Hi all,

This is an offbeat question. I want to start and run a business based on linux and other open source tools and services in India. How do I start?

Any suggestions are welcome...

I would say this is not really a Linux question but a business question.

How would you start any other business? It's not rocket science to use open source tools, but starting a business is darn close.


Håkan

lets talk , i got similar ideas somewhere in africa ,u see linux has taken over the world but equally it has to be bbusiness viable for it to continue its march ,but i think u left out a lot of details on your business talk a little more openly and then wecan brainstorm and build a great business

Here's the deal RB. There's a lot that I have read and heard about various business models that are based on open source software and that is what I need to brainstorm over. I dont have a set plan as yet.

The idea is in my mindin an infantile state and I wish to just get some clues as to what direction I needto headin. I wonderif I need ti get some kind of formal training (RHCE for instance). I also know that I am a pretty good presenter and understand the cost implications (TCO etc.) of software. Its what I currently do for a living.

So what I wanted to know is this... Which is the best business model for open source and do you necessarily need to be a code guru to start a new business with it?

No, of course you don't have to be a guru to open up a business using open source tools. But I think you may need to rethink your whole position: In most businesses the software is merely a set of tools to accomplish a task, using open source software is not a goal or accomplishment in itself (at least not business-wise). You need to know what kind of business you want to do before you can start picking your tools.

A business doesn't get many clients by going "Hey, we've got wrenches!". It is more likely they get more customers if they say "We fix your drain" or whatever they do with their wrenches.


Håkan

you don't have to know squat about open source tools, or programing, or computers to use them in bossinesses, after all, thats why you hire people that know stuff

but its less a question of how to set up a business with open source software,(cause its just software), and more of why and what you need computer for, and what they must do