Resolution 2011

Another year passes, and I am hopefully – slightly wiser. Anyway, my resolution for 2010 came true – I resolved to quit my job and I did! So, now it is time to make resolutions for the new year and I have just a few.

Ramen Profitability
Ramen profitability – just being profitable enough to survive on instant noodles. It’s just a better way of saying – breaking even. My hope is to generate enough revenues next year, to cover my operational expenses for the year. I am currently talking to several parties on a number of different projects – ranging from SMEs to PLCs.

Assuming that I get a continuous stream of smaller short-term projects from SMEs, I should be on the way to cover my opex. So, this is something that I will work on first. Once that works, I will probably buy some extra equipment and hire some extra help. Then, I will work on getting one of the medium and/or large projects. If I can get them, I will be able to buy instant noodles!

My objective of reaching ramen profitability is to prove my business model and viability. Then, I can focus on growth and expansion. If the model itself isn’t viable, then I cannot possibly scale.

Study Law
Since I generally dislike lawyers, I decided that it was time that I studied law myself. Through my business activities, I find that I am in need of more and more legal advice. So, it made sense for me to be prudent and learn up some law myself. I have no intention of being a lawyer, but I plan to learn it for knowledge so that I can communicate better with my lawyer and advise my clients better.

I have been shopping around for a suitable part-time law course this year and found that, the best option is to take the Bachelors of Jurisprudence from UM. Unfortunately, they are only open for registrations in April. So, I missed the opportunity to sign up this year. Therefore, come April 2011, I will definitely sign up for the course and earn myself another Bachelors degree in law.

While this would not allow me to practise as a lawyer, it would be sufficient for me to understand legalese, at least.

Chartered Engineer
I am an engineer, first and foremost. Therefore, it is only natural for me to qualify myself with a professional qualification, on top of my PhD in Engineering. There are a couple of options for me to do this and after considering them, I decided that I will attempt to qualify as a Chartered Engineer first. The earliest that I can attempt this is towards the second half of 2011.

While having a C.Eng would not necessarily help me to make more money, it is actually another one of my life-goals. If I can check off another life-goal next year, that would be just fine and dandy.

Write a Book
This is actually more a bonus than anything else. I already have quite a lot on my plate next year. However, I am also presently in the process of creating a series of technical courses for the largest technical training company in South East Asia. One reason that I am doing this is to enable me to write a book on this subject.

I have had many people tell me that I write well. So, I thought that I should try my hand at writing a book and since I am technically inclined, I felt that I could try writing a technical book. I plan to use some of the materials from my course inside the book and vice versa. It will be an interesting hobby project.

I will need to find someone to proof read it though.