Why IT web companies that work with clients dont create startups?

[FunGuy]

Hi,

I meet a lot of companies every day that work with business clients. They have the whole team established (developers, designers and etc.) and they creating a lot of great stuff for the clients on demand. My question is why they dont try to create a startup themselves?

Also, if I have a great idea and im not a developer (i'm a project manager), would it be a good idea to approach such companies and try to bring the idea to life or should I look for the techies?

If you are a CEO of such web company how would you react if somebody with an idea would like to approach you?

Regards,
Donny

 

[obscure]

My question is why they dont try to create a startup themselves?

They have created a start-up - a start-up IT web company to provide services to other companies.

Also, if I have a great idea and im not a developer (i'm a project manager), would it be a good idea to approach such companies and try to bring the idea to life or should I look for the techies?

Sure, if you have the money to pay them to do the work.

 

[IWYS]

I don't get this question? They HAVE created a start-up themselves. Its the same as setting up a shop to sell clothes to the public, they have set up to use their 'techy' skills to offer a service to their customers 'other businesses'. So in effect, their start-up is helping more and more start-ups for other people which in my opinion is even better...

 

[Parrot Hosting]

The thing about techie IT pro's is they can generally choose to do anything they want in the industry. I have done most things and now spend my time helping people do 'their thing' in the way they want.

Additionally, I have found [particularly recently] that running multiple business is great so long as you can manage them all effectively. I have just reduced mine from 5 to 2 for just that reason. Running one or maybe two businesses well, is better than making a hash of half a dozen.

So, in answer to your question - I wouldn't be interested for myself but I would happily help you achieve your aims - what ever they are. Just don't ask me to work for FREE

 

[RedEvo]

Don't confuse having a technical skill with being an entrepreneur.

d

 

Don't confuse having a technical skill with being an entrepreneur.

d

The more common version being.

Those that can do.

Those that can't teach.

Earl

 

[movietub]

Because a good infrastructure, in this the IT companies ability to create such an infrastructure, is not in itself a worthwhile start-up business.

As has already been said, you need the entrepreneur as well, and there is also the question of motivation! The IT company exists largely because the founders wanted to start up an IT outfit.

To ask such a question suggests that a business only requires 'physically existing' to justify it's existence. In reality, good businesses are started up by someone wise enough/insightful enough/lucky enough to scan a market and find a gap they can fill better than most others.

I'm sure some IT companies do one day decide to branch out and share their in-house abilities with a sister business, or simply change track altogether. By the same logic I know some e-commerce companies develop their own in-house systems and then sell them to other e-commerce operations.

 

[FunGuy]

As somebody said - they need entrepreneur who could create a whole new concept of a new company with already established IT companies tech abilities. And also somebody said that those tech companies dont want to work for free, but if i am a PSD (poor, smart, driven) with little knowledge in software development, in your opinion, what would be the best approach for such PSD person?

 

[Graemem]

Some people just never get the desire to run things them self, happily working for someone else and being told what to do. I don't really get those people if I'm honest!

Most developers I know work on their own stuff on the side as well, so most probably do dream of creating the next big start up, just not everyone gets there.

 

[liams7]

This thread makes no sense.

I started a web development company 4 years ago are you all trying to say im not an entrepenur and i didnt start a company?

Why dont i build sites for my self. Well we do we just dont shout about it. They are seperate business.

If you ask them to work with you then they will need to feel that you bring someting and trust you.

Why do you want a partner. Because you have no money? Well to be honest i dont need you then as you bring nothing to the table.

We have all the marketing, development, design and advertising capabilities in house. this is why we dont go in to business with clients. NOT because we dont have entrepreneurial skills.

 

Why do you want a partner. Because you have no money? Well to be honest i dont need you then as you bring nothing to the table.

I wonder if Mark Zuckerberg's backers felt the same way.?

A great idea is what makes it all work.

Earl

 

[Podge]

Some people just never get the desire to run things them self, happily working for someone else and being told what to do. I don't really get those people if I'm honest!

You only have to look at the amount of start-ups that go bust in their first year to realise it has not a lot to do with passion and more to do with ability.

Some people simply do not have the skills to run their own business so are quite happy being paid for their labour instead.

 

[movietub]

This thread makes no sense.

I started a web development company 4 years ago are you all trying to say im not an entrepenur and i didnt start a company?

Why dont i build sites for my self. Well we do we just dont shout about it. They are seperate business.

If you ask them to work with you then they will need to feel that you bring someting and trust you.

Why do you want a partner. Because you have no money? Well to be honest i dont need you then as you bring nothing to the table.

We have all the marketing, development, design and advertising capabilities in house. this is why we dont go in to business with clients. NOT because we dont have entrepreneurial skills.

No one said that companies such as yours don't have the entrepenureal bit - it was merely pointed out that the OPs list of skills that such a company has (ie what that company does primarily) is not sufficient to create an entire new business. It sounded to me like the OP's assumption was that if you can build and populate an online shop etc for someone else, you are by default capable of running it yourself - this of course misses out a key part of the equation - the online shop has not jut to look good and work well, it has to be driven forwards by someone that understands the partiv=cular sector.

 

[RedEvo]

This thread makes no sense.

I started a web development company 4 years ago are you all trying to say im not an entrepenur and i didnt start a company?

I would argue that having a skill and deciding to set up a business and sell that skill doesn't make a person an entrepreneur. I personally think entrepreneurs see opportunities and exploit them even when those opportunities are outside their personal skill set. They are visionary. I think there are very few true entrepreneurs.

