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Forum Index : Other Stuff : 13 July 08, Change in career.
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Hi Everyone. Well its been a little slow for me on the windmill front lately, I haven't been able to spend any time in the shed for months. But I have been busy. For the last few months I've been working two jobs, my usual 7am to 4pm day job running the laser cutter, and then once I get home, a further 4 to 5 hours on the computers writing software. Weekends were also spent at the computer desk. See I've been writing a business management intranet system. The software is in late development, its almost to a commercial stage. I currently have two beta copies out there, one at a printing business ( 12 employees ), the other at a small engineering firm ( 3 employees ), and both firms are providing feedback to clean up the software bugs and flow. I could say the software is almost finished, but software is never finished. 
As its an intranet, the software only needs to be installed on one PC ( Win2k, WinXP, Vista ), all other users access the system with a browser. The system takes care of customer and supplier information, inquiries, quotes, jobs and job tracking, purchase orders, delivery dockets, employee details and timesheets. Yep its been a lot of work to get this far. So anyway, I decided to quit my day job as a laser operator, finish up on the 18th July, so I can concentrate on this software. Its a risk, especially considering I have a mortgage to pay, but you have to take risks if you want to get anywhere in business. I will have some part time work, 3 days a week, as a print operator for a mates printing firm ( the one mentioned above ), so that will help with the finances. Having the extra time will mean I can meet with clients and network, get my software out there. It also means I can finally start to spend some time on TheBackShed.com website, its well overdue for a face lift and I have so much content I want to add. I've also registered The Back Shed as a business name in Queensland Australia, it will be my trading name for the software. I will add a new section to the www.thebackshed.com site for the business, but dont worry this wont affect the Homegrown Power area, the only difference will be a new link on the home directory. I would like to add, the forum has been working really well lately, lots on interesting new discussions popping up. Thanks to the senior members ( you know who you are ) who have kept it all together and interesting. My ISP ( an old mate Gav, http://www.orion-online.com.au ) tells me thebackshed sends out over 25gig of data per month, and the google ads record over 3000 impressions per day! So we are going to set the site up on its own dedicated ADSL2 connection. This will mean faster page access for everyone. Its some time off, and there may be some small interruptions, but I'll let everyone know before hand. Anyway, back to the code. Glenn PS. I finally found the time to climb up and check the oil in the old Southern Cross yesterday. Its all good, only needed a cup full after 2 years service. The view is pretty good from up there. 
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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ozetrade Regular Member  Joined: 15/10/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 59 |
Hi Glenn, ....been a while since I looked in to catch up on developments. I sort of drifted away when I realised these larger mills were not suited to my portable needs. However, you've mentioned that you have been writing a business management intranet system. I'd be very interested in test driving this as the company I work for is currently looking for a packaged solution. As the IT Manager, I have a strong say in what we purchase. You mentioned that you would add a new section to the www.thebackshed.com site for the business, but this doesn't seemed to have happened. Look forward to hearing from you. Greg Greg Just North of Brisbane in Redcliffe OZeTrade.net |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Hi Greg Its all still happening, just taking longer that I thought it would. The software is coming along ok, I have 3 paying customers who have agreed to help with its development in exchange for a lower lease fee. They are providing some great feedback. The feature they like the best is they can open a job card and instantly see a summary of all the purchases, consumables, hours, deliveries, and progress up to date. Makes it very easy to get an up to date job cost. I have trademarked the software name, that takes a few months to process, though its approved unless there is a prior international registration. Some product brochures are on the way, but the help system/manual is still a long way off. I'll send you a private email tomorrow to get in touch. Glenn This is a screen shot of the home page, with mouse over the top menu jobs button to show the drop menu. 
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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