Start-up, start.

Today i am sitting in a cafe in Pennsylvania, i am listening to 3 chemistry students discuss a project and feeling pretty content that i have no idea what they are talking about. Chemistry is probably the last thing i would have ever chosen for myself for a career, and knowing a few of the various elements that they are discussing is enough for me. however in discussing what i don’t want to do it is a good place to think about what one does want to do.

I love innovation. i love using new technology and finding out why it does or in some cases doesn’t work. i want to find a way to work for a better company. i want to work at a startup. but why would i walk away from a nice 6 figure salary to go to work at a company making less, working more, and trade stability for the exact opposite of the word. the answer is that i value the process more than the money. i want to feel like i am a part of something that could change the world.

I know that i am not alone on that as everyone i talk to about my plan seems to have the same plan too. that being said why is the world not full of entrepreneurs? where do companies get workers, where do the great working masses come from? the entrepreneurs and the workers are the same people. the ones that go for it are either brave or crazy but either way, they are doing something. and that means more than anything else.

I hope that my resolve to break out and be the entrepreneur that i want myself to be remains. check back to see if i have what it takes to make it in the start-up world.

Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

The quote that is in this title is from Saint Francis of Assisi and i think it is perfect for this program!

Anyhow, on to the reason for this post.

Houston, we have automation! So i started this year off with a plan. A real plan with a business case and statistics and reasoning. the kinds of stuff that is irrefutable and must be acknowledged. This as it turns out actually worked! And i now have the budget that i asked for!  And now i have more to do every day than i ever wanted. This is a good thing. However, I am learning how to multi task at a whole other level. The projects that i am undertaking (all at once mind you) are to build a new website for my product, re-create all of our marketing materials for print and digital distribution, make a new product demonstration video, and implement a lead nurturing and marketing automation product. Continue reading

SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) Battery pack for Vivitar 285HV

Time for Strobist problem solving 101!

If you are anything like me, you hate wasting money and time with AA batteries in your flashes. You probably also hate the long recycle times that you experience while firing your battery powered flashes. Well, I feel your pain. So I have built a battery pack for my Vivitar flashes that allows me to pump some big power into my little flashes. I have seen several DIY battery packs on the net and when attempting one of my own I combined much of what I saw and liked into my own design.

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