Gutters, Neglect and Beer

After a few too many drinks and feverishly jockeying for Gowalla check-ins at the venues we were trolling, I awoke the next morning with a wicked…umm…idea. Later that day, over more drinks and Gowalla check-ins, I mentioned to partners in crime that based on the previous days discussion and late night escapades, I had a fun idea for an iPhone app. I’m not much of a ‘creative’ person in a traditional brushes and paints sorta way but I love creative brainstorms when it comes to cooking up applications and business ideas. But coming up with a good idea isn’t as difficult as figuring out which ones to invest time and energy into, so after a few minutes of batting it around with my crew it fell into the gutter, more a victim of neglect and beer than anything else.

In the days that followed, I busied myself with jump starting the new year but one morning last week over coffee the same app idea bobbed to the surface. “What if…?” On any given day asking myself this question typically leads to mental gymnastics in order to figure out whether the idea has merit.  This idea was no different. I slid in front of my computer, disconnected the internet connection and started piecing together this iPhone app. After 35 minutes (I’m big into time boxing) I realized I had hit on something that was inherently simple to a user yet had potential to generate multiple revenue streams. Understandably, there were an infinite number of influential real world variables that could topple my pretty little model but conceptually it had some teeth to it which meant it was time to phone a friend.

Shout Outs & Phone a Friend

The more I thought about the app, the more I realized that while I thought it was a good idea, I didn’t really feel like learning iPhone development just to develop it, so instead I tweeted. At that point, I would have gladly collaborated on it with someone or given them the whole thing to run with…it was and is a solid idea but I wasn’t exactly passionate about building it from scratch. Unsurprisingly, my random tweet didn’t gain much traction, then again, I didn’t really expect it would but @BonitaSmokeShop did pass it along (check out their cigars here).

Nonetheless, after my shout out fell on deaf ears, I decided to phone a friend. First, I sense checked the idea with a couple friends that have varying non-technical-business and iPhone experiences. Their responses were similar to mine, “sounds like it would be fun”. They also took pop shots at the cobbled together revenue streams but generally liked the idea enough to strongly point out that if I were to build it, I most certainly should not give it away away for free. My second move, was to reach out to a friend that’s building an app that uses some of the same technical elements and would be able to run with it or pass it along. He was intrigued and agreed to bait a few people to get a feel for it’s potential. A day later, I had an answer…

1. Head over to www.Knol.Google.com
2. Sign-in with your Gmail username/password
3. Go to Preferences in the top-right corner
4. Select the Name Verification tab to verify your account

After a few failed attempts at verifying via credit card I resorted to using my social security number. You can check out the Name Verification FAQ here.

Similar to learning Chinese, as my vocabulary grew, so did my appetite. I didn’t just want to understand the language, I wanted to DO something with it. When I get an idea in my head I tend to beat the life out of it and then jump head first into the deepest part of the pool – a bona fide INTJ. Whether it’s software, Chinese, juggling, business, triathlons or rock climbing…

1. Deep thought.
2. Right now.
3. Head first.
4. Don’t look back.

When I went back to work in China I promptly changed my Chinese to Ma Shang which is a legit Chinese name but sounds like “right now or immediately”. Business Case Example: Hi Mr. Yang, I’m Ma Shang a.k.a. Mr. Right Now, as in lets get this thing done – right now!

Out’ing Ruby on Rails

After a bit of wrangling with Rails books and learning the basics of building a web app with Rails, I had a basic understanding of the benefits that Ruby on Rails offered. I wasn’t, however, bold enough to try building my own app. Instead, I started dabbling with open source apps by learning to install and tweak them on my local machine. To be totally honest, it wasn’t very fun…in fact, it was down right frustrating because I wasn’t (in my opinion) learning fast enough or going far enough. What made matters worse was that I came up with an idea for an app that I felt really strongly about but my learning curve just wasn’t working in my favor…or at least I didn’t think so. So instead of learning to code and building my own app, I decided to leverage my background in outsourcing development and commissioned a team to build the app I had dreamed up.

I wont bore you with the details of outsourcing something like this because quite frankly, I could write volumes. I will say this though…if you’re a non-technical entrepreneur, small business or dude with an idea…don’t go down the freelance/outsourcing path without having someone on your side to guide you through it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big proponent of the freelance, outsourcing and contracted scenarios. Hell, my entire professional career revolves around outsourcing in some form or another. But if you’re going to do it, take my advice and make sure you have someone that knows the industry, technology and your idea.

However, last fall I decided that it was time to get a better handle on Rails because I wanted to play a more prominent role in developing my application…i.e. I want to build it. So I enrolled in a ‘learning ruby on rails’ class taught by Sarah Allen in order to get the hands-on guidance that I had been. Sarah and her team of assistants produced a great class and gave me just enough of a nudge to get me to the next step.

I Got Next

Well earlier this week, I passed an important milestone in my Ruby on Rails experience and launched the beta version of the app I’ve been working on. In it’s current state it’s a snippet of what I envision but for now that’s all I need to drive me forward. While the user front-end website and user interface are rather drab that can be remedied with a little time and effort. Functionally it consists of a baseline that will serve it’s purpose for the time-being but I’m excited to get moving on some of the more enticing features. If you know of anyone in the fitness industry, feel free to have them take a look at MyFitHub.com where they can sign up for a free beta account.

Get Google Voice Add-On for Firefox

On the web, mixing it up is similarly termed, ‘mash-up’. Take Google Maps+CraigsList Housing Listing’s mash it up and you get Housingmaps.com (a great diddy that got the developer a job at Google). Another example is using a ‘reader’ and plugging in RSS feeds from your favorite news sites which results in your own little newspaper.

My new blog theme is meant to convey a similar concept; 3 primary colors when combined, create something different. Triathlon and technology nearly always provide me with something different.It was a coincidence that I posted this theme yesterday and read this article today but nontheless, it prompted this post. The article is a snippet of an on-going public discussion the US is having as a result of Obama’s candidacy for President. (Un)fortunately, I’ve been having the same discussion since I was called nigger for the first time – I was 6 years old, his name was Paul and I had no idea what it meant. ”Being mixed” is something I’ve learned to sort out just like any other “mixed” person. I wont bore you with the details but I assure you, moving between communities does in fact give you a unique opportunity to see a new color.

In the end, whether it’s in your training routine or life in general, mixing it up is only as good if it has a positive impact. And for everyone’s sake, lets hope that Obama’s candidacy has a positive impact.