On my previous (and, coincidentally, first) post, I told you a little bit about what I want to accomplish with my business and what I will not compromise to do so. I also directed you to place where you could find more information about who I am and what I do. Now, I should probably tell you what this blog is all about.

This blog is the story of Josh Can Help (dot com)… how it came about, how it came together, and how it’s going. Besides being a tale of inevitable success (have to keep that positive visualization flowing, trust me), this blog will also serve to help people who want to try the same path, bootstrapping a business that they feel very passionate about. What I do, what works, what doesn’t, and how it all comes together will hopefully help other people who face the same decisions that I have. Choose the same or choose differently but at least you’ll have one more piece of information to help you choose.

So, let me tell you a little bit about myself and how it will contribute to an undeniably inspiring blog experience for you.

I like to teach people

Like I said before, I’m not a business development expert, a marketing maven, or a dot com millionaire. I am, however, someone who can explain stuff that doesn’t make sense in a way that might.

When I worked as a corporate trainer, I was told by a man whom I respected very much that I was a “natural teacher.” I was 24 at the time and really didn’t know what to do with that information besides say thank you. I still don’t know exactly what to do with it but I know it is going to have something to do with teaching people what I know and what they want to know.

I am not here to challenge someone to a coding battle or try to out-design someone else or to build an office network from scratch. I am here to bridge the gap between the gals and guys who know this stuff and teach me and the people who have no clue but want to. I’m here to show you what’s out there and get you started.

This blog is here for the newbies, the have-nots, the beginners. There’s so much information out there and it is hard to know where to start if you just want to get something easy done. Not everyone is a budding software developer or a Photoshop guru or a tech addict. Some people get lost and frustrated easily and end up losing out on great content, great tools, and great people.

This blog is here for the people who don’t know where to start. I’d be thrilled to be your first addition to your first feed reader.

This is my first business

I’m starting from scratch with no funding of any kind and lots of other things on my calendar. I started this business to get good at what I like to do, to have complete creative license over what I produce, and to satisfy my “help others” urge. I have nothing to lose but large chunks of my life and everything to gain. In short, there’s no reason not to do what I’m doing right now.

Also, I don’t, in the classical sense, even know what I’m doing. I’m not an MBA, I’ve never ran a business, and have never even taken a class in anything business related beyond a macro-econ class many years ago. My dad is a freelance financial consultant and went from unhappily employed to happily self-employed in a short period of time (there’s more to the story, of course, but that’s the Clif Notes). Business skill is certainly not genetic, but I’ve assimilated a sizable amount of his work ethic, business values, and desire for progress. In addition, I’ve worked for big companies for most of my employed life. Now, working on contract for a small software company, I find myself producing much better results and learning exponentially more than before. I like that I have lunch with the CEO every now and then and I like that I really feel like I own a part of their success/failure. On top of that (hold on to your hats, folks) I also have been reading about marketing and business for over a year and have picked up way too much not to give it a go.

So I’m green but I’m driven and I want this more than anything. I feel like there are a lot of people out there who feel the same way. This blog is a place I can express what I want out of the business and find others who might be doing the same thing or even just thinking about it. I want to connect with like-minded folks and build community. That’s one more piece.

I read a lot

I like to read about “life hacks” and tips and tricks and fun stuff like that. There are some talented people out there who come up with some great advice. In fact, there is so much great advice out there, sometimes I feel like I’m falling behind in taking it. Some of the best advice and greatest posts come from people who mash-up the idea of typical businesses and make me feel very passionately about owning a piece of that pie.

I read all this good advice and then have nothing to do with it (depending on what the advice is). I get these great ideas about social media and web presence and interaction and online communities and have nowhere to go.

Now, I’m going to take that great advice and my great ideas and I’m going to tell you how they turned out. I’m going to try all those free software downloads out there and all those great morning tips and all that neat marketing advice and use everything that makes sense to me. I’m going to try out those services and talk to those people and sign up for that website. Then, I’m going to cone back to this blog, tell you about what I did, tell you about how I found it, and tell you what happened.

