7 ms·

From homeless drug user to millionaire

edw519 18y ago
You had me at "Oranges instead of Snickers bars."
- Prrometheus 18y ago
  Junk Food isn't going to hurt you in moderation. I used to get Pepsis once a week when I stayed after school for Chess Club and it didn't kill me. My school would have been up in arms if all the self-righteous anti-junkfood moralizing busybodies around today took that away from us.
  - edw519 18y ago
    Junk Food isn't going to hurt you in moderation. False. http://www.healthbolt.net/2006/12/08/what-happens-to-your-body-if-you-drink-a-coke-right-now/ http://www.healthbolt.net/2006/12/08/what-happens-to-your-bo... http://cotesensing.vox.com/library/post/healthy-lifestyle-the-easy-way.html http://cotesensing.vox.com/library/post/healthy-lifestyle-th... http://channelsurfr.com/diet-coke-can-kill-aspartame-documentary/ http://channelsurfr.com/diet-coke-can-kill-aspartame-documen... My school would have been up in arms if all the self-righteous anti-junkfood moralizing busybodies around today took that away from us. What you call "self righteous anti-junkfood moralizing busybodies", I call "taxpayers". They get to decide what's available in the public facilities they pay for, not you.
    - Prrometheus 18y ago
      >They get to decide what's available in the public facilities they pay for, not you. Ah, I had a feeling that I was a de facto prisoner while I was there. I wasn't aware that it was official. For what it's worth, I'm a taxpayer too, and I support giving kids responsibility for their own lives and teaching them to make decisions for themselves. But then again, most people consider me a crazy whacko radical who's not worth listening too. Opinions such as "kids should learn responsibility" tend to get one shunned from polite company nowadays. My parents are also taxpayers, and I'm pretty sure they didn't care if I drank Coke or not. In fact, the abusive bastards even bought me a soda and an ice cream every now and then. Gasp!
tpiep 18y ago
That reminds me of this article: http://nukemanbill.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-sell-your-software-for-20000.html http://nukemanbill.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-sell-your-sof... where the author discusses finding niches to sell big dollar software. Good stuff.
- breck 18y ago
  Agreed. I think that's the key point to this whole article. Too bad the discussion focused on the Christianity part. If you found a lot of value in this article, check out their website (http://www.horizonsoftware.com/ http://www.horizonsoftware.com/). Although it's not interesting, unless you are interested in successful, multi million dollar software startups.
xlnt 18y ago
I had a head-on collision and very nearly was killed. While I was in the hospital I read the Bible and became a Christian. Yay for Christianity. It can help people.
- sant0sk1 18y ago
  Yes the Bible can and does help people daily. In fact, the Bible has changed my life in the most profound ways. Unfortunately, most folks are too busy scoffing at it to pick it up and give it a read.
  - rw 18y ago
    Or, we read it, then started scoffing. Please, do not generalize around these parts about religion.
    - sant0sk1 18y ago
      Actually, you are the one generalizing by saying my comment was about religion. I mentioned nothing of the sort.
      - rms 18y ago
        Generally when people refer to the bible they are talking about religion. Were you referring to the study of the bible as literature?
        sant0sk1 18y ago
        Well, the bible is a great literary work and there is no doubting that. Many writers have borrowed from its themes, styles, and prose throughout history (Shakespeare a prominent example). The reason I say my comment (and my view of the bible) is non-religious is that when one begins to study the bible in detail, he realizes that it is critical of all organized religion, even nominal Christianity. I don't blame rw for lumping me in with the majority, but he did lump me in, which is generalizing.
antidaily 18y ago
"It wasn't like I was real flush with cash. Pretty much all my career I was undercapitalized. I borrowed on my home equity and loaded up my credit cards." Risk rewarded. Takes guts to do that in your 40s.
whacked_new 18y ago
"I knew a lot of the chemists and taught myself about the chemistry of paint. In my spare time, I was a wildlife artist. There wasn't a good airbrush paint on the market. Everybody was using automotive lacquers. I spent about two years developing one for myself." He's a closet engineer! He just needed some impetus.
senthil_rajasek 18y ago
The point that I found interesting and hopefully other budding entrepreneurs would too, is how he created a niche... "We had written all this software. The best was our warehouse and distribution package. I had been using it for years in my own stuff. We decided to try selling it. I thought it would be like the paint: I'd just go out there and introduce myself, distributors would pick it up, and I'd be home free. Well, I had a rude awakening. When those big boys are in there, they just stomp you. I realized I had to have a niche."
sdurkin 18y ago
I think we all kind of missed the boat by focusing on the one comment about Christianity. This man went from doing heroin to running a multimillion dollar software business. Perhaps there are more important distinguishing factors than the religion he happens to share with 2.1 billion people, the majority of which do not start successful software companies.
SingAlong 18y ago
The effect such stories have on me: 1.) Men of chasing their dreams which passion don't lose. 2.) If they lose, they will hitback with a win sometime. 3.) These kind of stories remind me to keep trying even if I lose a dozen times trying to build a million dollar company(which I am still trying). Senthil, thanks for sharing this.

