Written on July 2nd, 2006 at 01:07 am by Darren Rowse
Accidental Entrepreneurs – Turning Hobbies into Businesses
I used to read articles like this one on Accidental Tech Entrepreneurs Turn Their Hobbies Into Livelihoods and think it could never happen to me but as time goes on I’m finding more and more people that the article could be about – people making a living (and some a fortune) from using technology to do entrepreneurial things that they truly love.
The article covers the stories of blogger Heather Armstrong from Dooce, Mena and Ben Trott from Six Apart, Joshua Schachter from del.icio.us, Kevin Rose from Digg and Tom Davis from Zoot.
The article attempts to identify some of the common features of the stories as follows:
- They all have IT backgrounds
- They all were in the right place at the right time with the right product/service
- They have supportive people around them (life and business partners)
- They all faced a moment of truth and had to stake their financial futures on their new venutes
- They all are a little obsessed
Great article to have in mind as I go to bed tonight.
12 Responses to “Accidental Entrepreneurs – Turning Hobbies into Businesses” - Add Yours
Darren McLaughlin
July 2nd, 2006 1:25 am
Great stuff. It shows how anyone can be successful with enough drive and a good idea.
Jason Haley
July 2nd, 2006 2:15 am
Interesting Finds: July 1, 2006 AM edition…
…
Leon
July 2nd, 2006 2:19 am
Not surprising. Their tech knowledge allows them to connect with geeks, who are a very passionate set. Their “obession”, or rather dedication, drove them to succeed. Proves that hard work still has a place in this world.
Rico
July 2nd, 2006 3:19 am
I agree with you Leon. Probably the most important factor is indeed dedication, because it will help you reach your dreams when the going gets tough.
Lisa
July 2nd, 2006 7:10 am
Interesting article. It gives me hope for everyone who works hard that they will see the fruits of their labor eventually ;).
Aaron Cook
July 2nd, 2006 7:51 am
Great article. Dedication IS essential for success. However, an IT background is NOT. Yeah, not at all.
MuhammadZainul
July 2nd, 2006 6:59 pm
Thanks for sharing this darren!
Terry Zulit
July 3rd, 2006 2:01 pm
If not an IT background, I still think a person needs to have a true fascination for computers and the Internet. It would be tough to make a go of it if you only had the ability to surf and check your email.
Not saying someone with little experience could not succeed, but they would have to become a little “obsessed” to pull through the inevitable learning curve.
-Terry
noemi
July 3rd, 2006 6:10 pm
The article is right in all those points.I am an Accidental Tech Entrepreneur who ventured into webhosting in 2002 at the age of 45. Before that, I was a stay at home mom waiting for hubby to bring in the bacon. But financial challeneges forced me to look for additional sources of income. At that time, I was so engrossed with the internet and web design. With the encouragment of my husband, I took a risk and invested in webhosting business . Four years later, I am still around.
Eric
July 4th, 2006 10:42 pm
Points 1, 3 and 5 remind me of me. I’ve made many websites, even very popular ones, but always for other companies. Just recently I decided to start creating them for myself. It’s harder to build a large amount of traffic for your site, but once you get there, there’s really no stopping you. And you know what? Building things for yourself is much more fun than building them for somebodey else.
Dag Joar Larsen
July 5th, 2006 12:50 am
I agree with points 1, 2 and 5. I would say they are points that are essential to the success.
Points 3 and 4 might be commonly found among these people, but I would argue that they are not critical factors in their success. The reasoning for this is that in having 1 and 5 their entry barrier to the existing market is very low. Point 4 might be a triggering factor for some, but I believe that 1 and 5 could easily acchieve the same for people that never are in situation 4.
richierich1m
July 6th, 2006 3:12 am
I Dont Agree With One POINT
* they made themselves at the right place and made the time right for their product or service
That’s the difference You have To make things for your ideas they dont happen
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