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JoeTheShoe

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Hello fellow entrepreneurs! I have recently started reading Unscripted and thought I would join the fun. I’m 26 and from England, currently working as a software salesman.

I have had a few businesses in the past, all online, one made money and was going quite well until government regulations changed and things got very expensive, very quickly! I have also had business ideas that have failed, which I don’t really care about as I embrace failure as part of a greater picture. I have recently started a new business, not online, which is still very early in its life and covid isn’t making it easy but I’m excited to see what it can grow in to!
I’m looking forward to getting involved in this forum, happy to learn from others and even share any advice myself where I can.

I wish everyone the best in their entrepreneurial journeys!
 
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Andy Black

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Hello fellow entrepreneurs! I have recently started reading Unscripted and thought I would join the fun. I’m 26 and from England, currently working as a software salesman.

I have had a few businesses in the past, all online, one made money and was going quite well until government regulations changed and things got very expensive, very quickly! I have also had business ideas that have failed, which I don’t really care about as I embrace failure as part of a greater picture. I have recently started a new business, not online, which is still very early in its life and covid isn’t making it easy but I’m excited to see what it can grow in to!
I’m looking forward to getting involved in this forum, happy to learn from others and even share any advice myself where I can.

I wish everyone the best in their entrepreneurial journeys!
Welcome. Where in England are you from? What software do you sell?
 

Andy Black

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Thanks!
I’m from the Midlands and selling 3D rendering and visualisation, CAD, PLM and Augmented Reality software.
Is that something you can sell online?
 

Andy Black

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Yeah it is, most of what we sell is online, we used to do onsite training but covid put a stop to that, so even that side of the company has moved online now.
Is there anything else you can sell online that your employers wouldn’t have a problem with?
 
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JoeTheShoe

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Is there anything else you can sell online that your employers wouldn’t have a problem with?
Possibly, I wouldn’t know though. If there was it would be a chance of conflict of interest and I prefer to keep my work and my entrepreneurship completely separate.
 

Andy Black

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Possibly, I wouldn’t know though. If there was it would be a chance of conflict of interest and I prefer to keep my work and my entrepreneurship completely separate.
1) Find out?

2) Find something that wouldn’t be a conflict of interest

3) How can you keep work and entrepreneurship separate?

Not saying you have to leverage you current skills, experience, knowledge, and network. Maybe just mull it over before you discount it?
 

JoeTheShoe

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Jan 16, 2021
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1) Find out?

2) Find something that wouldn’t be a conflict of interest

3) How can you keep work and entrepreneurship separate?

Not saying you have to leverage you current skills, experience, knowledge, and network. Maybe just mull it over before you discount it?
In regards to 2), do you mean find something I can sell myself using the company I work for’s resources? Like a new software for example?
And in regards to 3) easily for me, my current job is office based, Monday to Friday 8:30-5:30, my new business venture is a football coaching business which is any time from 6pm to 9pm and a few hours in the morning on weekends.
 
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Andy Black

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In regards to 2), do you mean find something I can sell myself using the company I work for’s resources? Like a new software for example?
And in regards to 3) easily for me, my current job is office based, Monday to Friday 8:30-5:30, my new business venture is a football coaching business which is any time from 6pm to 9pm and a few hours in the morning on weekends.
No, I didn’t mean using their resources.

Personally, if I was in a job and doing work on the side then I wouldn’t want my employer to be able to say at any point they have any stake in my project. I’d also prefer that if they knew then they would wish me luck.

An example was when I was Head of New User Acquisition for a startup and the CEO enjoyed hearing about my pet project to create and sell courses in Excel. I was known in the company for being good with Excel, but that’s a skill I used in my job and taught other team members. I wasn’t competing at all with the goal of the startup.

Assume they’ll find out. Maybe even beat them to it and let them know? I’m which case, what would they give their blessings to and enjoy hearing stories about. What if they even wanted you to succeed because somehow it would help their own business grow (without them wanting a part of your business)?

