The Boiler Room

Do you have a business idea and want to thrash it out, find potential partners, etc.? As the result of posts made here a few months ago, I’m now in a position to actively explore new opportunities. There must be other people who would like to do the same.

I’d like to propose a regular get-together of anyone with business development ideas for discussion. Once or twice a month, somewhere quietish where we can chill and chat in peace.

I expect that opening a school or teaching business will be on a lot of people’s agendas, but I hope that there are more and better ideas out there too. Who’s interested in import/export? Got a funky product to develop or market? Is there a service you can offer? Can your project offer something to someone else’s? Do you have experiences you can share with those starting out in similar businesses? Does your business need fresh ideas, opportunities or talent? Have you seen an opportunity that no-one else has?

I suggest an evening during the week starting 17 January. Alleycat’s again, or do we need to explore new territory?

Item 1 for discussion: The creation of an internet ‘radio’ station for the english-speaking community. I already have three potential sponsors for this one, and all sorts of ideas for what we could do with it, but it’s not really my field. Can anyone run with this and make it happen?

I’m very interested. Right now I’m in the middle of my campaign to correct ICRT’s wayward course, but I’d definitely be interested in talking more with you about this. I’m also interested in export/import, language school management, and other things, but let’s save that for later discussion.

I will be VERY interested in having some little chats about import/export, but not until I have more flesh on my (actually my wife’s) pitifully emaciated idea. The boiler room is a good idea, Stra … I mean Loretta.

Perhaps I should clarify that I’m not proposing anything as a forumosa project. Certainly, if I have anything to do with it, such a radio station will not be a part of forumosa.

The Boiler Room is for individuals to talk about their pet schemes with each other, and potentially develop partnerships.

As a minimum requirement I think any participant should have either time or finance available, preferably both, as well as ideas. Speaking personally, I work 20 hrs a week to pay the bills and give me some extra cash. The rest of my time is invested into other projects, some of which are starting to generate money for reinvestment. I’m not talking massive sums, but the sort of projects I’m looking at are affordable to me right now.

However, the most important thing I’ve learned is that you don’t succeed in business on your own. Taipeimanwhores.com never got off the ground because I don’t have the resources to attract hundreds of wealthy attractive women who are gagging for it. If I had thought to sit down with a bunch of like-minded people I might have been persuaded to partner with someone who could help me, or been convinced of the absurdity of it all. :slight_smile:

There are a lot of smart people out there, and many of them have interesting proposals or ideas. I’d like to meet them.

Great thread Loretta! You’re not just a pretty face. Getting people together to share knowledge and experience, and perhaps join forces is an excellent idea.

You may recall my cunning business scheme. Of late, I’ve realized that I don’t want to be too tied down to Taiwan, and that the project would be better done with a partner. I think I could really like Taiwan a lot more if I were here for only half of the year.

Weeding out the serious punters from the folks with just a vague idea of wanting to get out of teaching would make such meetings more effective. Perhaps a meeting payment of giving Loretta a quick shag (or Almas a six-pack of Taiwan Beer). . :wink:

count me in.

muy idea? Well, you all know, I guess…

I would like to share some of my ideas, but only if Sandman promises not to punch me in the face or use his shilelagh on my backside as soon as he sees me.

Boiler Room meeting #1: 1pm, Sunday 16 January, at Carnegie’s (in response to a special request from an out-of-town mystery guest)

Almas is correct about weeding out the non-serious punters, but unfortunately I can’t accept any more shaggings. I have decided to become a virgin in order to start my own religion. (The catholic church owns almost as much real estate as McDonalds :astonished: ) As it’s a pub (a very nice gastro-pub, with a lovely and generous host) I don’t think that bringing beer for the yeti is a good idea either.

So we’ll settle for the solemn declaration approach. Please repeat the following and sign your name below, so that Bob knows how big a table we need.

“I hereby swear that I am not a useless waster with a dead-end job, that has no time or money to invest in my future. I am a smart energetic person with something to offer, intending to meet similar people to exchange ideas, advice, and maybe discuss how we can work together to make loads and loads of lovely loot.”

