed my order.. for myself and xmas presents for some special friends. ;)
And give Charlene a big hug for me and a Congratulations! kiss.
#Comment Re: Delightfully Cherished made: 2003-12-17 16:19:34.712815+00 by: Shawn
Huzzah! Now I just need a job so I can afford to buy some :-/
#Comment Re: Delightfully Cherished made: 2003-12-17 19:04:36.135799+00 by: meuon
Shawn, don't confuse a job with income. A job's is A means of income. I've been helping a slightly slimey (not bad or evil, just slimey) friend with a project, writing some code.. making some things work.. and doing it on a shoestring... It got market tested Monday. He ran the adverts for it.. and people called.. and said: Heck ya! Bill me $49.00 for this ______. We watched a couple of grand hit the bank in a day. Wow. For what is essentially an info packet, a login and a password (not porn).
The problem is, people like you, Dan and most of the time, myself, live in a different world. We want to get paid for making something work. What we don't have, unless we ally ourselves with that slightly slimey "friend" idea guy, is the idea and the marketing hutzpah to pull it off. And what is bad, is the idea is usually so simple that the technical dudes we are laugh and say: That will never work.
We overestimate (or are just wrong about) the motivations and reasoning of 90% of the rest of the population.
Charlene and Dan had/have an idea. It'll take them lots of up front work, probably spawn an imitator or two, and HOPEFULLY provide an income beyond their daily hourly involvement in it. Ok, so some of the product testing hours may not count wholly as work.. ;) All I can do is support their efforts (buy what I can, refer some friends to their site) and wish them well.
They are not cheap, but they are certainly inline with quality fetish gear.
What we need to do next is get Shawn involved in the next slightly slimey business idea.. so he can buy some toys. :)
#Comment Re: Delightfully Cherished made: 2003-12-17 19:31:10.93009+00 by: Dan Lyke
Yep. One of the things I've realized recently is that I need to be involved in buying and selling stuff. It doesn't so much matter what it is, it's just that I need to get back to that attitude I had during and slightly after high school that having an idea, turning it into a product or even a middle-man transaction, lather, rinse, repeat, is important.
At the current level of this project we're not going to get rich. I don't want to give away any trade secrets, but there are reasons we're not pursuing retail outlets at this time, and if you divide the money spent thus far by the cuff inventory... well... let's just say you don't wanna know. Even if we don't count what it'd cost at the last time I billed out my time hourly in tying knots and stuffing bags...
And we're learning a lot, and there's a good chance that the next batch might be a product manufactured inexpensively enough that we don't cringe every time we stuff a box because we're kissing one of our babies goodbye.
But just having a finger on the pulse, thinking in terms of inventory costs and needs and such for all of the ancillary products we're considering has gotten my mind going about all of the other places I cast off ideas. Maybe most of them will come to naught, but there are a gazillion things that people want, a gazillion ways to deliver them, and even in my day job figuring out what those things are and how to hook 'em up is the most important skill I can cultivate.
#Comment Re: Delightfully Cherished made: 2003-12-18 18:04:37.49011+00 by: Shawn [edit history]
don't confuse a job with income
I've actually just recently made this connection (or severed it, rather). The beginning of the year will see me embarking on a grand new income plan. In light of the current job/economy situation, and several articles I've been reading, I've decided that something has to change. Instead of focusing on single, full-time employment, I'm going to set myself up with a mix of part-time jobs, freelance gigs and personal projects (for profit). So upon returning to school I'll be a part-time [computer] lab assistant and be working on a couple of marketable applications.
If a good, full-time job comes along I'll probably take it, but the idea of diversifying my income feels safer and more stable at the moment.
We want to get paid for making something work.
Actually, I don't. That's one of the things that makes it hard for me. I'm one of those people who's happy just doing it. I need to get paid for doing it so that I can feed myself - and buy cool toys that support friends ;-)
I tried running my own business once. I found that I didn't have the skills or desire to do the marketing and business management stuff. Mostly I just want to be left alone to write code - or, more generically, to "make stuff".
This last quarter I took a (required) entry-level business class. It was really good for me. I now have a much better understanding of the business mindset - still don't like it, but I now feel that I could do it if I needed to.
#Comment Re: Delightfully Cherished made: 2003-12-19 02:14:01.935784+00 by: ghasty
Ya know, you guys (Meuon & Dan) hit it! Let me know when you come across any new semi-slime folks with ideas they want to turn into real...I'm in.
About a year ago my BigasS corporate job offered a buyout. it was a nice one...I'd only worked there for 3.5 years at the time and the offer was for around 1 year salary, 2 years college tuition, some medical and other. Called a friend who is also a corporate whore and we started looking around for ways to start up a pub/brewery...we both chickened out. DAMN!
Yes, I still have a job to bring in mortgage and...well...living in Atlanta...that's about all you can afford <groan>...Do want to have fun working and somehow still pay bills. And of course, have the other kids tell my kids, "you're dad does WHAT??? Kewl!!!"