Just what I think, don't shout at me

d

 

[Graemem]

You only have to look at the amount of start-ups that go bust in their first year to realise it has not a lot to do with passion and more to do with ability.

Some people simply do not have the skills to run their own business so are quite happy being paid for their labour instead.

I know what you're saying. I don't think it's a bad thing, and of course some people couldn't do it even if they tried. I just think it's odd when someone has absolutely no desire to do it at all. Being content with working for someone else all you're life just seems odd to me. You only get one shot at life, might as well give it a go!

 

[liams7]

I wonder if Mark Zuckerberg's backers felt the same way.?

A great idea is what makes it all work.

Earl

Mark Zuckerbergs backers brought money and all ended up not owning the company.

I dont think this actually works

 

[liams7]

I would argue that having a skill and deciding to set up a business and sell that skill doesn't make a person an entrepreneur. I personally think entrepreneurs see opportunities and exploit them even when those opportunities are outside their personal skill set. They are visionary. I think there are very few true entrepreneurs.

Just what I think, don't shout at me

d

Completely agree there is a difference between a business man and an entrepeneur.

 

Completely agree there is a difference between a business man and an entrepeneur.

Rubbish there are just different types of business person.

No one knew what the word meant 15 years ago.

Earl

 

[geets]

I'm am a graphic designer and web developer both qualified a tertiary level. Even though I'm young I'm really eager to go out on my own. I do a bit of Freelance stuff now and it seems there is a never ending supply of work. Although the people who i work for now are a small company and I'm getting a lot of great experience in both web and graphic design and more importantly how a business works. Do you think I'm making the right choice staying with my employer and doing my freelance in my own time? By the way i make 3 times more money freelancing then i do in my current job.

 

[movietub]

Completely agree there is a difference between a business man and an entrepeneur.

Whatever the definition of an entrepreneur or any other 'level/type of' business person, you still need the a suitable business person to start any business successfully.

So going back to the original question... Having the core techie skills and infrastructural is still just one ingredient. Albeit an increasingly important ingredient these days.

 

[FunGuy]

Yes you are right, this is exactly what I want to say. You are not an entrepreneur, but you are a business man. I think of entrepreneur as a person who innovated in some way and created value for a lot of people, not only for some kind of a client.

This thread makes no sense.

I started a web development company 4 years ago are you all trying to say im not an entrepenur and i didnt start a company?

Why dont i build sites for my self. Well we do we just dont shout about it. They are seperate business.

If you ask them to work with you then they will need to feel that you bring someting and trust you.

Why do you want a partner. Because you have no money? Well to be honest i dont need you then as you bring nothing to the table.

We have all the marketing, development, design and advertising capabilities in house. this is why we dont go in to business with clients. NOT because we dont have entrepreneurial skills.

 

[FunGuy]

I see this thread wen a little bit off track talking about differences between entrepreneurs and business men. What I want to ask if you have a web company with an established culture and knowledge would you consider me as an opportunity to earn more money, if I would come to you with an offer to work on a great web startup idea? My question is what approach should I use to get attention from such companies? Or maybe a better idea would be to approach individual developers?

 

[movietub]

I see this thread wen a little bit off track talking about differences between entrepreneurs and business men. What I want to ask if you have a web company with an established culture and knowledge would you consider me as an opportunity to earn more money, if I would come to you with an offer to work on a great web startup idea? My question is what approach should I use to get attention from such companies? Or maybe a better idea would be to approach individual developers?

I'm sure it does happen that a person will approach a web company, possibly find they are too expensive but as an alternative the web company takes on the idea along with a financial interest in that idea - but it's not a common arrangement.

Generally the web company will have started up themselves as they know that sector and figure they can make the most money in that sector. True they may have 90% of the in-house abilities to make your idea work as well, but they already have 100% of the in-house abilities to make their current business work. So why should they divert attention to something else? Unless of course their core business has somehow already grown as much as it possibly can.

What is your angle for asking these questions? It's pretty clear you were hopeful to hear something other than the responses you have had! Chances are if you have an idea, there is a cleverer route to make it happen.

 

[liams7]

Yes you are right, this is exactly what I want to say. You are not an entrepreneur, but you are a business man. I think of entrepreneur as a person who innovated in some way and created value for a lot of people, not only for some kind of a client.

And how do you know what i have and havent done in business. You know one of my business and think that it tells a story.

Again you are being very short sighted about what people have done and are doing with in business.

 

[liams7]

I'm sure it does happen that a person will approach a web company, possibly find they are too expensive but as an alternative the web company takes on the idea along with a financial interest in that idea - but it's not a common arrangement.

Generally the web company will have started up themselves as they know that sector and figure they can make the most money in that sector. True they may have 90% of the in-house abilities to make your idea work as well, but they already have 100% of the in-house abilities to make their current business work. So why should they divert attention to something else? Unless of course their core business has somehow already grown as much as it possibly can.

What is your angle for asking these questions? It's pretty clear you were hopeful to hear something other than the responses you have had! Chances are if you have an idea, there is a cleverer route to make it happen.

Fantastic post.

There is nothing in it for the web company

 

[webstore]

As a pension aged semi retired entrepreneur/electronics engineer I would always be pleased to provide start-ups with one-to-one free help/advice regarding their online project. A bit about me can be seen at:-

prweb.com/releases/ianjones/oldstock/prweb5034674.htm