Current Projects
It's been a couple weeks since I last posted. I ended up missing the funeral I was supposed to sing at. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication about where the funeral was and I went to the wrong church. My singing debut will have to wait. I am currently working on a couple projects.I am trying to put together my 10+ retreat for this year. This is my annual Dad and all the boys over ten (or who will be ten that year) retreat where I get to spend time discussing some topic I consider important and afterwards, we go have a good time. This is actually the first retreat, since this is the first year I have had a son over ten. When the son turns nine, I have a one-on-one retreat with that son, but the retreat that I am preparing is for all the 10+ sons (which is only my oldest son now). Next year, the second oldest son turns nine, so he will get his one-on-one. The idea for the retreat came from something I read in the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series about boys defining their self-identity around the age of nine. Naturally, I strive to help my boys formulate a solid self-identity regardless of their age, but I figured a retreat where Dad's important topics was the focus might help create an impression. This years topic is money and finances, and I will be taking my retreat schedule from one of the final sections of David Bach's Start Late Retire Rich book about teaching your kids so they do not have to start late. He outlines 11 lessons, which I will go through over a two-day period and then we'll hit some amusement park.
I have to wonder, if every father were to do this with their sons, what kind of impact would this have on society? I am half tempted to start a non-profit dedicated to promoting father-son retreats and providing ideas and topics to help them structure their retreats. I am sure that there are lots of important topics that fathers could discuss with their child. Sure these can be discussed in the day-to-day course of seeing each other, but I think a special retreat mixed with fun activities might help make a more lasting impression. Maybe I will write Robert Kiyosaki about our retreat and how he inspired it. Who knows, maybe he will pick it up as an idea to promote to his audience. I did a quick Google on the topic, but most of what I found revolved around church retreats and none of them were dedicated to one-on-one retreats, but rather group retreats of fathers and sons together with somebody other than the father directing the activities. They have their place as would a one-on-one retreat. I don't think I will actually start such a venture. I already have enough fish to fry, which brings me to the other project that I am working on.
I am putting together the technical specifications for an application that I have been working on for the last 13 years. I have vacillated between coding it myself (isn't going to happen) and working with a developer (for founder's equity) to have the application developed. I finally came to my senses and realized that I just need to bite the bullet and PAY somebody to do it. The dream of some garage venture where this cool programmer turns out the application that I design and together we build a multi-billion dollar business is fantasy. At least here in Indiana, you can't find developers that will work to start a business from the ground floor for founder's equity. Maybe it's a cultural thing or maybe the line we've been fed about Silicon Valley where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a entrepreneurial programmer that's chomping at the bit to start a garage venture is a load of horse-hooey. Regardless, I am going to proceed with what I can do and stop pursuing fantasies that are not going to happen.
After I get the specifications together, I will contract with an off-shore firm and get it developed at a reasonable price. The on-shore developers have had enough shots over the last 13 years, so I don't want to hear any bitching about using off-shore talent. I am not that financially well off and I have to go with what I can afford. It would be nice if down the road I am approached by some of those that I tried approaching, either complaining or wanting to buy me out. I hope I am tactful in my response and simply treat their complaint/request respectfully, as though this is my first go around with them (I doubt anyone will recall my correspondence with them). Rubbing it in is a poor negotiating strategy.
Ultimately, I will be developing a suite of applications for the education market to handle testing and quizzing needs. I know that there are applications already out there, but I think that what I have to offer is much better. I guess we'll find out. Otherwise, I'll be wasting a good chunk of change (it's worth the risk to me though).
posted by bylaw @ 4:33 PM
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