Comments on: How to start a business from your corporate cube http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/ Advice at the intersection of work and life Mon, 08 Sep 2008 05:37:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Hazel http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-134947 Hazel Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:34:02 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-134947 This was a really great piece and it helped me a lot.I did the same thing but unfortunately made the mistake of trying to recruit staff from my offices when the work load got too big They blew the whistle and I got dumped.Although I don't really miss my job I do miss my friends! By the way the home job is going great!!!!!! Cheer! This was a really great piece and it helped me a lot.I did the same thing but unfortunately made the mistake of trying to recruit staff from my offices when the work load got too big
They blew the whistle and I got dumped.Although I don't really miss my job I do miss my friends!
By the way the home job is going great!!!!!!
Cheer!

]]> By: Bootstrapper » Should You Bootstrap While Employed? http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-109387 Bootstrapper » Should You Bootstrap While Employed? Mon, 08 Oct 2007 00:46:03 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-109387 [...] Shawn Hessinger of BoostrapMe blog had an article last month about how you can bootstrap a business while you’re employed. This article is actually Shawn’s reflection of a similar article written by Penelope Trunk at Brazen Careerist. [...] [...] Shawn Hessinger of BoostrapMe blog had an article last month about how you can bootstrap a business while you're employed. This article is actually Shawn's reflection of a similar article written by Penelope Trunk at Brazen Careerist. [...]

]]> By: Jack http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-108644 Jack Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:13:01 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-108644 Penelope, This is an interesting argument, and I personally find parts of it intriguing and invigorating. If only it were so, I'd be truly pumped! But alas, it's just not as simple as you describe. As a manager of IT technical professionals myself, I would surely *fire* an individual who behaved as you suggest -- taking moonlighting calls on their cell, devoting work time to an entrepreneurial adventure. Such behavior is also simply unethical and unprofessional, no matter how burned-out and frustrated you feel. I have these same dreams myself and long to fulfill them -- but my ethics tell me its wrong to wontonly waste my employer's time when they're paying me to work. Sorry, no sale. You have to find another way of empowering people to drive change in their lives without just being slackers. Penelope,

This is an interesting argument, and I personally find parts of it intriguing and invigorating. If only it were so, I'd be truly pumped!

But alas, it's just not as simple as you describe. As a manager of IT technical professionals myself, I would surely *fire* an individual who behaved as you suggest — taking moonlighting calls on their cell, devoting work time to an entrepreneurial adventure.

Such behavior is also simply unethical and unprofessional, no matter how burned-out and frustrated you feel. I have these same dreams myself and long to fulfill them — but my ethics tell me its wrong to wontonly waste my employer's time when they're paying me to work.

Sorry, no sale. You have to find another way of empowering people to drive change in their lives without just being slackers.

]]> By: Jayesh Naithani http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-108512 Jayesh Naithani Sat, 22 Sep 2007 15:14:47 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-108512 Penelope, Here is another perspective - your job should also be considered your business as well. This way you don't need to do step 4 - Get on a stupid project at work. If one really wants to get a "stupid project" at work, then they should leave the company. - Jayesh Penelope,

Here is another perspective - your job should also be considered your business as well. This way you don't need to do step 4 - Get on a stupid project at work. If one really wants to get a "stupid project" at work, then they should leave the company.

- Jayesh

]]> By: Revue de presse | Simple Entrepreneur http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-107558 Revue de presse | Simple Entrepreneur Sat, 08 Sep 2007 16:39:35 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-107558 [...] How to start a business from your corporate cube Une liste de points à suivre pour vous en sortir si vous voulez monter un business tout en restant salarié. Je connais des entrepreneurs qui sont dans ce cas et qui se reconnaîtront très probablement dans certaines des idées mentionnées ici. [...] [...] How to start a business from your corporate cube Une liste de points à suivre pour vous en sortir si vous voulez monter un business tout en restant salarié. Je connais des entrepreneurs qui sont dans ce cas et qui se reconnaîtront très probablement dans certaines des idées mentionnées ici. [...]

