There at the beginning - but not on the ball
Discussion
Apologies for the slightly cryptic thread title, but for what trends (current or past) were you there at the beginning, but didn't have the foresight or interest to jump on the bandwagon and make your fortune?
I've got two.
I think it was about 1990 and my Girlfriend and I were in a hotel restaurant in France. It was fairly fancy and had a tasting menu based around lobster. There was a Japanese couple in the dining room with a full size video camera - the domestic ones that used to take a full size VHS cassette and you had to rest it on your shoulder to use it. They proceeded to video every course as it arrived along with what I assume was a commentary. My Girlfriend and I were both gobsmacked - we couldn't understand why someone would want to do this and had no idea what they would do with the film they shot. Who'd have thought that 30 years later it would be standard behaviour.
Sometime around 1995, I think, my Cousin was working for Vodaphone and he called me up to see what I thought about the idea of selling ringtones for mobile phones - I'm not 100% sure of the date, but it was definitely prior to this being a thing. We talked about it for a while and I told him I didn't think it was a valid business opportunity - no-one would want them and the payment mechanics would be an issue. How little did I know.
Anyone care to admit any more lack of vision?
I've got two.
I think it was about 1990 and my Girlfriend and I were in a hotel restaurant in France. It was fairly fancy and had a tasting menu based around lobster. There was a Japanese couple in the dining room with a full size video camera - the domestic ones that used to take a full size VHS cassette and you had to rest it on your shoulder to use it. They proceeded to video every course as it arrived along with what I assume was a commentary. My Girlfriend and I were both gobsmacked - we couldn't understand why someone would want to do this and had no idea what they would do with the film they shot. Who'd have thought that 30 years later it would be standard behaviour.
Sometime around 1995, I think, my Cousin was working for Vodaphone and he called me up to see what I thought about the idea of selling ringtones for mobile phones - I'm not 100% sure of the date, but it was definitely prior to this being a thing. We talked about it for a while and I told him I didn't think it was a valid business opportunity - no-one would want them and the payment mechanics would be an issue. How little did I know.
Anyone care to admit any more lack of vision?
Facebook.
Many years ago when I used to travel a lot for work, I spent a lot of time wandering around Amsterdam airport waiting for flights.
They had an internet cafe and I remember walking past one time and I reckon 90% of the people in there were on Facebook.
When they listed I considered buying shares but didn’t. Arse.
Many years ago when I used to travel a lot for work, I spent a lot of time wandering around Amsterdam airport waiting for flights.
They had an internet cafe and I remember walking past one time and I reckon 90% of the people in there were on Facebook.
When they listed I considered buying shares but didn’t. Arse.
1997, I started working for one of the German discount chains, just as a part time store assistant. The company had only been in the country for a couple of years at this point. Not many stores opened yet.
Within 6 months I'd been made deputy store manager. I was running the store on the Old Kent Road, that at the time had takings of £40k a week. Took 2 months to make that £90+k a week. The actual store manager was a waster who was never there. Anyway, because of the increase, I was moved to a bigger store (Streatham). That one was doing £104k a week. A fortnight after I arrived it was up to £118k. Then they started to send me to different stores around the south of England, as a trouble shooter, really.
The key was realising the only thing they didn't sell was space, so pointless having it on the shelf. I was on good money, still young (very early 20s) with a bright old future in front of me.
However... After a couple of years, for some reason I decided it wasn't for me, it was a bit of a dead end job and the company wasn't going anywhere.
I recently saw an ex colleague of mine from there online. He still works for them. He's on the board now. With a 6 figure salary. I'm sorting letters for Royal Mail, on the same (inflation adjusted) money as I was on 28 years ago.
Regrets, I have a few...
Edited for bite sized pieces.
Within 6 months I'd been made deputy store manager. I was running the store on the Old Kent Road, that at the time had takings of £40k a week. Took 2 months to make that £90+k a week. The actual store manager was a waster who was never there. Anyway, because of the increase, I was moved to a bigger store (Streatham). That one was doing £104k a week. A fortnight after I arrived it was up to £118k. Then they started to send me to different stores around the south of England, as a trouble shooter, really.
The key was realising the only thing they didn't sell was space, so pointless having it on the shelf. I was on good money, still young (very early 20s) with a bright old future in front of me.
However... After a couple of years, for some reason I decided it wasn't for me, it was a bit of a dead end job and the company wasn't going anywhere.
I recently saw an ex colleague of mine from there online. He still works for them. He's on the board now. With a 6 figure salary. I'm sorting letters for Royal Mail, on the same (inflation adjusted) money as I was on 28 years ago.
Regrets, I have a few...
Edited for bite sized pieces.
Edited by Lo-Fi on Monday 13th October 14:25
Edited by Lo-Fi on Monday 13th October 14:26
Edited by Lo-Fi on Monday 13th October 14:26
My Auntie Annie, a dear kind old soul, had a father in law that was universally known as Old Man Harris. I suppose he had a first name, but nobody ever seemed to use it. He made a living with a scrap metal business down in Plashet Grove, East Ham.
One day a fella he knew dropped by and said that he has thinking of opening a grocery store, and would he like to become a partner?. "Oh, no," said Old Man Harris, "scrap metal's the place to be."
