The sound of "Operation Rolling Funder"

3 weeks ago Friday, I was 3 minutes away from having one huge problem swept away. A friend of a friend put me in touch with an "Angel Investor". HeliOS Solutions is holding it's own at this point. Without any real advertising to speak of, we've begun to establish ourselves as a viable service.

"Holding our own" isn't what it's all about.

Everything we've brought in to this point has went right back out again in order to meet our obligations to Komputers4Kids and pay the bills. We've just never been able to set aside enough to begin an advertising campaign. That's when John Sanderson, a long-time friend and colleague stepped forward and introduced us to someone who was willing to help.

I pitched him on what we were doing, where we wanted to go and how we wanted to get there. I gave him a demonstration of a Live Linux CD and to say he was impressed would be an understatement. Now, an "angel investor" isn't particularly investing in the financial aspect of your business. It's usually someone who believes that what you are doing will serve an individual, a group or mankind in a valuable way and for the greater good. The return on his "investment" isn't in cash or profit...it's in knowing that he was able to make something happen that wouldn't of happened without his intervention. Thus the "angel" aspect of the title.

He stood to go to his desk across the room. He was a few minutes from handing me a check for $3500.00 and I stopped him.

A person gets few extremely good ideas in their lifetime. Edison had thousands but only acted on a relative handful of them. A historian I met in Washington DC told me once that if Edison had implemented some of the ideas he had instead of others, this would truly be a different world than what it is today. So my idea came to me. Not like a "jolt" or a eureka moment, but more like a warm drenching rain. The warmth was knowing to the core of my being that this will work.

And trust me...I am in no way comparing my self to Thomas Edison...the analogy simply fits my need.

If I had taken that money, I would have went on to make HeliOS Solutions work smashingly, and I still plan to do so but I want to do more than succeed. See, If I do this the conventional way, one small sector...myself, my family, my employees and the few people we are able to aid through Komputers4Kids will benefit. If we do it in the way that drenched me in that man's office, we can achieve the thing that is supposed to be achieved.

We bring Linux to the world.

How we do it.

HeliOS Solutions had an amazing run of business. One simple ad on Craigslist brought us just over $2400.00 in receipts in 5 days. The three people doing the installs, myself, Ryan and Ryan (I'm Ken, this is my friend Ryan and my other friend Ryan) looked up at each other on the rare occasions we saw one another and mused whether we might want to put an ad in the paper for other installers. We were swamped with work and it was all we could do to keep up.

It was a good thing we did not place that ad. The furor died just as quickly as it was born. The problem with Craigslist is that you can only place one like ad in a 45 day period. A quick and decisive ban is placed against the offender should he tempt the fates and try to drop the bucket into that well too soon. You can bet we have the calender marked for the date allowed for the next Craigslist entry.

A business cannot sustain itself on such bursts. A steady, well-planned advertising scheme has to be in place for any business to thrive. Ads in the local Greensheet, AM talk radio stations, mailouts such as in the monthly "valpac" type blue envelopes and maybe even television ads should be incorporated. I have done the work necessary to calculate the amount of money needed for a month-long ad campaign here in Austin, and if one was to shop the best deals, he can achieve that campaign on $3500.00. Once that is in place, then the advertising pump is primed, so to speak. The funding coming in from that effort will fuel the continuation of that effort.

Imagine this type of work being done all over. In the US, Europe...any place there are people who need to be freed from the Microsoft Techno-lock, we can be there to cut the chains. It is amazingly simple to do. Here is the point I want to make. We will not only be fueling new businesses, more importantly, and the ultimate goal...we will be getting Linux advertised to the masses.

A fund is set up and administered by a Committee of three people. It could be more depending upon their duties, but let's go with three for now. This Committee will be responsible for reviewing applications, and "paying the bills" of the current effort.

Applications?

Yes. Anyone wanting to begin such an endeavor will apply to this committee for funding. Starting this effort cannot be done on a whim. That person or organization must submit a business plan, marketing plan, establish a dba (where applicable) and sign an agreement that the funding received from the committee will be returned in 90 days. The funding will come from donors within the "Linux Community". Once returned, those funds will then be given to the next applicant in line to establish their business.

The importance of setting up this committee is huge. This succeeds or fails on our ability to get a committee like this put together. I mentioned that three people need to sit on the committee. That number can increase at a later date, and probably will need to increase. The responsibilities of this Committee are great and this will be a time consuming effort. They will be in charge of fairly large amounts of money at any given time and can have no direct connections or relation with any of the applicants for these Rolling Funds. There are legal matters I've spent the past three weeks researching, and those findings will be disseminated and discussed once we get this thing rolling. There's no sense in discussing facts that aren't yet ready to work with. I've done enough research to find out that this is indeed a workable and legal plan. It just needs to get done.

And we need three people to form our committee. Are You interested? Comments are open to all those who wish to apply themselves to this effort.

