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Some tips: 1) Build a presence- Comment here, go to local meetups, blog online about smart things, find every connection you can,etc. 2) Peacock- Build som

Some tips: 1) Build a presence- Comment here, go to local meetups, blog online about smart things, find every connection you can,etc. 2) Peacock- Build something as a sample that is really interesting + will garner attention. It shouldn't have the intention of being a real startup. It should just be a shiny demo to show you can design + think creatively together. 3) Show them what they're missing- Find people in your area if you're trying to stay local that have absolutely horrible presences online. Give them a taste of what you can do. Example of what 37signals used to do- http://37signals.com/better http://37signals.com/better 4) Can't beat em, join em- There are a lot of small eloquent freelance design shops. They could certainly use a good hand if you're good. They won't pay you a lot probably, but it's a hell of a start. It could also turn into something else. 5) Wordpress Designing- Ask patio11 re: what he did with st patricks day wordpress template. People pay good money for things like that and other Wordpress services. 6) Have a client fund a startup idea- We originally did this with Publictivity. PR firm wanted what we were thinking of making, we collaborated, and they gave us 10k. That let us build the app and got them a license for life. On the flip side: this can turn into a fucking scope creep nightmare. 7) Join haystack- They seem to be really top notch and have a lot of people finding designers off of there. 8) Carve out a niche- Is it android? Is it iphone (has to be more specific)? Is it rails? Define yourself and carve out a niche. Wordpress could also be thrown in here. 9) Being Here Is Already a Win- there are thousands of startups that frequent here monthly. If you do any of the above and seem even remotely good, you will probably get some level of interest. There isn't enough good talent to meet the demand it seems.

deleted 16y ago
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cyberwork 16y ago
Hi Jason, Thanks very much for your excellent and info-packed reply. * 1) Build a presence- Comment here, go to local meetups, blog online about smart things, find every connection you can,etc. Where I live, technology is either engineers working for large corporations, or people who own small computer repair shops and maybe one web design firm. I was actually hired (tax info and all!) at the web design firm, but they never had enough work to contract out to me that I could do anything for them. I guess on the online side of things, I just need to make more of an effort to contribute to conversations instead of just soaking them up. * 2) Peacock- Build something as a sample that is really interesting + will garner attention. It shouldn't have the intention of being a real startup. It should just be a shiny demo to show you can design + think creatively together. This is actually a great idea, I just need to think of that one cool thing to demo. However I have been striving for that big idea, so maybe a small one will be easier. * 3) Show them what they're missing- Find people in your area if you're trying to stay local that have absolutely horrible presences online. Give them a taste of what you can do. Example of what 37signals used to do- http://37signals.com/better http://37signals.com/better I like the concept of this idea, however in my area specifically I feel like people would take this as an insult. They might have had their website built by their brother in law or something, and feel that it is a great website already. Being in a less urban area people are perhaps less exposed to great local websites. * 4) Can't beat em, join em- There are a lot of small eloquent freelance design shops. They could certainly use a good hand if you're good. They won't pay you a lot probably, but it's a hell of a start. It could also turn into something else. I'd love to, have any email addresses? =) * 9) Being Here Is Already a Win- there are thousands of startups that frequent here monthly. If you do any of the above and seem even remotely good, you will probably get some level of interest. There isn't enough good talent to meet the demand it seems. Definitely. When I do own my own succesful business, it will have been 100% inspired by the first day I visited Hacker News almost two years ago. =D
ehsanul 16y ago
Being Here Is Already a Win- there are thousands of startups that frequent here monthly. If you do any of the above and seem even remotely good, you will probably get some level of interest. How does simply being on HN help? I suppose you meant it in the case of a person who regularly makes smart/insightful comments related to the work they're trying to get into. This is not something I do myself, unfortunately.

deleted 16y ago

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cyberwork 16y ago

Hi Jason, Thanks very much for your excellent and info-packed reply. * 1) Build a presence- Comment here, go to local meetups, blog online about smart things, find every connection you can,etc. Where I live, technology is either engineers working for large corporations, or people who own small computer repair shops and maybe one web design firm. I was actually hired (tax info and all!) at the web design firm, but they never had enough work to contract out to me that I could do anything for them. I guess on the online side of things, I just need to make more of an effort to contribute to conversations instead of just soaking them up. * 2) Peacock- Build something as a sample that is really interesting + will garner attention. It shouldn't have the intention of being a real startup. It should just be a shiny demo to show you can design + think creatively together. This is actually a great idea, I just need to think of that one cool thing to demo. However I have been striving for that big idea, so maybe a small one will be easier. * 3) Show them what they're missing- Find people in your area if you're trying to stay local that have absolutely horrible presences online. Give them a taste of what you can do. Example of what 37signals used to do- http://37signals.com/better http://37signals.com/better I like the concept of this idea, however in my area specifically I feel like people would take this as an insult. They might have had their website built by their brother in law or something, and feel that it is a great website already. Being in a less urban area people are perhaps less exposed to great local websites. * 4) Can't beat em, join em- There are a lot of small eloquent freelance design shops. They could certainly use a good hand if you're good. They won't pay you a lot probably, but it's a hell of a start. It could also turn into something else. I'd love to, have any email addresses? =) * 9) Being Here Is Already a Win- there are thousands of startups that frequent here monthly. If you do any of the above and seem even remotely good, you will probably get some level of interest. There isn't enough good talent to meet the demand it seems. Definitely. When I do own my own succesful business, it will have been 100% inspired by the first day I visited Hacker News almost two years ago. =D

ehsanul 16y ago

Being Here Is Already a Win- there are thousands of startups that frequent here monthly. If you do any of the above and seem even remotely good, you will probably get some level of interest. How does simply being on HN help? I suppose you meant it in the case of a person who regularly makes smart/insightful comments related to the work they're trying to get into. This is not something I do myself, unfortunately.