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Hello from Toronto

Kalps

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Fastlaners,
Kalps here. I am a daytime Software engineer and full-time mother from Toronto. I am an avid reader (mostly technical books until recently). I only started exploring business books during my maternity leave. I am glad to have stumbled upon TMF book only after 3 other books and I must admit that @MJ DeMarco made me question most of my life choices. I can't thank him enough for his brutal honesty; changed my perception about money and whatnot. This was about the same time I became familiar with selling on Amazon by importing goods from China. Up until then, I thought all products sold on amazon were indeed sold by amazon :oops: I ordered samples and negotiated prices for a routine everyday plastic item despite knowing all the problems associated with selling on amazon. Moreover, selling and using plastic is not my value attribute but I thought you have to do some business like this before you can earn enough money to uphold ones values. By the time I completed TMF , I knew I was on the wrong path as I wasn't adding any value. So I didn't proceed with that venture. I have recently finished UNSCRIPTED as well and I am onto exploring ideas for a CENTS based business. While I am still at the very beginning stages, I am sure I can shadow on your learnings to accelerate my way to UNSCRIPTED lifestyle. Glad to join this community.
 
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GWan

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Welcome I'm also from Toronto! Have you thought about using your existing software skills to build a fastlane business?
 

Suzanne Bazemore

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Welcome, @Kalps! Those books were eye-opening, weren't they? I am new-ish, also, and I wish I had discovered TMF when @MJ DeMarco had first written it.
 

lowtek

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Welcome to the forum! What type of software do you develop? Does your employer try to make a claim to anything you develop on your own time?
 
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Kalps

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Welcome I'm also from Toronto! Have you thought about using your existing software skills to build a fastlane business?
Thanks @GWan. Nice to meet you. I have been thinking about this. But I dont think I can pursue anything software related until I quit my job as I have non-compete and other clauses that prevent me from doing anything while on my job.
 

Kalps

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Welcome, @Kalps! Those books were eye-opening, weren't they? I am new-ish, also, and I wish I had discovered TMF when @MJ DeMarco had first written it.
Thanks @Suzanne Bazemore. Nice to meet you. You captured my mind voice ha ha. But hey at least we are better off than several million people who have no clue about the content of this book, isn't it?!
 

Kalps

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Welcome to the forum! What type of software do you develop? Does your employer try to make a claim to anything you develop on your own time?
Thanks @lowtek. I primarily develop UI for web applications. Sadly, my employer has put some clauses related to that. Thats why any software related business isn't going to be my next venture unless I quit my job.
 
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Jeff Noel

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Welcome to the forum Kalps! It's nice to have another fellow Canadian joining us.
Make sure to explore the Gold and NOTABLE threads! Do not hesitate to ask questions (if they weren't answered beforehand, you can use the search function if you're curious!).

Out of curiosity, you're more on the UI side? Which languages do you work with?
 

Kalps

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Welcome to the forum Kalps! It's nice to have another fellow Canadian joining us.
Make sure to explore the Gold and NOTABLE threads! Do not hesitate to ask questions (if they weren't answered beforehand, you can use the search function if you're curious!).

Out of curiosity, you're more on the UI side? Which languages do you work with?
Thanks @Jeff Noel Nice to meet you. For the time being, I work with ReactJs, NodeJS and similar technologies. Are you into coding?
 

Suzanne Bazemore

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Thanks @Suzanne Bazemore. Nice to meet you. You captured my mind voice ha ha. But hey at least we are better off than several million people who have no clue about the content of this book, isn't it?!
Yes, we are lucky, but not everyone wants to learn, anyway. That's why I joined this forum.
 
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Jeff Noel

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Thanks @Jeff Noel Nice to meet you. For the time being, I work with ReactJs, NodeJS and similar technologies. Are you into coding?
That's great! I am a web developer. I'm stuck coding in .Net but my first love was JavaScript (and it still is)!
 

Walter Hay

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@Kalps,
Welcome! You seem to have two full-time jobs. One paid and the other unpaid. (being a full-time mother). Mind you, as a devoted father, now with great-grandchildren, I believe the rewards of parenthood can far exceed paid employment.

The only problem with that is that bills must be paid.

If you are thinking of building a substantial business by importing and selling on Amazon, there are lots of tips in my thread:
GOLD! Sharing my lifetime experience in export/import. Product sourcing specialist.
It now runs to 65 pages and that can be rather daunting, so I suggest either:
  • Search my thread for comments on Alibaba, manufacturers, quality, and freight forwarders, or
  • Read one page at a time, working backwards:smile2:. The reason behind this is that the importing industry is always changing, and some very old posts might not reflect current issues. When there are big demands on your time, this approach might at least give you some important information quickly.
Finally, you can always ask questions there and I will answer as quickly as possible. If you have a confidential question you can PM me for help.

