bugger! I missed that.

wannabee · 03-29-2011, 08:14 AM

One of the jobs I had was to do the front cover of the Auto Trader every week and because of the lack of broad band in our town I would take it over to them physically. They were short staffed so while I was there I helped out with their commercial client's adverts and overheard all the telemarketers.
They had a sister publication called "Buy and Sell", a free paper like ebay. (before ebay) Anyway, their money spinner was the free personal columns. "Looking for a great bloke, no smoking, non drinking etc... etc..." Free with a 1900 number. It cost them about 18 cents from the telco and averaged about $5 to call to respond.
My contacts and I decided that there was an opening for a similar item on the net and agreed we'd look into it. Small reserves and demand from existing customers meant overlooking that opportunity.

About 9 months later a site called RSVP was out and had enough capital to advertise and sold it for millions to either Fairfax or Murdoch.

I designed the logo for the first car sales site that was sold for several hundred thousand dollars. He never paid me. He said "That's something I can recreate." I said "You didn't think of it." He didn't respond and . . . . .

Maybe this should be on the rant thread. I'm going to bed any whoooo.

I think there are a lot of people out there that thought of an idea and that's as far as it got. Congratulations to those that took it a step further and brick bats to those that trod on people's toes to steal it away.

beppe · 03-29-2011, 01:33 PM

it is as you say. But ...
At the end it pays, the world is very small and the word gets around about who is who. So if one has ideas, like you do, those ideas will travel also and take with them your sign. After so many years I found out that in average, ... it averages out. Have some karma.

03-29-2011, 08:14 AM	#1
wannabee Media Bloke Posts: 2,382 Karma: 113956855 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NSW - Australia Device: iOS	bugger! I missed that. One of the jobs I had was to do the front cover of the Auto Trader every week and because of the lack of broad band in our town I would take it over to them physically. They were short staffed so while I was there I helped out with their commercial client's adverts and overheard all the telemarketers. They had a sister publication called "Buy and Sell", a free paper like ebay. (before ebay) Anyway, their money spinner was the free personal columns. "Looking for a great bloke, no smoking, non drinking etc... etc..." Free with a 1900 number. It cost them about 18 cents from the telco and averaged about $5 to call to respond. My contacts and I decided that there was an opening for a similar item on the net and agreed we'd look into it. Small reserves and demand from existing customers meant overlooking that opportunity. About 9 months later a site called RSVP was out and had enough capital to advertise and sold it for millions to either Fairfax or Murdoch. I designed the logo for the first car sales site that was sold for several hundred thousand dollars. He never paid me. He said "That's something I can recreate." I said "You didn't think of it." He didn't respond and . . . . . Maybe this should be on the rant thread. I'm going to bed any whoooo. I think there are a lot of people out there that thought of an idea and that's as far as it got. Congratulations to those that took it a step further and brick bats to those that trod on people's toes to steal it away.

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03-29-2011, 01:33 PM	#2
beppe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,161 Karma: 81026524 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Italy Device: Kindle3, Ipod4, IPad2	it is as you say. But ... At the end it pays, the world is very small and the word gets around about who is who. So if one has ideas, like you do, those ideas will travel also and take with them your sign. After so many years I found out that in average, ... it averages out. Have some karma.

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