Anthony7820
70cc twin V2
You don't say?? I wonder why.:tongue:
You don't say?? I wonder why.:tongue:
B
Blucor Basher
off-topic explanation post
Over the past weeks, I have received some questions from friends old and new asking why I am active on 3DRCForums.com and why I am writing articles for the site. I think it's a good question, so here's a rather long answer. Bear with me.
I idly wish that I had been around when RCG started, but I didn't happen to be in the right place at the right time to be involved in that. Jim did that, and as it turns out, it was a good and smart and forward-thinking thing to do. Success has resulted, and RCG brings good things to RC.
I did have the opportunity to start my own company (after 2 spectacular failures, BTW. Sometime I'll tell those stories) and when the opportunity presented itself, I went after it. 3DHobbyShop has been a wild ride, it has been modestly successful and I hope (and am confident that we have in fact) been involved in pushing the 3D arf industry forward through our efforts. Our designers have drawn what are by now some well respected designs and we're even starting to be blatantly copied by bottom-feeding companies which to me says that yes, we have indeed been innovating.
However, when I started (and was alone, with no contacts, no help, no friends in the industry, flying on a wing and a prayer with far too little working capital) one of the worst things I had to deal with was negativity.
When a person or group of people decides to start something new, it requires a true leap of faith and optimism to carry them through the incredible amount of work and effort required. Nothing comes easy, nothing, and if a person or a group is not highly motivated then there's virtually no chance of success. Starting 3DHS was exactly like this. It took a huge leap of faith to put all of my eggs into this basket and commit to doing nothing but this for years to come. I won't go into details any further, but I will say that the commitment was not to 40-hour weeks, but rather to almost double that for a very, very long time, and for little reward for a long time. Suffice to say, it was tough, like every startup is tough.
During this time, I was very, very glad for every person who gave us a shot. In the beginning we had some rough edges (no one, I'm sure, would say that our original 47" Katana was as good as what we do now) but we learned quickly and made the right associations with experts and we kept working and we moved forward bit by bit. And, during this time, the toughest thing to deal with was not the work, or the hours, or the technical problems, or the financial risk. No, the hardest thing to deal with was negativity, and the internet brought that to us in a double handful.
To some people, thankfully a clear minority, what we were doing was wrong, dishonest, and perhaps even a crime. These folks enjoyed telling us via email, phone, post and pm, that we were hurting the sport, illicitly poaching customers from our betters, stealing ideas, stealing designs, planning to rip people off, just in it for a quick profit, and in general a-holes who should get lost and quit rocking the boat. Of course, I did not agree.
Rather, I felt that I had every right to try my best to produce the airplanes I thought people would want, and no matter who else was in the business or how well they did the job, I could give it my best shot. In point of fact, the freedoms that we have to say what we want, do what we choose for a living, and invest our time and treasure as we see fit are part of what Americans have fought and struggled for 236 years to protect.
I know that everything we have as a species comes from people taking what has been done before and building on it. Rembrandt didn't invent painting, Michelangelo didn't invent sculpture, and Steve Jobs didn't invent the computer...but they all added to the greatness of mankind by their contributions to their fields. When Jobs and Wozniak were experimenting with personal computer technology, there were plenty of people who advised them not to bother trying to compete against IBM, and I'm sure that Michelangelo had a few people come by and ask him why he was bothering to scrape on marble since the Greeks had already produced sculptures that could never be equaled, but he sculpted anyway.
So, when I become aware of someone trying to start something new, I take an interest. I know some of what they are up against, and I know that in all likelihood they are working against a lot of negativity. I know that they are in for a lot of work if they are going to build anything worthwhile and that there is no guarantee of success. So, I have respect. If I can, I try to help. It's not about taking sides, it's about trying to let everyone take their chance to build something of their own, and having faith that as everyone in the RC industry works on their own little corner of it, they entire sport gets better and better and better.
That's why I am here and that's why I have an interest.
Over the past weeks, I have received some questions from friends old and new asking why I am active on 3DRCForums.com and why I am writing articles for the site. I think it's a good question, so here's a rather long answer. Bear with me.
I idly wish that I had been around when RCG started, but I didn't happen to be in the right place at the right time to be involved in that. Jim did that, and as it turns out, it was a good and smart and forward-thinking thing to do. Success has resulted, and RCG brings good things to RC.
