You know it’s funny that I read a similiar article for last year’s nominations forwarded by a friend. He told me to check out some of the young entrepreneurs in the region. I remember how I admired them, yet couldn’t stop to envy them for starting out at such a young age.

At that time, I had just started Pluit Solutions, and BookJetty was still a pet project; deep inside, there was a slightest hope to be shortlisted before I pass the age limit.

And believe it or not, yesterday’s morning, on BookJetty shoutbox, Isaak said, he spotted me in BusinessWeek.com, shorlisted as one of the 25 finalists for Asia’s Young Entrepreneurs.

I couldn’t be more happy than this, I was ecstatic, close to jumping up and down, not just for being featured, but at least for the re-assurance that the steps I took are leading me forward.

It has not been easy to start on your own, to run a business, to build a product, to bootstrap, to be frugal, to be wise, to take risks, to make mistakes, to learn, and to endure.

There are days when you wake up in the morning, feeling afraid that you may not have made it. Thus it is comforting to be acknowledged once in a while, and let it be the extra fuel for more late nights to burn. :)

I wonder how many of us are into blog-adding spree, when you are starting, it’s kind of fun, but soon, it’s kind of scary, as the list of blogs gets longer, and it’s freaky to look at hundreds of new posts calling you up to read them each day.

So, I ended up with creating a new must-read category and choosing best-of-the-best blogs I should read each day. Even that, for the past few days, I have not been able to find time to read. So tonight, I decided to catch up with my reading, since tomorrow is Vesak day, and it’s a public holiday!

Soon some hours passed, Vesak day should have officially started for four and a half hours. I was wondering, why I am still awake at 4:30 am in the morning reading blog posts. I must be nuts I thought.

For those who understand, they will know that it feels great to be able to clear your blog posts. When you are done, somehow it felt like spring-cleaning, deep inside, it felt clean, fresh, delighted, informed, learned and if you are lucky, inspired.

And I was lucky; I found two inspiring quotes while following the Rails Conference Friday evening’s keynotes, from John Nanemaker’s post.

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

–Mohandas Gandhi

The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

–Alan Kay

Pricing is always a very sensitive issue, pricing it too much you lose a deal, pricing it too low you make a lost. But what is the right price? And how should you charge, per project, hourly or per retainer basis? These are the hard questions that we all have to deal each day, be you the vendor or the customer.

Brian Fling from Blue Flavor, has written a great article about pricing your project; there are a couple of tips we all can learn from, and at the end he concludes that:

Honesty and transparency should always be the heart of all projects.

And I can’t agree more.

Today, I have just completed my second Ruby On Rails project, after BookJetty, it was a proposal submission, review and project collaboration system, which behaves very much like Basecamp, focussing on simplicity and interface design user-friendliness.

We thought of doing something different initially, a more conservative approach, but since I was using Basecamp to monitor the project progress, my client was exposed to how simplicity can be really helpful at times.

So I studied how 37Signals did it in more details, and there is really a lot we can learn through observation. One thing I learned the most is that little thing in user interface design is the one that make a difference in user experience, saving a click whenever appropriate makes the difference, not letting user to have a second thought of what your instruction or error message makes the difference.

But learning while coding slows me down too, with dateline catching up each day, life has been tough, especially for the past two weeks, but I am glad that I managed to pull it through; today I’m happy that I have the time to blog again.

For the past few weeks, I have been thinking a lot about how I should move forward with Pluit Solutions. System development and consultancy is fun, but to change the client’s mindset, that we developers need more than 3 days to develop an application from scratch is hard, especially in Asia.

A lot of people has been telling me that I need to build a business, a business runs by itself, it generates money even when you are sleeping; freelancing is not a business, it literally means self-employed. It is the easiest to start but yet it is easiest to fail too, depending on which industry that you are in, but you would agree with me, each year the profit margin just gets lower with competition from the flat world, China and India our two big brothers, and it scared the hell out of me, after reading The World is Flat.

Thus, there are two areas I need to work on, first… a lot of people have been telling me, I need to develop a product. Secondly I need to stay focus; since I’m only employing myself, there is only 24 hours a day, taking out the time I need to wee wee, take shower, breakfast, dinner, lunch, sleep, watch prison break, project runway, and CSI, I won’t have much time left in a day.

Talking about building my first product, the trend now is building a service, since I have been working on project collaboration system for the past few months, I am really keen to build a project collaboration system, but again there is already Basecamp who eats up a big pie of the market size, it is going to be really tough to penetrate as a service.

