Open Business Plans
I’d like to go down to New Orleans. I’d like to have something to do while I’m there, some work. I don’t want to to do anything profit oriented with Think New Orleans, of course. That’s not the purpose of Think New Orleans. It does cost money to run Think New Orleans, and to live in general, however.
Sourcing (finding) programming work in New Orleans is going to be difficult. Programming for hire tends to consume a lot of energy, too. I have only so many hours a week that I want spend on programming. It is simply not good for me to spend so much time in front of a screen.
Open Business Plans?
Okay, so I get the idea to set up a retail computing business in New Orleans while I’m there, and spend part-time installing local area networks. Doing stuff that needs doing.
For those of you that are quick to judge, and slow to think, this isn’t some devious scheme to profit off of others misfortunes. The city needs it’s citizens. Citizens need jobs. I want to make my own job.
Open Business Plans?
Well, I decided that rather than do LANs, I could focus on phones, using Asterisk. It’s nothing I know about now, but the software is software. If I can build Linux servers, web servers, e-mail servers, I can build a phone server, or a Private Branch eXchange, as they call it.
It’s not my idea, really. Ron gave me the elevator pitch; A PBX in box, four copper, additional VOIP, for $2,999.99, for small businesses with less than 15 phones.
The ever connected Mohan, who I’ve been programming with, who has experience with phone stuff, Key systems, is going to help me build the prototype PBX. We’ve spoken with Cameron who is going to be the hardware supplier. There are some other Asterisk based firms in Ann Arbor, and I hope to learn from what they are doing.
The people are gathering, but how does one turn this into action?
Open Business Plans?
To my mind, this a franchise operation. I actually went and posted on the asterisk-biz mailing list, asking if anyone wanted to collaborate on a business plan. They scoffed, share our business plan with our competitors.
Uh, okay. The software is open source. The hardware is a commodity. And the big deal is?
So, I’m going to write an open business plan. This isn’t even my business idea anyway. It was handed to me.
You can steal my precious little ideas under Asterisk Business Plan. We’ll see how long I can keep it open.