I did have the opportunity to start my own company (after 2 spectacular failures, BTW. Sometime I'll tell those stories) and when the opportunity presented itself, I went after it. 3DHobbyShop has been a wild ride, it has been modestly successful and I hope (and am confident that we have in fact) been involved in pushing the 3D arf industry forward through our efforts. Our designers have drawn what are by now some well respected designs and we're even starting to be blatantly copied by bottom-feeding companies which to me says that yes, we have indeed been innovating.
However, when I started (and was alone, with no contacts, no help, no friends in the industry, flying on a wing and a prayer with far too little working capital) one of the worst things I had to deal with was negativity.
When a person or group of people decides to start something new, it requires a true leap of faith and optimism to carry them through the incredible amount of work and effort required. Nothing comes easy, nothing, and if a person or a group is not highly motivated then there's virtually no chance of success. Starting 3DHS was exactly like this. It took a huge leap of faith to put all of my eggs into this basket and commit to doing nothing but this for years to come. I won't go into details any further, but I will say that the commitment was not to 40-hour weeks, but rather to almost double that for a very, very long time, and for little reward for a long time. Suffice to say, it was tough, like every startup is tough.
During this time, I was very, very glad for every person who gave us a shot. In the beginning we had some rough edges (no one, I'm sure, would say that our original 47" Katana was as good as what we do now) but we learned quickly and made the right associations with experts and we kept working and we moved forward bit by bit. And, during this time, the toughest thing to deal with was not the work, or the hours, or the technical problems, or the financial risk. No, the hardest thing to deal with was negativity, and the internet brought that to us in a double handful.
To some people, thankfully a clear minority, what we were doing was wrong, dishonest, and perhaps even a crime. These folks enjoyed telling us via email, phone, post and pm, that we were hurting the sport, illicitly poaching customers from our betters, stealing ideas, stealing designs, planning to rip people off, just in it for a quick profit, and in general a-holes who should get lost and quit rocking the boat. Of course, I did not agree.
Rather, I felt that I had every right to try my best to produce the airplanes I thought people would want, and no matter who else was in the business or how well they did the job, I could give it my best shot. In point of fact, the freedoms that we have to say what we want, do what we choose for a living, and invest our time and treasure as we see fit are part of what Americans have fought and struggled for 236 years to protect.
I know that everything we have as a species comes from people taking what has been done before and building on it. Rembrandt didn't invent painting, Michelangelo didn't invent sculpture, and Steve Jobs didn't invent the computer...but they all added to the greatness of mankind by their contributions to their fields. When Jobs and Wozniak were experimenting with personal computer technology, there were plenty of people who advised them not to bother trying to compete against IBM, and I'm sure that Michelangelo had a few people come by and ask him why he was bothering to scrape on marble since the Greeks had already produced sculptures that could never be equaled, but he sculpted anyway.
So, when I become aware of someone trying to start something new, I take an interest. I know some of what they are up against, and I know that in all likelihood they are working against a lot of negativity. I know that they are in for a lot of work if they are going to build anything worthwhile and that there is no guarantee of success. So, I have respect. If I can, I try to help. It's not about taking sides, it's about trying to let everyone take their chance to build something of their own, and having faith that as everyone in the RC industry works on their own little corner of it, they entire sport gets better and better and better.
That's why I am here and that's why I have an interest.
B
Blucor Basher
Do a good analysis of the opportunity. Some industries have high barriers to entry, some low. If the barriers are low, and the niche does not appear to be saturated, ask why. If the barriers are high, then it's more likely there is low-hanging fruit, but then the question is "how can I surmount the barriers?".
B
Blucor Basher
For us, the negativity lasted about a year, by then we became part of the landscape in RC, and the naysayers turned their attention elsewhere.
It's still tough to find spare time to post. That's why I'm really enjoying the opportunity to write articles I can work on in my spare time.
Thanks!
It's still tough to find spare time to post. That's why I'm really enjoying the opportunity to write articles I can work on in my spare time.
Thanks!
gyro
GSN Contributor
The 3DRCForums -OFF TOPIC- Thread
Ben, thanks for taking the time to so eloquently put to text what you told me today.
We're thrilled to have you supporting our forum, and when we look back on this many years from now, it'll be nice to remember how it all started, and who stretched out their hand to offer help.
Thank you.
Ben, thanks for taking the time to so eloquently put to text what you told me today.
We're thrilled to have you supporting our forum, and when we look back on this many years from now, it'll be nice to remember how it all started, and who stretched out their hand to offer help.
Thank you.
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