Just one way to skin a cat. There’s plenty of others.


As for the football coaching. Have you earned money doing that before? If not, then don’t discount the skills that are currently paying your rent or mortgage. I’m not poo-pooing the football coaching idea, I’ve just noticed that most people ignore the gold they’re already stood on.

If you’re earning a living by selling software online for someone else then maybe that’s something you could do to earn a living working for yourself.

Again, listen to that second radio interview in my signature.
 

JoeTheShoe

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Jan 16, 2021
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No, I didn’t mean using their resources.

Personally, if I was in a job and doing work on the side then I wouldn’t want my employer to be able to say at any point they have any stake in my project. I’d also prefer that if they knew then they would wish me luck.

An example was when I was Head of New User Acquisition for a startup and the CEO enjoyed hearing about my pet project to create and sell courses in Excel. I was known in the company for being good with Excel, but that’s a skill I used in my job and taught other team members. I wasn’t competing at all with the goal of the startup.

Assume they’ll find out. Maybe even beat them to it and let them know? I’m which case, what would they give their blessings to and enjoy hearing stories about. What if they even wanted you to succeed because somehow it would help their own business grow (without them wanting a part of your business)?

Just one way to skin a cat. There’s plenty of others.


As for the football coaching. Have you earned money doing that before? If not, then don’t discount the skills that are currently paying your rent or mortgage. I’m not poo-pooing the football coaching idea, I’ve just noticed that most people ignore the gold they’re already stood on.

If you’re earning a living by selling software online for someone else then maybe that’s something you could do to earn a living working for yourself.

Again, listen to that second radio interview in my signature.
I think I’m starting to see where you are coming from and I also wouldn’t want my employers thinking they’re deserve a stake in any project of mine. I’m glad you were able to find something that didn’t conflict.

I don’t know what they would enjoy hearing about with my successes, I will try and think of some ideas and see what I come up with.

I haven’t earned money from football coaching before, but I do have coaching badges and experience of coaching football, as well as all the equipment I’d need to start it and a genuine passion for the sport. Ideally I would rather earn a living selling software or another product or service online myself, I personally think it’s much more scalable and would eventually reach a point where I wouldn’t need to be involved on a daily basis, the coaching business will only make money if I’m directly involved every day, unless it reached a point where I could hire additional coaches.

I don’t know if I’m selling myself short but I don’t feel like I have many skills. I’m given or generate a leads list, I prospect them, see if they are interested, if they are I’ll move them through the sales funnel until it’s nurtured and it reached a point where a field sales rep will carry it on and close the sale, which I could probably do myself but my role is new business. So a lot of cold calling and a lot of hearing the word “no”.

I’ll have a listen to it!
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
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Read Fastlane!
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May 20, 2014
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I don’t know if I’m selling myself short but I don’t feel like I have many skills. I’m given or generate a leads list, I prospect them, see if they are interested, if they are I’ll move them through the sales funnel until it’s nurtured and it reached a point where a field sales rep will carry it on and close the sale, which I could probably do myself but my role is new business. So a lot of cold calling and a lot of hearing the word “no”.
That’s a skill your employers are paying for right? And it’s keeping a roof over your head?

It’s a skill you can build a business around. Maybe you start by selling your skills as a service?

Check out these podcasts:
 
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JoeTheShoe

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User Power
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Jan 16, 2021
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That’s a skill your employers are paying for right? And it’s keeping a roof over your head?

It’s a skill you can build a business around. Maybe you start by selling your skills as a service?

Check out these podcasts:
Yes, you are right, it keeps a roof over my head and I’m paid for it.

I will listen to those podcasts and thank you for sharing them with me! I am currently listening to Unscripted on audible, so I’m interested to see what it says, currently about 4 hours in and it seems to be getting to the good stuff! Have you read it?

thanks again for everything!
 

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