(This is the exact text of my About page as of today; I’m storing it as a post for archival purposes.)
(I probably should have saved the previous version too…)
Hello. My name’s Rob Farquhar and I reckon chatting with interesting people is one of the best things ever.
What makes the people I find interesting so interesting to me? Well:
I’ve been flirting with the idea of building a business around web content for ages. As well as employing my writing skills in the service of others, I’ve also been attracted to the idea of making a web log based business for a while. I’ve downloaded the odd strategy guide, done the odd course.
But there’s one thing that’s eluded me, one thing that stops me developing my blogs as a business until I nail it down:
What’s my niche?
One of the things that Adam of Sprue Grey wrote in his comment on Episode 3 was that he feels that being a dad to a young kid means that he has to put his unfulfilled wish to open and own a geek culture store on hold.
Now, I’m not a Dad. Well, not of human kids, anyway: Vickie and I have a pair of fur-babies.
But that thought gets to me. Why must it be an either / or?
Opening a friendly local game store in an out-of-the-way, tropical tourist town might seem downright crazy, but Cairns boy Mick Archer has not only done it, he’s made The Wicked Goblin a success. He focuses his store on the people who play tabletop games as much as, if not more so than, the products themselves.
The exterior of The Wicked Goblin.
In my latest location recording, Mick and I chat about his background in both gaming and hospitality, how Mick built his war chest for The Wicked Goblin and the importance of not just having friends and family in your corner but also having a true partnership in your business.
Thank you again, Adam at Sprue Grey, for your questions! I hope my chat with Mick helps you open your own Friendly Local Store soon!
Please stick around after the interview for an update on my own paid to play progress!
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Continue reading“Have a back-up plan.” – Matt Abercromby
The idea of developing a backup plan tends to divide people.
“Don’t rest on your laurels.” – Gavin Lucan, SF&F News blogger
There’s a flip-side to making mistakes, and that’s when you don’t think you’ve made any.
I know it’s tempting to look at something you made without encountering many, if any, difficulties, and think that you’ve discovered the formula to success. Continue reading
UPDATE (8 July 2014): The Spaceteam Admiral’s Club Relaunch met its funding goal! Congratulations, Henry!
It’s been almost two years since Henry Smith quit his job at triple-A game studio BioWare to make his own games. In that time, his Android and iOS game Spaceteam has become a viral, independent hit.
Now Henry is reaching out to his community to fund another year of self-employed game development via a Kickstarter campaign. I had to pounce on the opportunity to not just spread the word, but chat with him (again) about life as a self-employed game developer living by his own rules, passions and schedule!
(Wouldn’t Hengineer Smith and the Spaceteam Admiral’s Club make a great title for a pulp novel?)
WARNING: Though I’m happy with the sound quality, the rush to get this up meant I didn’t edit out some audio problems at my end, mostly revolving around our dogs acting up. I owe a HUGE debt (and several bouquets of flowers) to my wife Vickie who got up on several occasions between 6AM and 7AM to deal with them while I chatted with Henry.
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“Mistakes are meant for you to learn from.” – Deji Adiatu
The mistake is perhaps the most overrated thing in life.
I’m as guilty as most at overrating mistakes. When I make one, I feel like taking to my own head with a crowbar. It’s as though the mistake is an indicator that I’m incapable, even broken. Continue reading
Ali Spagnola is one of my ultimate Career Crazies; she’s taken two things she digs – making music and making parties – and fused them into The Power Hour, an album of sixty one-minute-length sings that you drink a shot of beer in between. Rather than release the album on CD, she sells it as a USB stick – built into the bottom of a shot glass!
Not only has Ali taken the Power Hour on tour to university campuses across the United States, she’s started a YouTube show where she comes up with a new tune each week based on what was trending on Google and freelances doing sound design!
I chat with Ali about how she sustains her off-the-wall career, the pros and cons of touring and how she juggles her schedule. I also talk a little after the interview about my own progress toward getting paid to play – including some interesting possibilities for the future of the podcast!
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“Have your shit together.” – Emma “Emazon” Barbato
When I asked Emma Barbato for three pieces of advice for someone starting down the road toward becoming a coach, she only gave me one. But it’s a good one.
“When you place yourself in a leadership, mentoring or teaching position, every vulnerability or weakness will be tested,” Emma says.