Walter
 
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GoGetter24

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But I dont think I can pursue anything software related until I quit my job as I have non-compete and other clauses that prevent me from doing anything while on my job.
It's a rare day when a court enforces restraint clauses, and against employees it's straight-up against public policy and the judge would tell them to go take a hike after they've paid your court fees.

You're no-ones property, and no-one can legally sell themselves into slavery in this day and age, no matter how limited the form of ownership.

Restraint of trade - Wikipedia
A contractual undertaking not to trade is void and unenforceable against the promisor as contrary to the public policy of promoting trade, unless the restraint of trade is reasonable to protect the interest of the purchaser of a business.

The case law is so clear on this (disclaimer: don't know your jurisdiction) that even if you poached your whole division and set up shop right next door the day after you all quit, and then called up clients from your old employer soliciting work, they'd unlikely have a case. Employers cannot use the courts to protect themselves from competition or to otherwise enforce ownership over other human beings.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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Welcome @Kalps great to have ya! Software engineering is a great "Fastlane" skill, should have no problem building something CENTS.
 

Kalps

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That's great! I am a web developer. I'm stuck coding in .Net but my first love was JavaScript (and it still is)!
@Jeff Noel I can't agree more. :) I started working with Java and slowly found my way towards Javascript, haven't looked back since. It's a simple yet powerful language.
 
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Kalps

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@Kalps,
Welcome! You seem to have two full-time jobs. One paid and the other unpaid. (being a full-time mother). Mind you, as a devoted father, now with great-grandchildren, I believe the rewards of parenthood can far exceed paid employment.

The only problem with that is that bills must be paid.

If you are thinking of building a substantial business by importing and selling on Amazon, there are lots of tips in my thread:
GOLD! Sharing my lifetime experience in export/import. Product sourcing specialist.
It now runs to 65 pages and that can be rather daunting, so I suggest either:
  • Search my thread for comments on Alibaba, manufacturers, quality, and freight forwarders, or
  • Read one page at a time, working backwards:smile2:. The reason behind this is that the importing industry is always changing, and some very old posts might not reflect current issues. When there are big demands on your time, this approach might at least give you some important information quickly.
Finally, you can always ask questions there and I will answer as quickly as possible. If you have a confidential question you can PM me for help.

Walter
@Walter Hay
Thank you for the tips. Nice to meet you. I am excited to learn from your wisdom through this space. I would certainly read your thread.
 

Kalps

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It's a rare day when a court enforces restraint clauses, and against employees it's straight-up against public policy and the judge would tell them to go take a hike after they've paid your court fees.

You're no-ones property, and no-one can legally sell themselves into slavery in this day and age, no matter how limited the form of ownership.

Restraint of trade - Wikipedia


The case law is so clear on this (disclaimer: don't know your jurisdiction) that even if you poached your whole division and set up shop right next door the day after you all quit, and then called up clients from your old employer soliciting work, they'd unlikely have a case. Employers cannot use the courts to protect themselves from competition or to otherwise enforce ownership over other human beings.
@GoGetter24
Haven't thought/researched along these lines. Thank you very much for this.
 

Kalps

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Welcome @Kalps great to have ya! Software engineering is a great "Fastlane" skill, should have no problem building something CENTS.
@MJ DeMarco Thank you. I love coding too, so I think it would be perfect. After reading about how you found limos.com, I was inspired to do something similar. I think I have to start exploring this area for opportunities.
Not sure if this is the right place but I wanted to tell you this. You inspire me everyday. Thank you for everything you are doing. I have recommended your books to friends and family (I haven't felt the compulsion to do this for anything else before). You live by example and I aspire to be like you. If it weren't for you, I would have never thought about being an entrepreneur. Huge respect!
 
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Kruiser

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@GoGetter24
Haven't thought/researched along these lines. Thank you very much for this.

@GoGetter24 is more or less right on this, at least in the U.S. Companies and their lawyers frequently put in clauses that they know are probably unenforceable, because they know employees will assume that those clauses are enforceable. Generally, as long as you aren't developing something directly in your employer's wheelhouse, you are probably going to be ok. But spend a few hundred dollars for a Canadian lawyer to review your non-compete and give you an opinion.
 

Kalps

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@GoGetter24 is more or less right on this, at least in the U.S. Companies and their lawyers frequently put in clauses that they know are probably unenforceable, because they know employees will assume that those clauses are enforceable. Generally, as long as you aren't developing something directly in your employer's wheelhouse, you are probably going to be ok. But spend a few hundred dollars for a Canadian lawyer to review your non-compete and give you an opinion.
@Kruiser Thank you for this. I was thinking about doing this to err on the side of caution.
 

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