]]> By: Dianne http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-107492 Dianne Fri, 07 Sep 2007 18:52:08 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-107492 You're totally deluded if you think your coworkers don't know you're stealing company time to run your own business, just like everyone knows people who do all their personal business on the company's tab, and resent every piece of work dumped on their desk because someone else was too busy with their personal stuff to do. What you better hope is that your coworkers like you really, really well or you will find yourself jobless without a cubicle to run your sideline from. This is terrible advice on every level. And I've known people who have lost their jobs over just such a situation...and, guess what, they find it hard to get another job once they get that reputation. Create your home business at home. That's where it belongs. You're totally deluded if you think your coworkers don't know you're stealing company time to run your own business, just like everyone knows people who do all their personal business on the company's tab, and resent every piece of work dumped on their desk because someone else was too busy with their personal stuff to do. What you better hope is that your coworkers like you really, really well or you will find yourself jobless without a cubicle to run your sideline from. This is terrible advice on every level. And I've known people who have lost their jobs over just such a situation…and, guess what, they find it hard to get another job once they get that reputation. Create your home business at home. That's where it belongs.

]]> By: elysa http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-107426 elysa Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:44:15 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-107426 I wish I had read this one week earlier. I am a designer at a large printing company and I also do freelance graphic design. Last week I was calling around getting price quotes for a print job for a freelance client. I decided to ask my director at my "real job" for a price quote. I figured since I work for a print company that might be a good place to start. Her answer was "well, I don't really want to get you a quote because Mr. Boss Man frowns upon side businesses." I wish I had read this one week earlier. I am a designer at a large printing company and I also do freelance graphic design. Last week I was calling around getting price quotes for a print job for a freelance client. I decided to ask my director at my "real job" for a price quote. I figured since I work for a print company that might be a good place to start. Her answer was "well, I don't really want to get you a quote because Mr. Boss Man frowns upon side businesses."

]]> By: Bored Cube Guy http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-107396 Bored Cube Guy Thu, 06 Sep 2007 19:30:56 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-107396 Ali, I disagree. My employer does not own my time; I'm not paid hourly and slavery was abolished a long time ago. But I'm not an idiot; obviously you can't just not take your job seriously. It's just that in many cases, it doesn't take much to take the job seriously. Rather than sit around being bored out of your mind, you should either 1) find something interesting in your job/change roles/get motivated internally or 2) take advantage of the relative security and flexibility of the situation to start your own thing so you never have to work for someone else again. I feel like I've exhausted path #1 after 10 years of effort at various companies. If my performance becomes unsatisfactory, then yes, that would become unethical of me to allow that to happen. But my job is not something that is just hours of time and it infuriates me to be wasting time doing nonproductive things at work. Ali,
I disagree. My employer does not own my time; I'm not paid hourly and slavery was abolished a long time ago. But I'm not an idiot; obviously you can't just not take your job seriously. It's just that in many cases, it doesn't take much to take the job seriously. Rather than sit around being bored out of your mind, you should either 1) find something interesting in your job/change roles/get motivated internally or 2) take advantage of the relative security and flexibility of the situation to start your own thing so you never have to work for someone else again. I feel like I've exhausted path #1 after 10 years of effort at various companies. If my performance becomes unsatisfactory, then yes, that would become unethical of me to allow that to happen. But my job is not something that is just hours of time and it infuriates me to be wasting time doing nonproductive things at work.

