Software Engineer Turned Marketer - Now Ready To Fastlane

[constantinLG]

Hi Fastlaners, nice to meet you all!

As a short introduction, the title says almost everything about my 13-year journey as an internet enthusiast. I am a software engineer with many years experience, now making a living as a small marketing agency.

I am launching software projects for about 13 years now, but boy, I think I learned my lessons. Even if my projects made a buck here and there, most of them were "hobby" projects, not businesses (because, well, a business is a profit center, not a time-consuming-no-profit-activity).

After many years writing software (12+ hours a day writing software - 8 hours a day in a job), I learned my lessons. Too much "programmer" thinking (yes, I love solving concurrent database problems, caching critical parts and optimizing processes) and way too less business thinking. Understanding this (at 28 I made the shift, this means 2.5 years ago), I changed my career to excel the business side as well. It meant to give up my software job and start full-time on my own as a marketer (tough and great decision at the same time).

Now I am making a living making sales online for my clients.

I made a lot of mistakes so far, and many others to come I suppose..

I have joined the forum because I enjoy MJ's wisdom and also to find inspiration on the next (software?) business to pursue.

See you around!
Constantin

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Welcome Constantin! Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[ADR]

Welcome Constantin! I am an IT Specialist also learning digital marketing and ecommerce.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[KacperMDJ]

Hey Konstantin!

I'm a software developer too. I was working at a Software House for 5 years, building big apps for enterprises. The nice thing about this that I wasn't only writing code - I was doing the consulting part too.

I've left the job 2 months ago and I'm now looking for software gigs. My end goal is building a product company.

I'm interested in what you learned when you transitioned into your new role!

 

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[constantinLG]

Hey Konstantin!

I'm a software developer too. I was working at a Software House for 5 years, building big apps for enterprises. The nice thing about this that I wasn't only writing code - I was doing the consulting part too.

I've left the job 2 months ago and I'm now looking for software gigs. My end goal is building a product company.

I'm interested in what you learned when you transitioned into your new role!

It sounds great! The first thing that I learned is that attention on the right things brings the right results.

I changed my attention from the "technical" side to the "growing a business" side, and different directions popped-up.

For example, since my attention changed into growing a business (not a freelance-business), the first thing I did was to hire a part-time colleague (it's a bit more complicated, but this is the core) to help me with actually doing the work. I was bringing in clients, she was doing the work (much to say about this decision, but I'll keep the details for some other time).

Another critical part of my learning is the cash-flow. Yeah, most of us know what this means, but I truly believe that there is a superficial understanding of it in the beginning. There will be some nasty times when you 1) don't make enough money 2) you just survive (don't grow but don't bankrupt either) 3) you lose interest in what you're doing and put less than 30% of your (focus) capacity into actually making the things you do, and the cash earned reflect it (and it feels the worst in my opinion).

And the last one, be kind to you. There will be a lot of "stupid" decisions. Just improve your thinking and (as Jim Rohn said), be a student of life.

*Disclaimer: Same as you do, I am still creating my path to success (whatever it means for each of us)