Life After Dell

Life after Dell?

My Story

B.D. (Before Dell)

• I had a cert. in applied physics & electronics, with very little experience & knowledge.

A.D. (After Dell)

• Left Dell with a BEng in Computer Engineering and a lot of experience & knowledge. • I have now completed MBA, run my own consultancy and have gained even more experience &

knowledge.

Redundancy : 7 stages of grief

• Shock & Denial• Pain & Guilt• Anger & Bargaining• Depression & Detachment• The Upward Turn• Reconstruction• Acceptance & Hope



Maslow’s Hierarchy of needsSelf actualisation

Esteem

Social Needs

Safety Needs

Physiological Needs

Job Vs Own business

Job• Stable• Safe• Predictable• Visibility on cash• Fun

Own Business• Turbulent• Risky• Unpredictable• Little visibility on cash• More Fun

What to do?Vision

Goals

Plan/Strategy

Create a Space to work in

Create a routine & Get Stuck in

What to do?

• Do a cash flow projection – – This will tell you how much time you can buy.1. Calculate all your monthly outgoings.2. Add 5% to for the unexpected.3. Pay yourself this amount once a month.

Cash Flow

Cash

• A business can last a while without profit but it won’t last very long without cash.

“Nothing beats experience, but nothing enhances experience like education.”

Educate yourself

• Sources of knowlege– Books– Internet• Blogs• Podcasts

– Courses– Your Network

Educate yourself

Who Moved My Cheese?

Purple Cow

The Art of the Start

Educate yourself

• Read blogs– Find blogs/bloggers that are • Like minded• Are knowledgeable about a field you want to get into.

• Create your own blog • Write about what you know best.• Encourage feedback• Listen and act on this feedback.

Educate yourself

• Podcasts– HBR Review– Business week – Behind the cover– RTE – the Business– TodayFM -Sunday business show– Knowlege @ Wharton– FT Digital Business

Networking - Online

Networking - offline

• Open Coffee – Limerick, Cork, Dublin, Belfast, Galway, Waterford.– http://www.opencoffee.ie/

• Digital media island– http://digitalmediaisland.com/

• 121 marketing –– http://121biznet.com/blog/

Networking - key

• Old view– Its not what you know, its who you know!

• New View– Its not what you know, its who you knows what

you know !

Networking – based on relationships

• Build your network, but don’t forget to maintain it.

• Contact people frequently, if only to ask “How are things?”.

• Build based on Quality not Quantity.

Networking - Benefits

• Access to expertise.• Mentors with sound advise.• Leads, referrals or even sales.• Keeps you sane, it can be lonely as an

Entrepreneur.• There is safety in numbers.

Q&A

"Judge of a man by his questions rather than by his answers." —Voltaire

ContactTwitter:@MarkCahill

www.linkedin.com/in/markcahill

(087) 9497083

[email protected]

ConsultMark.ie/Blog