For the last few days I’ve been a bit tied up when at home, and because of that, the topics I’ve written about over the last few weeks have been pretty short, or incompletely written.  At one time I had considered pre-writing my entries on paper and then typing them into the site … but there just hasn’t been time for that.

Over the last few months I’ve been working on putting together my options for working in Japan.  As it is, when not studying or helping someone with whatever chore, I’ve been able to get some extra work through Guru.com … though nothing sizable enough to warrant becoming a contract programmer.  This is about to change, though.

Recently I’ve started working on a small project for a great little company based in Portland, Oregon.  Because of the NDA I signed, I can’t really plug them, but it’s all good.  This project is serving two purposes.  First it will solve a small business problem that they’re experiencing, and second it will show the quality of my work and ability to understand their business processes.  Yesterday I had fired off the finished project a whole week ahead of schedule and today we agreed to continue working together in the future.  They’re currently working on a specification for a larger application that will be used on three platforms and will tie together all of their services.  I’ll be one of the main programers called in to make their ideas work.

Exciting times, indeed.

On top of this, I’m being given the opportunity to have a very different relationship with my other employers.  One advantage to this will be my ability to work from anywhere on the planet.  No longer will I need to travel to one of a few different offices (depending on the day), but instead I can work remotely and upload my finished work.  This extra freedom will permit me to do something I’ve been trying to accomplish for just over a year … moving to Japan.

In three weeks I’ll have officially started my own software company, and for the moment I’ll be working alone.  I’d like to get enough work to have two or three other people work with me, and it would be great if they preferred to work from home.  The reason for this (right now) is costs.  I can’t really justify the huge cash outlay that would be necessary to open yet another software shop in Vancouver and stock it with decent furniture, computers, servers, coffee makers, etcetera.  These things are just a bit beyond my reach right now.  However, as it stands I have the opportunity to earn 20% more this year than last, and the current relationships that are being forged seem to be strong enough to support me for at least one year.

It’s what comes afterwards that leaves me wondering, though.

I’ve read many columns written by people who have run their own business.  The biggest worry that these people had was money.  Where would their next paycheque come from?  Could they afford the bills that month?  Who would try to get out of an invoice on a “technicality”?  These are the problems that sometimes confront small business owners.

I’ve had my share of problems in the last year with people who have skipped payments, but these are usually resolved when I show up at their door and discuss the matter.  But if I’m on the other side of the globe, how will I go about ensuring payment?

There are always ways to collect on debt, I’m just hoping that I won’t have too many troubles with it.

In the next month, I’ll be launching another site outlining services offered and all the standard things that one would expect from a software site.  This is going to be my first official venture in over five years, and I’m hoping that this will give me the flexibility and financial resources I’ll need to move to Japan and be with my Reiko.