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Patrick, if your "day job" as a bootstrapped ISV doesn't pan out (not hardly I bet) I think you have a backup career in the wings of doing startup/internet advi

Patrick, if your "day job" as a bootstrapped ISV doesn't pan out (not hardly I bet) I think you have a backup career in the wings of doing startup/internet advice blogging. You rock, man. Thank you for all the great comments here on HN.

patio11 16y ago
Thank you, hearing that gives me warm fuzzes. It is unlikely I will ever blog professionally. Writing feels like work, and promotion like stressful work that I suck at. The pay for blogging is horrendous, and every reason I gave him that is a problem for his business is a problem for me. There are a couple of thousand or tens of thousands of people in the startup space, there are a huge number of bloggers publishing at a prodigious rate, and my odds of being Best In The World for it are pretty low. I mean, we have different beats, but competing against the likes of pg or 37signals on a daily basis does not strike me as a desirable positioning. Consulting makes a much better choice as a backup career. Clients have huge budgets for provable ROI. (I do most of my work for Italian restaurants, in the metaphorical sense, rather than folks buying bulk ramen.) Enough people trust me these days to fill a pipeline to where I like it. It even might scale if I wanted it to. Thomas can explain that better than I can. Less stress, less work, better pay, and if I want to continue blogging I can write off the hosting as lead generation on my taxes and get $3 back. What is not to like. Well, working several hours in a row for other people on their schedules, which is why I do software. Still, it makes a good Plan B.
wallflower 16y ago
Patrick, You could probably sell out your own webinars. Like Salman Khan, you break complicated and/or mysterious concepts down well. You're a gifted teacher.
- rkalla 16y ago
  ah! wallflower that is it... I couldn't put my finger on it, but that is what Pat does. Breaking complex topics down into a bunch of edible nuggets with examples and clarifying content. That is an art. I am actually good at doing the opposite... I can add fluff and content to complicate a simple topic to the point of tears. It isn't so much an art and I have not yet figured out how to monetize it. I should probably be a senator ;)

patio11 16y ago

Thank you, hearing that gives me warm fuzzes. It is unlikely I will ever blog professionally. Writing feels like work, and promotion like stressful work that I suck at. The pay for blogging is horrendous, and every reason I gave him that is a problem for his business is a problem for me. There are a couple of thousand or tens of thousands of people in the startup space, there are a huge number of bloggers publishing at a prodigious rate, and my odds of being Best In The World for it are pretty low. I mean, we have different beats, but competing against the likes of pg or 37signals on a daily basis does not strike me as a desirable positioning. Consulting makes a much better choice as a backup career. Clients have huge budgets for provable ROI. (I do most of my work for Italian restaurants, in the metaphorical sense, rather than folks buying bulk ramen.) Enough people trust me these days to fill a pipeline to where I like it. It even might scale if I wanted it to. Thomas can explain that better than I can. Less stress, less work, better pay, and if I want to continue blogging I can write off the hosting as lead generation on my taxes and get $3 back. What is not to like. Well, working several hours in a row for other people on their schedules, which is why I do software. Still, it makes a good Plan B.

wallflower 16y ago

Patrick, You could probably sell out your own webinars. Like Salman Khan, you break complicated and/or mysterious concepts down well. You're a gifted teacher.

rkalla 16y ago
ah! wallflower that is it... I couldn't put my finger on it, but that is what Pat does. Breaking complex topics down into a bunch of edible nuggets with examples and clarifying content. That is an art. I am actually good at doing the opposite... I can add fluff and content to complicate a simple topic to the point of tears. It isn't so much an art and I have not yet figured out how to monetize it. I should probably be a senator ;)