But how about selling it as a product, though not as pretty as a service, which can be customised if needed too, just like what I did for my client right now, they need something else on top of a project collaboration system, and maybe to those who need to host the system on their own server due to security reasons, or any other reasons. I have yet to put more thoughts on this. If you are company, especially if you are based in Singapore, and you need a project collaboration system, please do drop me a note.

Secondly, I will drop my idea to build JobJetty, I have not started working on it, and it has been months since I started collecting emails. Most likely, I won’t have the time to develop it for the next couple of months too. My apologies if you have signed up to be notified for BETA release, I was just too enthusiastic and naive back then.

On the remaining time that I have, I will further develop BookJetty. There has been some progress made with Singapore NLB, I’m working on an official integration with them, if it works, I hope BookJetty is going to stay for long, and the pending features list gets really long now and seriously need some attentions.

That’s about it, it has been a good day today, hope it is going to stay good for some time, wish me luck.

Warning: This is a very long blog post, if you are reading this at office, please get someone to watch out for your boss.

I have a very good client, about two weeks ago, he messaged me using MSN Messenger:

[nickname]: http://www.jamboree-invite.com/
[nickname]: time 2 get funding!

When I read his first message, I thought he must have sent to the wrong person. ‘Jamboree’, is the word I last heard in high school, it is some kind of gathering held once in a while for the scouts nationwide (or it can be an international gathering, I’ve just checked the dictionary), and I was not even a scout during those time.

When I read the following message, I knew it was for me.

It was not a scout gathering. I looked at the programme highlights, Dr. Vivian Balakrishna is speaking, I guessed it must be a big event. Further reading, it showed ‘funds’ and ‘Interactive Digital Media (IDM)’ somewhere. So why not check it out?

Two days ago, I went for the half-a-day event, given a nice file folder with IDM R&D Programme information printed on it along with 37 pages of partners’ notes. If you are not there, you have thank me for this. Let me tell you what it is all about in one paragraph.

What is IDM Research and Development Programme?

Now, there is a new office within Media Development Authority (MDA), called Interactive Digital Media Research and Development Programme office. If you have creative ideas in digital media, they want you. There are half a billion Singapore dollars to be given to you and the education sector in five years. If you are not sure what digital media is, they can tagged with animation, games, movie, web, software, security, cellphone, gadgets and any X related to digital format. X is to-be-invented by you. You got it? Great.

Will I be funded?

Yes, if you have a great idea, are passionate about it, and they believe that you are able to execute it.

But, you may have a second question, is it going to be easy? Then you start doing your Math, half a billion dollars may sound like a lot of money, but if you divided it into 5 years, and considering the different sectors that are getting a slice of the pie and the number of applications (which we do not know yet), plus how well you write and present yourself, your chances can be slim, yet, it depends.

If you are not funded, please do not stop.

It was about half a year ago, when BookJetty was hosted in a shared server in the U.S.; I knew there was no way an application like this would ever run smoothly in this environment.

At that time, a friend invited me to his talk about Web 2.0 in his organisation. Having been living in here for the past seven years, I asked a typical question, “Is there some kind of government funding available for Web 2.0 application?”. Life was tough then, Pluit Solutions was still new, there were not many projects going on, buying a server and hosting it in a data centre would be a stretch. I knew there was none, but I still asked that question hoping he would say, “I know one, it’s coming up soon.” But he was good enough to smile first and said, “No”.

A gentleman from the audience looked at me and quipped, “You should not always wait for the government.” I nodded gently, he was right, if I was serious enough, I should not wait. Soon, I bought a Dell server and hosting it in Singapore. Thanks to DBS credit-card 24 months 0%-interest installment plan.

Now that I looked back, if I would have waited 6 months, I would not have developed BookJetty up to its stage right now, and I would not have learned so much from the process of developing it. I would not have clinched indirect sales leads from BookJetty. That gentleman was right, I should not wait , and I am glad that I did not.

Are we ready?

I am not sure about the other industries, speaking from the web industry, I think we need to work a lot harder.

About a year ago, having been developing web applications for some years, like you, I spent most of my time building what people call the enterprise applications, a committed developer, I usually worked up to the wee hours on my clients’ projects, leaving me with no time to explore what was going on out there.

When I just started Pluit Solutions, I sat down and did some research on what was going on in the web industry, what was hot, and what was upcoming.

And I was taken back that I was already left far behind. People have been blogging for a year or more, and I was still not very sure what RSS feed is. While I was still using tables and blank.gif image to design HTML layout, people have been talking about web standards, accessibility and usability. While I used Javascript often to create confirmation and alert box, people have used it to create drag and drop effect. While I still believed in one programming language is good enough to solve all problems, people have used others to solve their problems faster and cheaper.

