I hope we’ve got £75k for you. Or a similar amount. I’d like to see if I can make you some money. Read on and I’ll explain.
I thoroughly enjoy producing Mobile Industry Review. It’s generally a pleasurable experience, although, inevitably some tasks get a bit annoying now and again.
One task that doesn’t ever get boring is connecting a buyer to a seller.
Here’s a case in point.
Last Tuesday I posted a note about a chap I knew who had a WAP & SMS development requirement. He’d emailed me asking if I had any recommendations. I’ve usually got a few off the top of my head — but I asked the chap if I could post a note about it and see who’s reading. If anyone responded, I arranged to forward the details to him.
Here’s the note I posted:
Hi Ewan,
I am looking for a programmer / developer to do some SMS and WAP based applications and games tied into TV properties that want monetizing. Any ideas where i can advertise or know any one free and based in UK.
Thanks
I won’t go into specifics on results for this because, as far as I know, discussions are still taking place. Suffice to say I was able to connect him with interested parties within hours.
Now that’s great. Great for him, great for the developers who emailed in. There’s a possibility of business.
Another case in point.
Two weeks ago — at the turn of the year, I had another email from a lady this time. She was after a particular supplier of equipment and mobile related services. Alas she didn’t want anything published on the site. So I racked my brains, fired off a few emails and woosh, a deal was struck. It looks to be about £75,000 worth of business over this coming year. Fantastic.
A final case in point. Last year, I think we connected about £1.2m quid’s worth of ‘venture’ investment. That is, me pointing firms looking for money in the direction of venture capitalists or angel investors.
If we lived in an era of ‘perfect information’ — as the economists put it — where everyone knows everything about everything, then we’d all be fine.
But we don’t. Even Google isn’t that good when you’re looking for something specialist. And time after time I get emails from people looking to buy products and services. And, alas, my range is limited. Limited because, I’m willing to bet, that whilst I do KNOW a lot of people, I probably don’t know you, dear reader. Not when the internet is so big and when our audience is pretty far reaching.
Business is inevitably difficult at the moment. Budgets are being pulled, speculative projects are being shelved — and ‘no one ever got fired for buying IBM’. That famous and rather depressing phrase is reigning supreme at the moment. Hardly anyone is taking chances. Given the choice, folk would rather not spend any money. Especially if they are an employee, worried about their job prospects.
Business still continues though. People still need their hair cut. We still need to eat. And people still need to buy mobile services and products — though, perhaps with a little more due diligence and, frankly, with a little bit more information to hand.
Which is where, I hope, the Mobile Industry Review Marketplace comes in.
It’s a hair-brained half-plausible concept that I am not sure if it will work. To work, it relies entirely 100% on you. I can see it working with your assistance. But I can also see it not even getting off the ground.
Here’s the concept:
1. Email me and tell me what you’re looking to buy. Give as much (or as little detail) as you wish. Identify your company or don’t. It’s your choice.
2. Email me and tell me what you’re looking to sell. Your services, products and the like. Likewise, identify you company, or don’t.
3. If you’re in the unlikely position of having money to invest in the mobile arena, drop me a note. Similarly if you’re looking for money, email me with brief details and we’ll get the notes up.
Keep both emails to 3 sentences in length. Include a web address if you wish.
I’ll publish both in a daily marketplace post. Daily might be pushing it if nobody bothers with this, mind you. Maybe weekly to begin with. I’ll also knock up a Craigslist random email address thing. So that readers can contact you directly – without revealing your actual email address.
The fee? None. No fee. Your attention is good enough for me. Although if you do strike a shocking deal, consider buying some advertising to help us keep the lights on here.
It’s a bit of processing work on our end but I reckon the value could be really, really useful for a lot of people.
Shall we try it? I’d like to see if we can help.
The email address to use: ewan@mobileindustryreview.com
And, if you can, put a subject like: “Marketplace: Sell’ or ‘Marketplace: Buy’ to indicate what you’re after.