At Test - The true value of an idea - Can we make Greenville Wireless?

Submitted by: Joe Milam on Jun 21, 2008 at 8:57 pm Tagged with: idea creation, Wireless Source: BigLeapGPS

When I had coffee with John Warner in the Fall of last year to talk about my BigLeapGPS idea; we had met at Port City Java on a busy morning. I asked John to sit outside because I was, at that time, like most other idea guys... I was very careful about who I talked to and who was listening. John made a point to me about my concerns. He said if I stood in the middle of Port City Java and announced to the customers what I was doing with BigLeapGPS and how I was going to do it, no one would do anything about it. No one would steal this idea I hold so close to my heart and I guess number one point is no one will implement what it would take to start a busienss around it. I believe those comments now more than ever being reminded of the trials it takes to get a start up started.
So with all that being said, I have an idea and I want to share it with the SwampFox community and I want to see if anyone will actually construct a business case around this idea and do something with it. Here it is:

Many of you may remember that back in 2003 I installed one of the first business sponsored Wi-Fi networks in the country right here in downtown Greenville. Well after the keys to the wireless network were given to another company to run it has not run very well, if at all. I have an idea on how to get a working wireless network back up in downtown Greenville as well as provide a marketing medium for the participates in the network.

In summary, get a lot of restaurants, bars and other businesses in the downtown areas all up and down Main Street to allow you to install a small piece of software on their existing wireless access point or sell an access point for $95.00. Set all the network names to the same SSID or network identifer, something like freeGVwireless.com whatever the website address is. And have all the access points redirect anyone who logs onto them to this www.freeGVwireless.com website where all the participating businesses are highlighted.

Forget having cities spend hundreds and millions on Metro-Wi-Fi projects, build the networks organically from the centers of commerce.

The key here is to have the participating business pay very little if anything for the exposure on the website because they are helpig fuel traffic to the site. This is where you need to be creative on how to generate revenue from this model. There is your challenge SwampFox... let's see if we can figure this out. If this is NOT a good idea, please let me know that as well and let me know why.

As always, I am an e-mail away with any questions. jmilam@bigleapgps.com

Here is the link to the software:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv3/

Thank you and good luck!

Cranking up the wheel

It is truly hard to believe my last post was in December! I guess that is what happens when you are really trying to launch a business. So with that being said, if you see someone trying to launch a business and they have blog entries every day or so... are they really building a business?? Anyway, BigLeapGPS is still moving forward. We have two investors behind us to help get things rolling and I have found some invaluable advisers who are giving their blood and sweat into this project right there with me.

It is amazing to look back over the short time, also a year now, that I have been developing this business to see the things that have changed and the things that have remained the same. In many areas of life change is not looked at as always good. In a start up it is absolutely essential to success. Without almost constant change and business plan tests you will not get very far. You have always got to listen to the ones around you who are more experienced. These people come into your path at different times. Stay true to your goals but remember there are many ways of getting there and it is best to follow the paths well traveled.

With all that being said I feel it is important to publish the BigLeapGPS story and goals as they are today. I do hope these goals are reached in one way, shape or form down the road. The actual way we get there is yet to be determined all I know is I believe in it and the people around me. When you have that, what can stop you?