I can’t do this for everything, of course. I’m not going to come on here and tell you how much better my life is now that I quit drinking coffee (because that’s ridiculous) or my new exercise routine I found on-line. What I will tell you about is free software that made my life easier, cheap gadgets I splurged on that work for me, and trick I’ve used to make my computer run better/different. I’ll also be sure to tell you what sucks out there because, let’s be really honest, a lot of it does.

I’m an information junky and information is useless unless you use it or share it. I intend to do both.

There will be news

Don’t you doubt it, there will be news for sure. Anything and everything worthy of telling many people about will end up right here for everyone to read. New client? New employee? New project? Big win? All right here.

. . .

The tale of JoshCanHelp (dot com) starts from the very beginning… the very, very beginning. You’ve read my intentions and you’ve now heard about my blog. Next up… how did it all begin?

I, Josh Cunningham, am starting a business, more or less by myself. You can tell that I’m serious about this because I already have a website. Take notes: website = serious stuff. That one’s free.

I should probably go one step further and say that I, Josh, have already STARTED this business. And made income on this business. This guy paid me already. See, serious stuff.

This business exists for one primary purpose: to make money doing the things that I really enjoy on a schedule that I create. A secondary purpose exists as well: to get better at the things I like to do to capitalize on that skill as well as to enjoy the output even more. A third and, appropriately, less important driving factor is also at play: I want to say that I did it. I like telling people that anything is possible and I like believing it as well.

To summarize as best as I can, I am putting myself out there as a Digital or Technology Coach. As much as I would love to stick my neck out and go with a solid “Web Developer” or “Graphic Design Artist” or “Marketing Assistant” (oh, I am that already, nevermind), I’m really not keen to pigeon-hole myself. That and I’d like to avoid artistic competition as much as possible… for the time being.

I’m trying NOT to write about what I’m capable of doing for people because that whole list is here. I’m also trying to avoid telling you about who I am and what I’ve done because that’s here. What I actually want to tell you in this post is what my honest intentions are in starting this business. If you are a potential customer looking to see why you should do business with me, these should help give you an idea of what kind of person I am and what to expect from me.

I WILL make myself as unbelievably useful to the people around me in a way that helps everybody get more done in their lives. I like to help people do what they want to do in life and make it easier for them to accomplish great things. I love to see people around me succeed and I love it even more if I had a hand in that success. I will learn more, do more, think more, and create more to boost up the people that I know.

I WILL conduct business in a way that preserves relationships I already have and builts new, important relationships with people I never would have met otherwise. I will do this because I love genuine connections with people and understand that these connections are how we learn the really vital stuff about the world around us. I will also do this because word-of-mouth promotion does not begin with the word or the mouth, it begins with what is being talked about (the Social Object, if you will).

I WILL involve people as much as possible with my business and become as transparent as I can. As I build and create I will instruct and display. The most important skills I have I learned from other people and I intend to do the same for others as much as I can. Transparency breeds trust and trust is the foundation for good relationships of every type. My motives, finances, and processes are public domain and will remain that way as much as personal security will allow.

I WILL have as much fun as I possibly can doing this and everything else. As a functioning human being, I love to enjoy myself. I also find that I love to work but only if I can find a way to enjoy doing it. The services that I offer are not just things that I am interested in or skilled at in one way or another, they are things I enjoy doing. I will enjoy working for clients that choose me and make sure they do the same with me. I will seek out employees/partners that feel the same way that I do and can help me get the most out of my time will basking in the fruits of my labor.

I WILL to build financial security for myself and my family, however I choose to define “family” or “security.” Like my old business card said, “this is a business, not a science project.” I will price fairly, will accept financial loss to maintain relationships, and will always consider charitable pro bono work but I intend to build value and wealth in this business. I will not overspend unnecessarily, I will not pay for software that I can get for free (legally, of course), and I will not trick myself into thinking new clothing/cars/equipment is the silver bullet for a branding/training/management problem.

I WILL to uphold all of these to the best of my abilities.

Up next, what to expect from this blog as well as an introduction to features you may not be familiar with.

Thanks for listening and let me know if Josh Can Help.