Now, this is where you need to pay attention. In previous donation drives by Lobby4Linux, Tux500 or anyone for that matter, a person donated their 20 bucks or so and just hoped that the money was being put to good use. Here, you can watch your money work. How? The person receiving the funding will not only implement his/her business plan, they will provide concise reports to the Committee on a weekly basis. The committee in turn will publish this unedited report to the internet for all to see, poke, copy, criticise and comment upon. That report will consist of a detailed analysis of the progress made in that given week. Funds spent on ads, who the ads are with, copies of such ads, (mp3's when applicable) revenue for that period and the impact of those ads as measured in sales volume and data I haven't even come close to thinking about yet.

This not only gives the community reassurance that their money is working, but also gives them the ability to suggest how it might be better spent or the ads improved in order to maximize the effectiveness. However, the final decisions will rest upon the enterprise owner. We learn from our mistakes. He can consider the input from the community as just suggestions from a few hundred thousand investors. Remember, someone is going to be doing this next...learning from previous mistakes can be extremely valuable here.

This is truly an attempt at not only an open source business...but open source marketing. Just as it worked for the spreading of Linux, it will work here. 90 days after the recipient receives his/her funding, it is returned to the Committee. I fully intend to donate half again that figure 60 days after that. You may or may not depending on your profits and business model. Giving back is what makes this work.

There are a few of you that have yet to learn this.

And not everyone wants to start a business...but many do, and this is the perfect way to get started, but again take a friendly piece of advice...this is something you will want to follow through on. It doesn't have to be like HeliOS Solutions either...although you are free to use my business plan model if you like. You potentially have millions of business advisors watching your every move.

But no pressure...really.

Our individual investments will be pennies. I'd say that is a fairly good return and everyone is involved in the process. At least to a relative pitiful few that are truly interested in seeing Linux set the computing world free.

The rest will of course jump on the bandwagon when it succeeds.

Now, the first person in line for this is going to get their backside kicked and handed back to them. They will set the standard for this operation and all improvements and the success or failure of this effort will flow from that first endeavor. Their reports back to the Committee and the community will be meticulous in detail. I will gladly take the responsibility for a few reasons. We have the marketing tools and commercials and website already in place thanks to Sander Marachel. We have the Networking and Installation Teams already trained in 7 distros that have proven themselves to be rock solid on a variety of machines, we have the ad copy and commercials written and I have a vision of where this thing should go.

Straight to the heart of a captured computing public.

Key leaders in the Linux Community have been forwarded our business and marketing plans and they agree that this is a fantastic idea...one that can make history. Oh, and let's differentiate between changing history and making it.

One "changes" history by going left on his way to work instead of going right. One changes history by mowing his lawn on Saturday instead of Sunday. History is Made when one gives of themselves in order to change the world for the better. We...all of us...have an opportunity to do just that.

As of late, I have been maligned for my pessimistic view on the "Linux Community". I have stated that the Linux Community resides in the realm of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and a kinder, gentler Internal Revenue Service. I see us as not a community but a group of warring villages that use the vast expanse of real estate separating us to spill each other's blood.

Spend more than a few minutes in our distro mailing lists or forums and you will see exactly what I mean.

I've been told by someone I both respect and trust that I might want to rethink my position on said opinion. I credit Christian Einfeldt and Stephen Rufle with planting this seed and allowing this idea to germinate. An hour-long phone conversation with Christian proved to be not only personally satisfying, it opened some doors for an upcoming project we will talk about in the days to come. Christain is truly a remarkable ally in the Open Source world and his project will be the next order of business on this internet real estate.

OK. So I've been asked to re-evaluate my opinion.

I will...given a reason to do so...I will reconsider my position. However, the clock is ticking and being that I am one who is keenly aware of time, clocks and my body temperature remaining above ambient room temperature, I will put this plan into action on my own if necessary.. We watched "the committee method" of government almost tear Debian apart, and I don't have time for such foolishness. There is only so much planning and conferring that has to be done before someone kicks this thing in the ass and makes it happen. I am lacing up my kicking boot, and it should be fully laced and ready to go in two weeks. Two weeks should be plenty of time to at least put the machine in place to set this ship to sea.

Or to scuttle it.

Oh, and let me stop you right here...those of you who will suggest that the Small Business Administration does primarily what we are trying here. No...they don't. They set up loans. We are not giving "loans". These are mutually agreed-upon returnable donations. Semantics are everything here. And yes, I've researched using the SBA, and no...we're not going anywhere near that organization OR that process.

I've been to Hell...Hell has a physical address,

Look up the SBA in your local phone book. That's where you'll find the burning gates, complete sulfurous stench and the echoing screams of applicants being told for the 40th time that their applications are not done correctly.

I have left the door open to go back to John's friend and receive that check between my fingers. I personally think that's a selfish way to go and yes...I have fully anticipated the question.

"Helios, why don't you just take the money, set up the committee and go forward with the plan?"

In the first place, if you are brazen enough to ask that question, you have just identified yourself as the poster child for what is wrong with "the Linux Community."

I have my reasons, as selfish as they may be perceived. One of which is to prove a theory and place it in the realm of reality. Besides...you have to be out of your freakin' mind to think that I am going to name or appoint ANY ONE to collect donation funds.

No, my reasons boil down to an extremely simple thing.

I want to see where you live.

With me or with Santa Claus.

All-Righty Then