Tags
Categories
- • CBDC
- • Django
- • Dream
- • Enterprise South East
- • Entrepreneur stories
- • Open Source
- • Orange Room Studios
- • Tech News
- • Ubuntu
Post archive
Wow! A whole year has passed
2011 November 02
Wow, it's almost hard to believe it has been almost a whole year since my last blog post. A LOT has happened in that last year. Much of which has nothing to do with ORS or this blog but suffice it to say my life for the last year has been much different than I expected. As for the business, well it's been good, I've not had the time to dedicate to the growth I would have liked to have seen but in all honesty I've had a good first year. Considering my posistion I think I've done well for myself for the time being.
Special post Orange Room in the local media
2010 December 10
This passed Saturday Orange Room Studios was featured in the Telegraph Journal in their section on Technology. Today I bring you that feature exclusively here on ORS.com
You will lose some clients... it's ok
2010 December 06
When I was first preparing to launch my company we had tons of potential clients. At one point I was even asked, "Don't you think you have too many clients? Aren't you spreading yourself a little thin?" The answer was simply No. For the same reason that is true for me it may likely be true for you. Not every potential client turns into a real client. So like the subject of the post says "you are going to lose some clients along the way, be thankful for it". There are a few things you can take from these experiences.
They are experience: Every client that you get to deal with in the beginning is a chance to brush up on your elevator speech so that you can let people know who you are. If they could have been a potential client and you failed to close the deal evaluate why this happened. Don't always assume that the answer to that questions has to have a way you could have won it sometimes there was just nothing you could do. This may lead to re assessing some other things but all becomes very dependent on details.
Related tags: entrepreneur, lessons-ive-learned, orange-room-studios
Why I chose Django over Rails
2010 December 02
I've been a developer for nearly a decade. Most of the sites I've made or worked on have been in ColdFusion, PHP and a little .NET. In my early years I spent much of my time as a misguided copy and paste coder. Having not been taught any better and a lack of mentors to go to this was just the way it was. As the years went on I yearned to grow. I knew there were more efficient ways of coding. I began making small libraries of reusable code and began to think less of having to write everything myself and more about collecting tools to use. With jQuery and other JavaScript libraries beginning to emerge I began too explore frameworks like CodeIgniter and QCodo but it wasn't enough I was hungrier for more.
Related tags: django, framework, orange-room-studios, python, rails
Meeting Enterprise South East
2010 November 29
After I completed the BDS and now having an idea of my next steps I needed a business plan and I needed to get in touch with someone about getting it presented to the SEB committee. Having only moved to Scoudouc a few years ago I still feel like I'm a Monctonian when I'm really not. I called up Enterprise Greater Moncton and attended an informal information session. Having been through the BDS already I felt like most of the material was familiar to me however it was very good for the condensed presentation that it was. By the end of this Presentation it was already clear to me that I should be in touch with Enterprise South East not the Moncton branch.
When I contacted Enterprise South East I was referred to Luc Babineau. Luc was very friendly and excited about my business plan and he was very excited to help me get on the right path. He told me about several programs that were available to my business to help with traveling for training and trade shows and different programs to help with hiring and expanding my business as I grow. Luc also came out to my office to meet me and see where the magic happens. Even though Luc met me in my small office in my house I'd let him know of the new office coming and from the gleam in my eye he knew I was serious.
Related tags: enterprise-south-east
My Open Source Announcement
2010 November 24
Orange Room Studios has decided to start work on a series of open source packages. Largely based on custom ORS django apps, they will vary from basic applications to more complicated snippets of code. Some may build upon previous apps we've released, and some may use other open source projects as building blocks.
Related tags: open-source, orange-room-studios
This week at Orange Room
2010 November 19
This week has been a busy one for Orange Room Studios. We have been working away at our new office and getting ready to expand in the new year. Orange Room Studios will finally have an Orange Room to operate out of! My former employer announced last week that they were laying off the entire local office. I've been working closely with Enterprise South East, the CBDC, NRC/IRAP and BNB to try and put something together to help out as many of my former colleagues. We've been trying to see what Orange Room can do to expand without doing so too quickly or dangerously. This weekend we wrap up our electrical work in the office and by Monday I should have some pictures to share.
A few weeks ago I was invited to Join a new Young Entrepreneurs Round Table held by Enterprise South East. They are looking to find ways to help young entrepreneurs grow and prosper. They are also trying to help the aging baby boomer generation with succession so that their businesses can survive and young entrepreneurs can have solid foundations to build upon.
Related tags: django, tech-news, young-entrepreneurs
Resizing a Virtual Box VDI file - The "Easy" way
2010 November 18
One thing that has always perturbed me about Virtual box was my inability to dynamically resize the Drive that I've created. If I can create a Dynamically growing file that grows as I need it to (not very efficiently but it will) why can't I change my mind when the things in my Virtual server need more space? The short answer is you can't. Fear not however this article does have a solution and an answer to my problem.
Related tags: tips-and-tricks, virtual-box, virtualization
The CBDC and the BDS
2010 November 15
The Business Development Seminar was something I was glad I found.
It was a 10 day course put on by the Community Business Development Corporations. The course covered things from Making a Business plan to Record Keeping and Income Tax. There were discussions about Cash Flow,Legal Advice, Funding Partners, Marketing,pricing sales and presentations by local entrepreneurs.
Related tags: bds, cbdc, entrepreneur, orange-room-studios
I have a Dream
2010 November 12
At the end of last month was Moncton's first ever Atlantic Dream Festival. WOW! was it ever a powerful feeling being in that building during the Keynote address.
It didn't really hit me until Kevin O'Leary took the stage. Kevin revealed brutal truths about business that have made him a billionare several times over. One of the most powerfull messages from that speech was this "When you are ready to look your mother in the face and tell her you're fired then you are ready to be an entrepreneur". WOW! Powerful words right there. If you are prepared to think like this, if you are prepared to make your business the most important thing in your life than you can succeed.
Related tags: cbdc, dream, kevin-oleary, richard-branson
