Quote: Original post by tribal_warrior
.......But the statement of people like Tom you have to admit was sarcastic and critical when they did not have to be. As such, I felt it was necessary to question their experience in the fields to which they were so adament.

1. Whenever I have a discussion with someone I always check their profile, visit their site, check Google etc - that is a far better way to gauge someone's credentials/experience than asking them.
2. The tone of someone's advice doesn't alter its validity.
3. One of the most useful abilities in life is the ability to accept criticism, no matter how it is worded.

Many years ago my boss and I interviewed someone for a job. After the interview my boss turned to me and in a very angry tone asked "Do you realise you didn't ask a single question?" - meaning that all the questions I asked had easy Yes/No answers or included the answer in the question. I was really shaken, more by his tone than by the words he used. I could have done what a lot of people do in that situation do and start making excuses but I just mumbled "your right" and went back to my office to think about it.

Turns out it was one of the best bits of advice/criticism I ever received. A couple of years later I secured a job with an 80% increase in salary by using what I had learned about interviews to my benefit. That was just the direct financial benefit - I have obviously used that knowledge to better interview people as well.

I would just like to post the credentials of tsloper off of his website:

Here.

Edit: darn frames! Just click on the "About Tom Sloper" button.

I wasn't going to touch this thread with a ten foot pole, originally, because of the obvious reasons. Micah's original post is full of contradictions, and while Reverie has a nifty-keen webpage, those are easy to make and don't necessarily mean a company is successful (nor does lack of webpage equal a bad company). I was also suprised Tom wasted so much time arguing with you, and that you called his experience into question. Had you gone to his webpage, you would definitely learn all he knows, know all he did, and know that he's worked in the business for a long time. Depending on your age, you might not have even been born when Tom worked on the first game he did.

Anyhow, I am experienced in running businesses. I can do business plans, reports, etc. Why should I do this for you? Your post is very unclear, and there's several things that set off my business-sense warning bells. Just saying you might be having no luck due to that and might want to clean up your wording. You talk about "true enterpreneur", but I can't figure that a true one would answer to a post that sounds like it was written by a kid trying to sound like an adult. ;)

Now, about the business plan stuff. I didn't study it in school; I grabbed books at the library. Today it's even easier to learn all this stuff off the internet or even get software that will format things for you. You might want to try doing it yourself, which will be beneficial in the long run.

Good luck.

@Guyver: I had a positive rating before this but people (do not know who) felt it was necessary to rate me down from this post. Which was not necessary as I have been quite professional the entire time.

@Ellis: Thanks for the advice. If you would look back throughout this post, you will see I in fact went to Tom's website and read his credentials and actually complimented him on his many years in the industry. My question however was on his business development experience or if he had ever founed/run a studio before as his site did not specify. A question he refused to answer.

I have actually worked on a business plan before as I developed the current one for Reverie World Studios Inc. And have developed the Executive Overview for this one. But as this post specifies clearly, Im not asking someone to write me a business plan. Im asking for collaboration with experienced executives.

To clarify as well, I have had success in getting in touch with people, just not from this site. I have been a member of Gamedev for a long time and unfortunately just dont get around to posting very often, I knew this post wasnt going to attract much and I would be lucky if I was contacted by anyone from this post. However, with my history with Gamedev.net and the raw talent I have seen roaming these boards throughout the years, I felt I should post here anyways. I am currently in early seed talks with several companies and individuals.

@Dan: I did not at any point reject the criticism, I simply did what everyone else would have done if they had a response similar to Tom's. Ask them about their level of experience was in the industry they were so vehemently speaking to.

Perhaps directly asking them their experience is not the best, however, from what I learned from my old bosses, the direct approach is usually the best. (Not to mention the most effecient.) I would rather hear someones experience from them then read what someone wrote about them on Google.

I appreciate all the input guys!

Best Regards,
Micah Hymer

> I am looking for individuals looking to
> collaborate on business development.

Try contacting Ed Dille at FOG Studios.

http://www.fogstudios.com ( Clicky )

-cb