]]> By: Kathryn http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-107393 Kathryn Thu, 06 Sep 2007 18:33:12 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-107393 Ok, wait a second. I don’t see why everyone is being upset over the notion that someone else could have a secret side venture. Really, most of this advice is about how to keep a start-up from taking control of one’s primary workplace. I’ve gone through and summarized/rephrased each point to illustrate how this advice isn’t bad for employers. 1. Don’t brag because it lowers morale. 2. Don’t whine because you volunteered to have two jobs 3. Don’t steal company time for your second job. Stop wasting time aimlessly when you could spend it getting your personal life in order. (Since productivity tends to spawn productivity, the advice to “waste time” more effectively is probably good for everyone.) 4. All companies have “grunt” projects. Volunteer to do it since you don’t really want to be at that company anyways. It will give you time to brainstorm and free up fun projects for committed employees. 5. Consolidate with other people who are bored and looking for more to do. (Again, productivity spawns productivity.) Also implied is the idea that one should not spend more than 10 minutes on a phone call for the start-up. 6. Be healthy; you’ll feel better. 7. Be ergonomic; you’ll feel better. <b>8. Find someone who doesn’t work at another company to do the daytime work you can’t. Remember, you have a real job and you have to do that job while you’re at it. </b> 9. Don’t assume massive credit card debt. (Good general advice.) 10. Enjoy your regular employment because it will offset all those other hours of being paranoid. Note how none of that was “it’s ok to steal time/resources from your primary employer to work on your secret project”. The only thing that I could see as reasonably questionable is point #3. But since point #3 is based on the acknowledgment that people mostly waste their downtime at work, the advice to do something more productive with that downtime is not necessarily bad for employers. I always find that it’s easier to get things done (anything done) after I get started on *something*, even if that something is trivial. That’s how “pick up my earrings” transforms into “scrub out the bathtub”. I have a suspicion that if people spent more time accomplishing actual tasks instead of, oh, reading fascinating blogs on the internet, then they would experience upsurges in productivity whether or not those tasks were necessarily related to company business. I do agree with the oft-repeated advice to consult with a lawyer, especially if there’s a remotely tangible possibility that the start-up could overlap with the primary employer’s business. To that I would add that one should buy a laptop to use when conducting start-up business, because using the primary employer’s computers is indeed a resource theft. There are plenty of cheap laptops nowadays and it can be written off as a business expense on one’s taxes, so there’s no good reason not to get one. Ok, wait a second. I don’t see why everyone is being upset over the notion that someone else could have a secret side venture. Really, most of this advice is about how to keep a start-up from taking control of one’s primary workplace. I’ve gone through and summarized/rephrased each point to illustrate how this advice isn’t bad for employers.

1. Don’t brag because it lowers morale.

2. Don’t whine because you volunteered to have two jobs

3. Don’t steal company time for your second job. Stop wasting time aimlessly when you could spend it getting your personal life in order. (Since productivity tends to spawn productivity, the advice to “waste time” more effectively is probably good for everyone.)

4. All companies have “grunt” projects. Volunteer to do it since you don’t really want to be at that company anyways. It will give you time to brainstorm and free up fun projects for committed employees.

5. Consolidate with other people who are bored and looking for more to do. (Again, productivity spawns productivity.) Also implied is the idea that one should not spend more than 10 minutes on a phone call for the start-up.

6. Be healthy; you’ll feel better.

7. Be ergonomic; you’ll feel better.

8. Find someone who doesn’t work at another company to do the daytime work you can’t. Remember, you have a real job and you have to do that job while you’re at it.

9. Don’t assume massive credit card debt. (Good general advice.)

10. Enjoy your regular employment because it will offset all those other hours of being paranoid.

Note how none of that was “it’s ok to steal time/resources from your primary employer to work on your secret project”. The only thing that I could see as reasonably questionable is point #3. But since point #3 is based on the acknowledgment that people mostly waste their downtime at work, the advice to do something more productive with that downtime is not necessarily bad for employers. I always find that it’s easier to get things done (anything done) after I get started on *something*, even if that something is trivial. That’s how “pick up my earrings” transforms into “scrub out the bathtub”. I have a suspicion that if people spent more time accomplishing actual tasks instead of, oh, reading fascinating blogs on the internet, then they would experience upsurges in productivity whether or not those tasks were necessarily related to company business.

I do agree with the oft-repeated advice to consult with a lawyer, especially if there’s a remotely tangible possibility that the start-up could overlap with the primary employer’s business. To that I would add that one should buy a laptop to use when conducting start-up business, because using the primary employer’s computers is indeed a resource theft. There are plenty of cheap laptops nowadays and it can be written off as a business expense on one’s taxes, so there’s no good reason not to get one.

]]> By: Ali http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-107391 Ali Thu, 06 Sep 2007 18:08:42 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/09/05/how-to-start-a-business-from-your-corporate-cube/#comment-107391 Bored Cube Guy: it's hard to get over your feeling that it's wrong because it IS wrong. How would you feel if you were the boss and your employees were spending the time that you paid them for to work on something totally unrelated to your company? It's completely unethical. And believe me, if you get caught, it will follow you around forever; people check references, you know. Bored Cube Guy: it's hard to get over your feeling that it's wrong because it IS wrong. How would you feel if you were the boss and your employees were spending the time that you paid them for to work on something totally unrelated to your company? It's completely unethical. And believe me, if you get caught, it will follow you around forever; people check references, you know.

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