Nearly there...

All I need to do is sort out the banner, which is currently hosted in such a way that only I can see it.

I'll fix this in the morning. And go to bed now.

Been a while...

...so what have I done?

Well, I've been working on silly little things like document headers and templates. I got some designs for a logo today from a friend who's also an excellent artist, and I'll be using some of these soon.

In terms of the book I finished week 3 OK - apart from not being able to find my cheque book to send off the last of my credit check applications - and now I'm on to week four. Networking, which I did some of today at work, plus positive thinking (which I'm not very good at... joke...), negotiating, selling, and spotting opportunities. I'm doing some negotiating at work, I'm selling ideas in to people, and I'm always trying to spot opportunities - it's really a case of pushing things that little bit further at work for a while.

I was also thinking about going speed dating again. Stop laughing. It's sound business sense - I need to practice my networking skills. Without paying to join the excellent Cambridge Network yet, and considering I'm not 100% sure if I can be trying to get clients while still in my current job (especially given the links we have with Cambridge Network), it seemed like an ideal way to practice. Especially if I go on my own. The bonus is, I might meet a pretty lady.

Now I'm about to work on the template for this blog, given the design ideas I've been playing with (and the fact that my CSS skills are a little rusty). Let's hope I don't break it. There are some odd Blogger tags in the code.

This week?

Well, week three is drawing to a close and I've done a fair bit. Money is sorted (in that I know what I have and what I need, not that I have enough or anything!), time is sorted (I think I have enough if I work hard), and Sunday is put aside for sorting my contacts and ordering some information.

The overwork continues, of course, but I'm fitting more in to the time that I have, and getting better at prioritisation.

Tomorrow - a day off at last. Lie in, then making jam. Jam jam jam!

Good and bad news.

Bad news: so far this year I've spent more than I've earnt.
Good news: things are turning round this month, I'm aware of the problem and doing something about it, and I've finally finished my budgeting work and I can go to bed.

Good night, all.

Something of interest (perhaps)

Just something I noticed on the New Scientist - Easterners and Westerners view the world differently. With the web being a global phenomenon, even if we assume it's OK to write in English for foreign audiences, and we're writing in a plain English way, should we be thinking about the bigger picture - the philosophies of the people we're writing for.

It's obviously impractical to write different versions of small to medium sized sites for regional audiences, but perhaps we should be taking a more global focus with the content we write. Although of course that way we run the risk of sanitizing our writing to the point that it's purely clinical and of no interest to anyone. There are - as ever on the web - difficult but interesting comprimises to be made with our content.

Greenbottle

Greenbottle
Originally uploaded by Steve Makin.

Done it. Named my company. As soon as I can get back on my domain register's site, I'll be temporarily directing www.juicyfly.com at this blog until I have hosting and a site all set up and ready to go.

It's pretty cool knowing I now have a company name sorted and my own domain name and things. It's really starting to move.

In other news, computer is nearly set up how I want it - got The Gimp so I can start working with images. Got Office. Got FireFox. Just about to download Thunderbird (although until my domain's properly sorted I won't be getting emails through it).

Hurrah!

Oh, and all those silly concerns I had the other night - well, I've slept them off. It was just the manifestation of tiredness, and the weekend's cured it.

Hurrah!

My first post on the new 'pooter.

Day... er... Wednesday, week two, finished and I'm about to turn in. I'm shattered. Been a busy evening trying to squeeze in cleaning and cooking (determined to have at least one decent meal a week - in addition to the one Dad cooks me) between sorting out my room, cutting pictures out of magazines, setting the computer up, and trying to think of a company name (jumping the gun a bit, but I might have some work to do this weekend and I want to look fairly professional).

Still a little concerned that I'm going to wear myself out, so I really must make an effort to book a little holiday tomorrow. We have the bank holiday coming up soon, and then there's my birthday in October - will probably have a little time off then as well. Will give me chance to get ahead, perhaps. The tiredness means I'm feeling a bit down tonight but it's nothing a little sleep and a good fence tomorrow night won't fix. Just got a couple of things on my mind which are going to be there until I rest up again. Nearly the weekend, though, and I have nothing planned at all, so it's a chance to sleep and prepare for the horror of week three and the money situation...