Topics proposed so far:
1 - An online radio station
2 - starting/managing a school or five
3 - Get Set (follow link in my sig.) cross-marketing opportunities
4 - import/export
5 - The Cult of Loretta initial share offering
6 - you name it, there should be at least 10 items on the agenda by Sunday

Please don’t invite random wives and girlfriends, but DO bring any Taiwanese friends/relatives that would be willing to partner up. In particular, I’m looking for a p/t Mandarin-speaking B2B sales person with experience of the teaching industry. We’re making sales without there being anybody to talk to the clients, and commissions are payable on the business that has already been done if the right person steps forward.

Count me in for this as well, Import / Export has been on our list for a little while, not goods, but the actual import / export procedures etc, as well as potentially starting my own car business here.

Count me in. I hope to discuss exporting schoolgirl uniforms. :wink:

Thanks for setting this up. I will attend and possibly +1.

[quote=“Loretta”]Topics proposed so far:
1 - An online radio station
2 - starting/managing a school or five
3 - Get Set (follow link in my sig.) cross-marketing opportunities
4 - import/export
5 - The Cult of Loretta initial share offering
6 - you name it, there should be at least 10 items on the agenda by Sunday[/quote]

Given the central part it has played in our on-line and off-line lives, I’d like to include Forumosa.com in the agenda.

Another agenda item I’m interested in is what I’ll call a “paper/chop service” aimed for foreigners. Something from the States and my personal experience in TW have put a bug in my brain about this. Like to share that.

I’ll be there I need help with a business plan and set up for something that caught my fancy in the US

That’s, er, 7 so far including the PMs.

Eight.

Twelve. Twelvish anyway.

Should be interesting.

Thanks for setting this up Loretta. I enjoyed the afternoon and chatting with some very nice and interesting and creative people. We had a huge group and wasn’t able to chat with everyone. Look forward to future information about this.

=YC

Yup, an enjoyable afternoon and I got some benefit from talking to all sorts of people with different backgrounds. We had approximately 20 attendees in total.

Somehow I lost track of it towards the end and have just got home! Hope you’ll keep me on track in future. Let’s schedule the next open meeting for some time in late February, and I’m inclined to accept the offer of ‘meeting management’ that was made by one late arrival.

Forumosa is just the conduit which makes this possible, and I’m happy to take a back seat if others step forward to turn this into a formal club. On the other hand, the free form approach is in keeping with the informal nature of the forumosa experiment. I hope we find a way to balance the different approaches and needs of our members.

Anyway, a very rewarding afternoon. Thanks a lot to all those who turned up.

Thanks Loretta, enjoyed the meeting.

Good energy comes from a meeting of interesting people.

The guy who is setting up the sound studio (not a Forumosan poster) had just a little too much energy and was near spontaneous combustion a few times.

Hope he gets where he wants to go. He seriously needs groups such as this and more importantly needs to ask questions to improve his direction.

For me, The Boiler Room is about networking. I’m only there to meet people who are there to meet people. But some of us have different needs, so I hope we can find ways to diversify the way we approach this.

Let’s schedule another open meeting for late February in a social environment. Maybe evenings are better? Anyone with a bit of time, cash, or energy to spare should be welcome. Inevitably we’ll get the odd nutter, but even nutters can be worth listening to sometimes.

In addition, I think there should be more structured meetings with specific functions. One person suggested ‘success teams’, and will be posting about that shortly. I think we can form our own informal groups by PM or email so that they don’t become free-for-alls. A few of us have office space available.

Another suggestion is to have online discussion groups which are not publicly visible. (I don’t want every man and his dog discussing every aspect of the things I have cooking, but I would appreciate the input of a few with relevant backgrounds.) This is contrary to the spirit of forumosa, but it’s not a problem to host it elsewhere.

I’ll provide mailing-list management services for a six-month experimental period, at no charge to anyone who includes me on the list. Any two forumosans may request their own list, and extend membership to anyone they choose. Any person on the list can then post to it and have their comments automatically forwarded to everyone else.

Anyone wants a dedicated email address for this, I can do that too. Just don’t bugger up my hosting by emailing movies to each other.

And, of course, please do continue to put all ‘general’ comments in the Business and Money forum.

Thanks.

Can I come too, Lollada? :bouncy: