Ramen Profitability and Big Dreams
I slept an unhealthily small amount last night. Even by my standards. Mostly, I was thinking: Having done a fair amount of web design/development recently and started coding games, my mind was going at full pace just playing out scenarios in my head.
Having my own business is one hell of an attractive idea, and being able to earn money from using my personal programming and designing skills would be absolutely amazing. These two ideals, in my opinion, go hand-in-hand. I could draw you out an idea of what I want the website to look like, and even how I would begin to go about making the thing, just from my brain refusing to let me sleep last night.
But it begs a few questions:
- Is it worth the time effort? Especially over the next year when I should be working hard to make sure I get my grades for University.
- Would I actually have the capabilities to run a business? And isn’t it cheating calling a one-man-band a business?
- Would I make any money out of this at all, or would I be wasting my time?
I think it is. It’s not like I do a whole lot of homework anyway – any work I do tend to be in topics where I don’t know things and hence for interest as much as for my teachers.
Any business requires an idea, and I have that. Ok, ideas for what products I’d actually make aren’t quite specific, but it’d be making video games: In all probability, these would be flash-based games that earn revenue from advertising; cheap windows-based games that people would buy online (emphasis on cheap); or Xbox 360 games distributed on Xbox Live Arcade. The second question is beyond my scope to answer, but it would be adding a whole new level to anything I produce – would you rather buy a product from John Smith, or from his company that has a flashy website and no mention of the fact that it’s him on his own?
Well, the advertising idea would certainly make money – no matter how little – and more importantly, any of these ideas would make money after the games cease being useful for me. Let me clarify: once they’re finished and I’ve learned any techniques that I’m going to from making them, they then start earning me money. The way I see it, that’s the perfect way to have it working until I finish University.
But yeah. All of this is summed up in an article I was just shown: Ramen Profitable, but I was thinking of it anyway. It’s certainly an idea, and I can just do what I normally do: Make programs and learn new techniques. The fact that I’d be earning money on the side is honestly just a bonus. It could well be a good experience for me, though I’d certainly not be starting until I’d produced a couple of games that I consider web-worthy, and messed about with a website until I had something that looks great.
But I’d be interested to know what you think: If you just read this, tell me. I don’t care if your comment says I must be off my face to think of this, or if you think I’m less skilful than a dead rat – I’m asking for you to think of the cons that I’ve mostly neglected to cover, and whether or not you think they outweigh the advantages.
~ Godders.
Comments
Vikram (Jul 28, 2009)
Hey Godfrey
While in principle, what you say may be a good idea, the simple fact is that it is simply too time consuming…if you want to make anything remotely worthwhile financially from it, given the time and effort you put in, you’re better off with a simple part time job if im perfectly honest.
Personally, if you want to make £££, stick to the part time work.
If you want to develop your skills, just code for fun. When you start mixing work and pleasure so early on, any setback can stifle what you love doing.
Thats just my 2p’s worth
Vikram
Godders (Jul 28, 2009)
Well, that’s the idea with the whole Ramen Profitability philosophy – you’re not trying to get massive returns from the word go. You build up slowly, just trying to cover your costs at first.
Plus, the whole “any setback can stifle what you love doing” thing better be wrong else I’m going to have a rubbish life after university haha.
Vikram (Jul 28, 2009)
Fair enough, I suppose if your aim rather than to make big bucks is simply to program, but to make something out of it slowly, and big immediate gains dont really affect you then its a good thing to go for.
With the whole setback stifling your love for something, I suppose it really depends on the size of the setback and how much you love what it is that you do
Godders (Jul 28, 2009)
Yeah – at first, the ‘company’ is only ever going to be a front for me, myself and I.
Plus, before I’m actually available to dedicate any time that isn’t just “when I’m not being educated”, it’ll be more of a portfolio with links to whatever I make between now and the future.