No entry last night...

...because I didn't do anything last night. Well, nothing business related. Went to see The Chalets in Cambridge and they were utterly brilliant. Had a moment of inspiration on the loo, too, about a name for the business, which I won't mention yet - I'm looking into the URL and things for it and what's available. I think I need to double-check the book for info on what to do with my name to protect it before I tell anyone. But it's got meaning for me, it sounds nice and I think it could form a nice logo, too.

I'm shattered at the moment though. Aiming for an early (ish) night tonight. Although I have no plans for the weekend and I'll try to keep it that way.

Den -- Bergeron/Wellmeier Residence

Den -- Bergeron/Wellmeier Residence
Originally uploaded by Remiss63.

More books and a dark leather sofa and this would be the ideal office/library type room.

Kitchen

Kitchen
Originally uploaded by Remiss63.

Aspirational interiors. My god, it's lovely. I want this one.

Some crises. Kind of. Concerns.

1. Time. When can I clean? Wash clothes? The kitchen floor needs doing. Washing up needs doing. But work stuff needs doing.
2. Sleep. Will I get enough?
3. Can I discipline myself?
4. Will I sit on my backside all day, put on weight and get unhealthy?
5. How am I going to meet people? Specifically, pretty people? Not a huge issue (I'll come to that) but it might be.

I'm sure I'll work these out. If you're starting up and are having, or have had, similar concerns, it would be nice to hear from you (comment below).

But other than that week two - do some day-dreaming about where I'll be in five years - is going OK. Except for aspirational magazines.

Now, I'm not a prude. I like to think I'm reasonably enlightened. I have no problem with the female form; I think, in general, it's rather a nice thing. But why on earth is GQ filled with semi-naked ladies? I bought a copy and decided that I would look for aspirational things (there are some lovely suits in there, and some gadgets) at lunch time. So I sat on the balcony at work. And my boss came and sat next to me.

So I flick through the pages aspiring away... and find every other page has lady-bumps on it. Don't get me wrong; there are worse things to be faced with, but I'm not exactly aspiring to have my own. And I'm not sure my boss appreciated me sitting there aspiring next to her... I need man magazines which don't have "lady jumper lumps" all over them.

Homes and Gardens tomorrow, I think.

As for what I aspire to...

In five years' time, when I'm mere months from 32, I'd like to own my own house. It'll have a double garage with an inspection pit on one side, and sitting in it will be an MGB and something else - maybe a half finished Caterham. On the drive will be a sensible dull car like a fiesta. I'll also have my own office in the house, filled with computer stuff - a nice big PC, a Mac, and a laptop, and I'll have lots of lovely gadgety things. I'm going to have a leather sofa in my office and massive bookshelves which are overflowing.

My bathroom's going to be one of those wet-room jobbies with an open-plan shower thing. Nice airy bedroom. At least one moggy - probably still be Teabag, although let's hope he's calmed down a bit.

I'll be working for myself and thinking about taking on an associate because I'll be at the point where I'm turning down work because I don't have time.

I'll be planning my Autumn holiday to Canada.

I'll have a nice wine-rack too.

Now, notice that throughout that I was waxing lyrical about the leather sofa, the holiday, the moggy - but never once mentioned a significant other. Which is odd. I just can't see anyone else there at the moment. I know I'm not going to be single forever, but I can't see when I'll meet someone - and why I'd be that bothered, either.

It's just a little odd. For the past eighteen months or more I've been worried about being single while all my friends seem to be paired up but getting involved in this - working on something and aiming for it - has taken that away somewhat. Maybe there is a hole in my life. But I don't think it's woman shaped. It's leather sofa shaped.

desk

desk
Originally uploaded by Maltpress.

I suppose it's a good thing I'm not going into business as a carpenter - this shocking contraption is my hand-built desk. You can't see from this, but there are a couple of nails poking out (will cover them up soon, I think), it flexes a little (the leg is only temporary until I can get some chunkier wood) and I need to cut a hole for wires. Oh yes - I've got a new computer to put on it. I just hope the monitor (an aging 19" jobby) sits on it securely... I'll ram it into the corner as much as I can.

