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Category Mobile - Web - Media
Date Friday, Feb 09, 2007 11:56:24 AM
The Startup Dance, It's Just a Jump to the Left...
The last few days, I've been thinking about the balance I'm always dealing with in terms of taking on contract programming jobs to pay the bills, and working on launching a startup.

It was easier a few years ago, when I had one main client that covered all my bills. The rest of my time was spent learning, researching, and developing the platform ArtistServer.com runs on. Those days are gone, and I'm now back to the 'month-to-month' lifestyle of a contract programmer. Most projects only last a few weeks, and with the huge amount of competition out there, I've had to drop my hourly rate each year for the last 3 years. This translates to having to find 1-2 new development contracts each month just to get by.

Below, you'll find a passage I wrote this morning about the balance between working to survive, and working to get a startup launched.

The startup dance is a series of actions and movements whereby you juggle your current means of income with an attempt to execute a more attractive opportunity.

The startup dance is a relationship, where current work supports your startup.
The startup dance is a war, where current work and your startup do battle for the rights to your future.
The startup dance happens everyday for 12-16hrs each day.
The startup dance reveals your weaknesses and sharpens your skills.
The startup dance is about doing more with less.
The startup dance is a competition with all the other startup dancers.
The startup dance is best done with a small team that dances well together.
Yes, it's not very poetic, but I do feel it shows several of the dynamics and conditions a person must deal with when trying to get a startup going.

Why do it?
  1. Achieve Dreams - always have a dream, and always work toward it
  2. Learn and Grow - you'll fail more often than succeed, and each failure is an opportunity to learn
  3. Spread Ideas - ideas can change the world
  4. Challenge Yourself - find out who you really are
  5. Expose Yourself to More Opportunities - life is about opportunities for experiences and the perspectives you gain along the way
Have a great weekend :)

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Gideon Marken
Web Technologist & Electronic Artist

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