Disheartened but not beaten, I took a sabbatical leave, started learning from basics again, learning CSS, Javascript, Ajax, Ruby On Rails, Linux and learn from other open source applications. And now, each day I am learning from other developers, designers, enterpreneurs and great people around the world through their blogs.

I am happy that I have made some progress, but I believe many of us are hanging at where I was a year ago. Living under the umbrella of our organisation, comparing with the other developers in the company, we stand high; while when we start to fold up that umbrella and look outside, there are hundreds more hills and mountains to be climbed.

Is it too late?

Looking at how fast the lansdcape of the web industry is being reshaped each day. Some of you may have changed to a non-IT related job, swearing that you will never come back to this industry again; some, like me, moving on, but many are left behind.

But is it too late to get up again? I have to say no. Many of you are really smart, but bogged down with your work, you have no time to upgrade yourself and explore your creativity, and it probably is you. If you are really serious, get a sabbatical leave from your company, grab at least 5 books, re-learn again from basics. Web standards, CSS, Javascripts, AJAX, MySQL, Linux, learn from other open source applications, really polish up your native programming language, and don’t be brainwashed, I was, learn other programming languages too.

Get really serious this time, get your hands really dirty. Code something as you learn, think outside the box, create something you have never done before, learn from other great developers’ codes, push beyond your comfort zone. Learn and have fun as well. BookJetty was my try out when I learned AJAX. I was having fun; please do not think about money at this stage.

Let’s make a difference

In two months time, start making a difference in the web industry here in Singapore, start a blog if you do not have one, share what you have learned, what you have created, let us meet often, help each other out, be proud of your title, a web developer, this time a good one, if not, like me, learning to be a good one.

If you are a web developer, I challenge you to develop a web application this year, please do not start another forum, create something unique, creative, simple, yet useful. Code fast and release early. It is the beginning of the year 2007, make it your new year’s resolution, whether or not you get funding from IDM R&D Programme, whether or not you are a small start-up or working in a large organisation, and whether or not you have a credit card installment plan. If I can build BookJetty.com, I know you can build something better than this, and I want be your BETA tester.

It is about time we make a difference to the web industry here, there is no better time than now. And what that gentleman said to me was right, I should NOT wait, and I did not. But… will you?

UPDATE:

An interesting article related to IDM, Money No Enough by Victoria Ho, from ComputerWorld. Bjorn, Ian and myself were interviewed.

People who are making a difference in the web industry here (will be continously updated). I hope this list will grow really long by end of this year:

Groups

Barcamp Singapore

The Digital Movement

Singapore Entrepreneur 27

Singapore Ruby Brigade

Singapore Web Standard Group

SG Entrepreneurs

Web Applications

Blurbme.com

BookJetty.com

Hungrygowhere.com

Ping.sg

Petrolwatch.com.sg

RSS Forward

Tomorrow.sg

TylerProject

Wisheus.com

Wanttotrade.sg

SharedCopy (This was techcrunched!)

Hitchoo

Just managed to grab a copy of The Art of Start by Guy Kawasaki.

After a long day, before bed, I picked up the book, and read the first few lines, a quote by Halford E. Luccock. I thought it is quite enlightening, though confusing at first.

Many years ago Rudyard Kipling gave an address at McGill University in Montreal. He said one striking thing which deserves to be remembered. Warning the students against an over-concern for money, or position, or glory, he said: “Some day you will meet a man who cares for none of these things. Then you will know how poor you are.”

– Halford E. Luccock

TV shows have been amazingly good these days. With shows like Boston Legal, Prison Break and Project Runway, I wonder who needs to go to the cinema.

I have been a fan of Project Runway from its first season, and the third season has just started last night.

What I like about Project Runway is, it shows a very humane side of fashion industry, which I think very applicable to all other industries including web development and design. And for one simple reason also, Heidi Klum is HOT.

Last night’s first episode of the third season is very interesting, I thought there are some lessons that we all can learn from this show, as I am writing this, I am reminding myself too:

What you don’t learn in school, does not stop you.
Many of the participants did not study in a fashion-design school, yet the love for fashion-design has made them rise above thousands of applicants for the runway show. Laura Bennet is an architect and mother of five, Allison Kelly is a snowboarding instructor, and Angela Keslar is an organic farmer.

My client once asked me where did I learn my design skills from, afterall I was trained as a business analyst in school.