The computer came from Comet, and while it's not the cheap DIY job I wanted, it's better specced and should keep me going for a while. It's just a base unit, so I need to provide a monitor - which, as I said before, I have one of kicking around somewhere.

Now all that remains is to get it networked and up and running - and I'm done.

And that's week one finished. :)

splish

splish
Originally uploaded by _rebekka.

I'm kind of posting this as an experiment to see how Flickr and Blogger interact - but also to demonstrate why Flickr is a dangerous thing and I should stop browsing it now before I get sucked in completely...

Ow...

I'm a little hungover. Off to Luton to buy my comuter soon though. Luton and a hangover, eh? What fun.

Just a note to myself - tequila is never, ever a good idea.

Day... er... four?

Not managed to do much today.

Registered on www.flyingstartups.com, the site associated with the book I'm using at the moment.

Got an email from the computer shop saying I can go there and get the self build kit - so that's Saturday's job (assuming the hangover's not too bad). I'm currently awaiting a jigsaw from dad so I can finish the desk.

Other than that, very little to report. Been browsing Flickr since I signed up - looking at other people's photos is great fun (although I'm getting increasingly jealous of all the good photographers out there).

Just been fencing, so letting the body recover before bed, and watching House in the background. That's business sense. Honest.

Day three... still not much moving.

Found a computer. Two computers, actually. Called in a few debts to pay for whichever I go for. Depending on the one I get, I either order it and wait for delivery, or drive to Luton on Saturday - possibly - if they reply to my email in time.

Other than that, very little to report in the early stages. I've set up a Flickr account so I can put pictures in my blog; I've added a photo to my profile; and I'm thinking about the style sheet I can apply to the blog as well. I think, if web work is the way I'm going, and given my current love of blogs as a fantastic use of the internet, that I'll need to make far better use of this medium.

More to tell tomorrow, hopefully.

By the way, Lost is brill.

Day two - not a very business day

So, Tuesday. What was the plan? Desk, computer, stationery.

I went to the cinema instead. The film was sold out. So I watched a DVD. I was building my list of contacts and networking, honest. Plus it was Napolean Dynamite and it was very, very good.

I did do some lookig for a computer yesterday, though, and found this:
Eclipse Computers self-build

Which fits the cheap and powerful enough criteria - and is quite expandable, especially if memory falls in price. Several people have suggested a Mac laptop, which would be brilliant - laptop would be great if I'm working in other people's offices and a Mac would be fantastic - but I just can't afford it, or the support I'd need, or the software (I already have all the drivers etc I need for a PC, I'll be trying to use Open Office, and my brother's MS certified for support...) or the hardware (already have keyboards, mice, monitors coming out of my ears). I also know a laptop would be ideal, but I can't afford it for the moment. All I need for the next six months is internet, email and word processing - so my plan is to get something cheap but very expandable. Then, as both my needs and my budget grow, I can upgrade.

Anyway, I need to get on with my day job. Will be spending all of this evening working on the business properly.

Here we go then...

So, here I go.

For a while I've been disillusioned by the world of work - bosses, other people, office politics, not being in charge, not being able to make the mistakes I want to, office hours, projects I don't want to do and missing out on the ones I do want - so it's time I started up on my own. I've been thinking about it for a few months, and made the decision about a month ago. I got this excellent book, and I'm now working through it.

In fact, I've just finished day one of week one. And what have I acheived?

Well, I know I need office space - and I've decided to use my room. So I got wood (ho ho ho) from Homebase and I've started building myself a desk, integrated into my loft-style bed. I've re-wired a couple of lights so I have a desk lamp, I bought some paper (oh, how riveting this must be to read...) and I've started this blog to keep me going. It's not only a diary so I can look back many years from now on my wonderfully succesful business, it's also a way of motivating myself - so I can see what I've been aiming to do and just how far I've got.

The countdown starts now. In six months time, I'm hoping to be leaving my current job and making that big, scary first step.

Things to do tomorrow:

• finish desk
• track down a cheap computer - and do a little budgeting
• get the stationery I'm currently missing, and gather together what I already have.