You had me at "Oranges instead of Snickers bars."

Prrometheus 18y ago
Junk Food isn't going to hurt you in moderation. I used to get Pepsis once a week when I stayed after school for Chess Club and it didn't kill me. My school would have been up in arms if all the self-righteous anti-junkfood moralizing busybodies around today took that away from us.
- edw519 18y ago
  Junk Food isn't going to hurt you in moderation. False. http://www.healthbolt.net/2006/12/08/what-happens-to-your-body-if-you-drink-a-coke-right-now/ http://www.healthbolt.net/2006/12/08/what-happens-to-your-bo... http://cotesensing.vox.com/library/post/healthy-lifestyle-the-easy-way.html http://cotesensing.vox.com/library/post/healthy-lifestyle-th... http://channelsurfr.com/diet-coke-can-kill-aspartame-documentary/ http://channelsurfr.com/diet-coke-can-kill-aspartame-documen... My school would have been up in arms if all the self-righteous anti-junkfood moralizing busybodies around today took that away from us. What you call "self righteous anti-junkfood moralizing busybodies", I call "taxpayers". They get to decide what's available in the public facilities they pay for, not you.
  - Prrometheus 18y ago
    >They get to decide what's available in the public facilities they pay for, not you. Ah, I had a feeling that I was a de facto prisoner while I was there. I wasn't aware that it was official. For what it's worth, I'm a taxpayer too, and I support giving kids responsibility for their own lives and teaching them to make decisions for themselves. But then again, most people consider me a crazy whacko radical who's not worth listening too. Opinions such as "kids should learn responsibility" tend to get one shunned from polite company nowadays. My parents are also taxpayers, and I'm pretty sure they didn't care if I drank Coke or not. In fact, the abusive bastards even bought me a soda and an ice cream every now and then. Gasp!

tpiep 18y ago

That reminds me of this article: http://nukemanbill.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-sell-your-software-for-20000.html http://nukemanbill.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-sell-your-sof... where the author discusses finding niches to sell big dollar software. Good stuff.

breck 18y ago
Agreed. I think that's the key point to this whole article. Too bad the discussion focused on the Christianity part. If you found a lot of value in this article, check out their website (http://www.horizonsoftware.com/ http://www.horizonsoftware.com/). Although it's not interesting, unless you are interested in successful, multi million dollar software startups.

xlnt 18y ago

I had a head-on collision and very nearly was killed. While I was in the hospital I read the Bible and became a Christian. Yay for Christianity. It can help people.

sant0sk1 18y ago
Yes the Bible can and does help people daily. In fact, the Bible has changed my life in the most profound ways. Unfortunately, most folks are too busy scoffing at it to pick it up and give it a read.
- rw 18y ago
  Or, we read it, then started scoffing. Please, do not generalize around these parts about religion.
  - sant0sk1 18y ago
    Actually, you are the one generalizing by saying my comment was about religion. I mentioned nothing of the sort.
    - rms 18y ago
      Generally when people refer to the bible they are talking about religion. Were you referring to the study of the bible as literature?
      - sant0sk1 18y ago
        Well, the bible is a great literary work and there is no doubting that. Many writers have borrowed from its themes, styles, and prose throughout history (Shakespeare a prominent example). The reason I say my comment (and my view of the bible) is non-religious is that when one begins to study the bible in detail, he realizes that it is critical of all organized religion, even nominal Christianity. I don't blame rw for lumping me in with the majority, but he did lump me in, which is generalizing.

antidaily 18y ago

"It wasn't like I was real flush with cash. Pretty much all my career I was undercapitalized. I borrowed on my home equity and loaded up my credit cards." Risk rewarded. Takes guts to do that in your 40s.

whacked_new 18y ago

"I knew a lot of the chemists and taught myself about the chemistry of paint. In my spare time, I was a wildlife artist. There wasn't a good airbrush paint on the market. Everybody was using automotive lacquers. I spent about two years developing one for myself." He's a closet engineer! He just needed some impetus.

senthil_rajasek 18y ago

The point that I found interesting and hopefully other budding entrepreneurs would too, is how he created a niche... "We had written all this software. The best was our warehouse and distribution package. I had been using it for years in my own stuff. We decided to try selling it. I thought it would be like the paint: I'd just go out there and introduce myself, distributors would pick it up, and I'd be home free. Well, I had a rude awakening. When those big boys are in there, they just stomp you. I realized I had to have a niche."

sdurkin 18y ago

I think we all kind of missed the boat by focusing on the one comment about Christianity. This man went from doing heroin to running a multimillion dollar software business. Perhaps there are more important distinguishing factors than the religion he happens to share with 2.1 billion people, the majority of which do not start successful software companies.

SingAlong 18y ago

The effect such stories have on me: 1.) Men of chasing their dreams which passion don't lose. 2.) If they lose, they will hitback with a win sometime. 3.) These kind of stories remind me to keep trying even if I lose a dozen times trying to build a million dollar company(which I am still trying). Senthil, thanks for sharing this.