Be creative with constraints and you can create good stuff out of simple things.
The designers were asked to rip off the materials that they can find from their apartment, from bed cover, curtain, to lamp cover. With such simple materials, they can still create great pieces such as the one shown in the picture above. After the show, I felt like ripping off our curtain and pillow case and make a good dress for my wife, but too bad I am not into sewing.

For every web development/design project, we usually have constraints, be it technical, colour, or time constraints, and the list goes on. But what makes a good developer/designer stands out from the rest is the ability to deliver good results out of these constraints. Many can deliver good results, not many can do that with great constraints.

Know your tools well.
One of the reasons why Stacey Estrella was voted out last night was because his dress was not complete. She faced some problems operating her sewing machine, so she ended up with hand sewing. Her concept was good, but her execution was weak.

As a web developer/designer, we too have to know our tools well to stand out from the rest. If you are a web developer, be good at XHTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP/Ruby/Java/.Net/Phyton (whatever language you are using).

Time is always very limited.
The designers were only given half a day to make their clothes, and the next half a day to do some alteration to fit their model. And even with such a short time, all the designers completed their pieces within the time limit.

Time management is the essence, even if you have great idea, make sure that the idea can be executed within the time constraint. We all face this problem, don’t we? One way to work around this is to keep things simple and focus on the main needs of your clients.

Dont’ be over confident. Even if you are good, you can be wrong sometimes.
All of the participants are great designers. But Jeffery thought his design is the best, a very confident chap, he looked down on others’ designs. He designed a very intricate dress and a jacket, but the judge thought they were too complicated and the jacket hides the the beauty of the dress. He was one of the last two standing to be voted out last night.

Over-confidence blinds us from our weaknesses and our mistakes.

“Make it work!”

- Tim Gun, The designers’ guide

I had a wonderful meeting at E27 last week, it was interesting to get to know the other startup founders such as Uzyn and MingYou. And it is comforting to know that there is a common trait out of the four startups presenting that day, i.e. the three of us started alone.

Uzyn developed Ping.sg himself, still a student and freelancing between lessons. MingYou started BlurbMe.com alone, was an investment banker, hired programmers to build his site. And Pluit as you know is a one-man show.

To start a business is hard, and to do it alone just make it so much harder. There are just so many things to do; other than the real work, you still have to do sales, close deals, do marketing, administrative tasks, and have to keep learning to stay ahead.

So not only you got to discipline yourself, you also have to find creative ways each day to be more effective and efficient. For myself, simple thing like meeting client at 5:00 pm and near my place helps. It saves me a lot of time, and it does not interrupt my productive working hours. Having two monitors with at least one that can support 1600 x 1200 resolutions will speed up your work, and trust me you will never want to use one monitor again after that.

But the good news about starting alone is, although it seems like you are alone, you are not. If you are on the right track, there will be people around you to help you whether you realize it or not, your friends, ex-colleagues, people that you never met, even angels.

Things will move, words will spread, deals will come, and you will get to your destination one day, if not closer. For those who have been supporting fellow startups, including myself, and you know it if it is you, I just wanna say, may God bless you.

And last, this is one way how the word spreads, MingYou needs a good PHP developer to bring Blurbme.com even further, if you think are one, do contact him here.

Coming back from Cameron Highland, after a hectic month completing two projects, and meeting interesting people at E27, I just love my job more and more. Not because I am doing a totally different stuff right now, but I think I am begining to know the difference between what I want and I what I need more clearly.

Last time, I did what I needed, I needed a job, I needed experience, and I needed money, so I worked hard and I learned as much as I could, and I did what I was told, I was employed, and I was lost. Then I started to explore what I really wanted.

I wanted to freeze beautiful moments in life, so I bought my first DSLR camera; and I signed up for beginning photography course. I had always wanted to travel alone, travel light, travel long, longer than 2 weeks, so I packed my bag, and travelled to Borneo, for the first time, alone, my longest holidays, 21 days in a row.

I found programming alone is too boring, I had always wanted to explore the creative side of me, so I started Pluit Solutions doing not only web development, but also web design.

I know that money is important and but a fulfiling life is more important than money; thus doing what I want on top of what I need makes the difference.

Just like the two kids that I snapped from my last trip to Cameron Highland, I chose to be like the first kid on the left, happy and passionate.

When you are happy and passionate, you get the best out of you.

There is a common proverb that says ‘Work hard, play hard’. I have been working hard, so I am gonna play hard also.

Taking a break from work this weekend, bringing my wife to Cameron Highland for a short break, go hiking and visit farms, get some fresh air, catch up a bit with my reading, and hopefully coming back recharged.

Afterall, we work to enjoy life, not live to work.