Some time ago I subscribed to the local RSS feed for ‘computer gigs’ on Craigslist. I was hoping that this might lead to some side money but so far most of the stuff advertised has been data-entry positions or wordpress theme updates. Stuff that would be a waste of my time, in other words. Anyway, after following the feed some time, I came across some rather interesting stuff.
In the world of technical startups and the like, there is the common nuisance of the ‘idea guy.’ This is a fellow who wants to start a business and has an idea for one, but has none of the prerequisite skills. He goes around courting programmers looking for a partner who will build his product for him, while he goes to networking parties and schmoozes with investors and in return he will generously give his partner a stake in the company. These guys are idiots and most self respecting programmers know to avoid them because they bring absolutely nothing to the table; ideas area a dime a dozen and most programmers already have a few that they fantasize about constantly anyway.1
Apparently, idea guys love to look for partners on Craigslist:
xxxxx.Com Seeks Business Partner…..
I am the owner of premium e-commerce domain name xxxxx.Com (and xxxxx.Com)! I’ve owned the domains for quite some time and just have not gotten around to developing it into something awesome which it clearly has the potential. I am looking for a business savvy business partner (with programming experience preferred) to develop xxxxx.Com into a revenue generating site! The possibilities of what the site could be turned into are quite endless. I am not sure whether to do a niche site or a better alternative to Craigslist.
Anyhow, I am looking for top-notch talent and someone who can see the big picture here. Would love to hear what you could bring to the table and what you could see xxxxx.Com becoming. Previous experience with start ups, businesses, would be helpful. I look forward to hearing from you soon! Thanks for your time!
it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests Compensation: Part ownership of xxxxx.Com
(I’ve changed the domain name in order to protect the guilty.)
Actually, this guy is not technically an ‘idea guy’ because he doesn’t even have an idea. He just has a domain name and expects someone else to build a business with it. Seriously, he doesn’t even seem to have any hosting. That’s like having a really nice name picked out for a farm and asking for a farmer to go halfsies on a farm with him for the privilege of using said name. A word to the wise, if your domain name is worth anything, someone who is already starting a business will ask to buy it from you. The typical price will maybe be a hundred bucks. You’re not going to weasel your way into half a business with only a domain name because any good business can just find another. The name is not the make or break part of a business.
www.brandnewsearchengine.com
A search engine that is brand new. Is that you??? I have no idea how to do that.
Hi my name is xxxxx and Im looking to create a search website similar to google, a search engine. I need people that can help me create that for me.
In a nutshell i will be making a search site. I need someone that is computer savvy and capable of doing this for me because i dont have any clue how to. So in a nutshell if this is you then you can create the domain and show my how to handle the domain.
xxxxx@xxxxx.com
Making it from scratch.
All inquiries respond to my email account
(The name is changed this time, but not the domain because it’s obviously fake.)
Here’s another fellow. He wants to recreate Google. Actually no, scratch that. He wants somebody else to recreate Google for him. What does he bring to the table? Nothing really. He doesn’t even know how to create a domain name or put up a website. I feel sorry for him because he probably has no idea how difficult the task is that he’s set out for himself. Looking at his writing style, I suspect that he might even still be in highschool. I had mercy on him and sent him some advice:
Hey xxxxx,
To get a domain name, you need to go to a registrar like gandi.net, and type the domain you want into the search box. If it’s available, you can own it for about $15 bucks a year. You’ll still need web hosting, which you can get from Dreamhost.com, or rackspace.com and you’ll need to point the domain at the host.
All that is pretty easy but I really suggest you read a book or two before you try to start the next Google. Google is company with thousands of employees, most of whom have PhDs or other advanced degrees. If you can’t even register a domain name, you won’t stand a chance against them. You’re also not going to get a programmer to do it for you, because they can just do it themselves.
These might be some good places to start:
http://www.amazon.com/s/175-0309787-9670428?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=website%20development&index=blended&link_code=qs&sourceid=Mozilla-search&tag=mozilla-20
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=search%20engines&index=blended&link_code=qs&sourceid=Mozilla-search&tag=mozilla-20
Good Luck!
- Drew
As for the domain name guy? I offered twenty bucks for the domain.
- Just to be clear, I’m not just talking about technical skills. If someone needs a programmer to help him build a project, but actually has some business accumin, marketing talent, accounting skills, etc, then at least has some of the necessary skills. An ‘idea guy’ generally has nothing but a vague vision, which will probably have to change anyway to make a workable product, to back him up, and he thinks that’s enough to guarantee himself partial ownership of a company. ↩