The chap's name was Cohen. That's right, the Cohen of Tesco fame and fortune.
Poor old Auntie Annie
One day a fella he knew dropped by and said that he has thinking of opening a grocery store, and would he like to become a partner?. "Oh, no," said Old Man Harris, "scrap metal's the place to be."
The chap's name was Cohen. That's right, the Cohen of Tesco fame and fortune.
Poor old Auntie Annie
21TonyK said:
Registering domain names. Thought about it but did nothing.
Mobile phones. Had one in 1990 but again didn t dawn on me to get involved.
Tesla. Apple. Facebook. I thought oil was a good investment.
Funnily enough this was my exact thought when I read the thread title. I was studying IT back in the 90's. I'd heard about some teacher who was mid twenties at the time who bought a domain name and just had it sat there until one of the big corporations paid about £6m for it. I thought I should buy up a few domains and try my luck but never did. Mobile phones. Had one in 1990 but again didn t dawn on me to get involved.
Tesla. Apple. Facebook. I thought oil was a good investment.
Lo-Fi said:
Spare tyre said:
Vlogging
I ve got loads of videos of me doing interesting stuff, if I could rewind 20 years or so, narrate it and upload it I d I have been a pioneer
Interesting stuff like Jeremy Clarkson or interesting stuff like Ron Jeremy?I ve got loads of videos of me doing interesting stuff, if I could rewind 20 years or so, narrate it and upload it I d I have been a pioneer
Just cars, climbing, adventure stuff
When I was at technical college I designed and built a wireless thermostat as part of my OND in engineering. Basically posh A level grade . This was about 1983. My tutor suggested I patent it ,and as part of my course we did this as a group with me as the patent owner .
In 1985 Honeywell approach me to buy the patent. I sold it for £1150 and I thought this was a lot of money then .
In 1985 Honeywell approach me to buy the patent. I sold it for £1150 and I thought this was a lot of money then .
I heard about this weird security and payment system thing called blockchain, and started reading up on i. It sounded interesting, but I just couldn't get me head around how it worked. There was this complicated system of "mining" and then you had something called a Bitcoin... but i couldn't really work out how it existed in any real sense or what you could do with it.
Anyway, I thought i might give it a go, but when i looked into it, any investment would mean sending money to some company i'd never heard of in the Far East, and then my "Bitcoins" would be stored on their server. This seemed a very easy way to be scammed out of my money, so i chose not to do it.
I mean, what would have been the point of buying 50 Bitcoins? that was nearly £800 I was risking! No way was I falling for that! A fool and his money, etc...
Ah well....
Anyway, I thought i might give it a go, but when i looked into it, any investment would mean sending money to some company i'd never heard of in the Far East, and then my "Bitcoins" would be stored on their server. This seemed a very easy way to be scammed out of my money, so i chose not to do it.
I mean, what would have been the point of buying 50 Bitcoins? that was nearly £800 I was risking! No way was I falling for that! A fool and his money, etc...
Ah well....
Remote access doorbells. In the late eighties, or early nineties it occurred to me that if your doorbell or entryphone had a SIM card in it you could 'answer' the door from Timbuctu. I hadn't got the knowledge nor money to exploit it but I suggested to a chap in a business that could have done and he poo pooed it so I forgot about it. With the improvement in Internet connection and VOIP being adopted by the intruder alarm business, a natural progression would have been video doorbells.
A company of which I was a director in the seventies sketched up a design for a seat belt cutter for use in emergencies but once more we didn't follow that through and now even the Police are recommending them.
A company of which I was a director in the seventies sketched up a design for a seat belt cutter for use in emergencies but once more we didn't follow that through and now even the Police are recommending them.
Bitcoin. Some of the younger lads that I worked with in Afghanistan were about to spunk all the money they'd saved during our 6 month deployment, on BTC. I was very sceptical at the time, ignorant is a better word, because I didn't understand it.
I left the military shortly after, and lost touch with them. If they invested the sums they were talking about investing, they would have had the potential to be billionaires by now.
I left the military shortly after, and lost touch with them. If they invested the sums they were talking about investing, they would have had the potential to be billionaires by now.
21TonyK said:
Registering domain names. Thought about it but did nothing.
A friend of mine from university made a decent living for a long time (maybe still does) out of a bunch of domain name misspellings he registered and then charged a fee to redirect from. Typosquatting, basically. Late 80's or early 90's I was a director of an aircraft maintenance company and was approached by a Greek chappie who asked if we could do his aircraft maintenance at all their European bases. Told him it was too risky for us 'cos I doubted they'd make any money and would be bust in 6 months owing us thousands. His company name was Easyjet and his was Stellios.
I was of course right, they'll never make a profit
I was of course right, they'll never make a profit
Going back 40 plus years ago but a local car dealer and general bloke who always had some cash generating scene on the go got into buying up really old cars from scrapyards , stuff that had been lying for years…no interest in the car but the reg plates they came with.
Not sure how he got round how to register them to himself and then sell the plate but scrap yards were a law unto themselves back then.
Not sure how he got round how to register them to himself and then sell the plate but scrap yards were a law unto themselves back then.
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