Comments on: Time for a change http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/ To boldly muse about Open Source Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:48:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Gianugo http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83184 Gianugo Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:28:40 +0000 http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83184 Sure thing Yeliz, give me a shout when you pass by! Sure thing Yeliz, give me a shout when you pass by!

]]> By: Yeliz Eseryel http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83183 Yeliz Eseryel Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:10:42 +0000 http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83183 Wow how exciting! I should come and visit! Enjoy the fog, rain, clouds, beer and the night life! Wow how exciting! I should come and visit!
Enjoy the fog, rain, clouds, beer and the night life!

]]> By: Gianugo http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83182 Gianugo Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:52:04 +0000 http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83182 Stefano, you are welcome to join me in London anytime! And no, we aren't leaving Italy, it's quite the opposite. Italy is a grown-up company, with great people at the helm and no need for my support. We have extensive growth plans for the future, even as we are going to get a lot of project work from places like the UK. Albion is our newborn child, and I just love startups too much to miss the chance to follow its first steps, so off I go. See you there! Stefano, you are welcome to join me in London anytime! And no, we aren’t leaving Italy, it’s quite the opposite. Italy is a grown-up company, with great people at the helm and no need for my support. We have extensive growth plans for the future, even as we are going to get a lot of project work from places like the UK. Albion is our newborn child, and I just love startups too much to miss the chance to follow its first steps, so off I go.

See you there!

]]> By: Stefano Canepa http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83181 Stefano Canepa Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:34:10 +0000 http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83181 Now I have another excuse to go to London. Is sourcesense living Italy? Good luck, I'm still waiting for you in Genova with as much "focaccia" as you can eat. ;-) Now I have another excuse to go to London. Is sourcesense living Italy? Good luck, I’m still waiting for you in Genova with as much “focaccia” as you can eat. ;-)

]]> By: Gianugo http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83180 Gianugo Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:13:47 +0000 http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83180 <strong>Lux:</strong> sure. And it's "centre", not "center". I will also make sure to pick up some cockney. <strong>Ross: </strong>yup, indeed. Will be great to catch up over a beer or two! Lux: sure. And it’s “centre”, not “center”. I will also make sure to pick up some cockney.

Ross: yup, indeed. Will be great to catch up over a beer or two!

]]> By: Ross Gardler http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83179 Ross Gardler Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:26:12 +0000 http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83179 Cool! I moved about a year ago to Oxford, about an hour from London. I guess I'll be seeing you soonish. Cool!

I moved about a year ago to Oxford, about an hour from London. I guess I’ll be seeing you soonish.

]]> By: lux http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83178 lux Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:00:29 +0000 http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83178 Many compliments, good and great move. Remember the "u" in "color". :) Many compliments, good and great move. Remember the “u” in “color”. :)

]]> By: Gianugo http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83177 Gianugo Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:40:24 +0000 http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83177 Adrian, you rock. I owe you one. Thanks a ton! Adrian,

you rock. I owe you one.

Thanks a ton!

]]> By: Adrian Sutton http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83176 Adrian Sutton Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:42:30 +0000 http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83176 We worked with Pike, Smith and Kemp on Queens Rd in Maidenhead I believe: http://www.pskweb.co.uk/ In fact, there's a nice place just down the road (Shoppenhangers Rd, Maindenhead - SL62PZ) that will be available either end of this month or end of next. They recommended it for us originally until they realized when it became available. I'm sure there's plenty else around too. :) We used rightmove.co.uk to track down decent agencies to work with - there doesn't seem to be one comprehensive site with all available places for London and places are often rented out before they even make it to the websites. The best plan is to identify the agents you want to work with and then get in touch with them directly. It seems to take about a week minimum to go from finding a place to actually being able to move in as they need to do credit checks and a checkin process. Also while I think of it - make sure you're in touch with SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency (http://www.seeda.co.uk/). They're offering a lot of support to Ephox as we set up in Europe - not sure how much they'll be able to help in your specific case but they've certainly been keen to help us. All my contacts there are through the Australian branch so aren't the right folk for you but I know they work all around the world so it should be easy enough to get in touch with the right people there. Pretty much everything here seems to have a 12 month contract attached - including a standard phone line from BT which is annoying. Set aside a decent budget for getting things connected as it's pretty expensive. I'm not sure how credit agencies work within the EU so you might find it easier but setting up in a new country generally causes a few problems with passing credit checks because you basically don't exist on any of their systems. Set up a bank account as soon as you possibly can and immediately ask them to send you a statement so you can use it as proof of address - even if you're staying in a hotel to start with they can send it there. You can generally get past any credit check problems by providing a deposit which they give back after 3 months or so. The best trick I've found is to search around for a highly motivated sales person - they can push pretty much anything though. :) That's pretty much a complete, unfiltered brain dump of the stuff I've learnt. We've been very lucky and things have gone quite smoothly. The biggest frustration has been a lack of internet access and phone capable of calling internationally - we've been very cut off from friends and family until the phone came on this week. Getting a calling card (or just not being scared of the costs of calling from our Australian mobiles) would have been a good idea. Anyway, I hope that all made sense and is useful. If you need help with anything just give me a yell and I'll be happy to help. We worked with Pike, Smith and Kemp on Queens Rd in Maidenhead I believe: http://www.pskweb.co.uk/ In fact, there’s a nice place just down the road (Shoppenhangers Rd, Maindenhead - SL62PZ) that will be available either end of this month or end of next. They recommended it for us originally until they realized when it became available. I’m sure there’s plenty else around too. :) We used rightmove.co.uk to track down decent agencies to work with - there doesn’t seem to be one comprehensive site with all available places for London and places are often rented out before they even make it to the websites. The best plan is to identify the agents you want to work with and then get in touch with them directly. It seems to take about a week minimum to go from finding a place to actually being able to move in as they need to do credit checks and a checkin process.

Also while I think of it - make sure you’re in touch with SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency (http://www.seeda.co.uk/). They’re offering a lot of support to Ephox as we set up in Europe - not sure how much they’ll be able to help in your specific case but they’ve certainly been keen to help us. All my contacts there are through the Australian branch so aren’t the right folk for you but I know they work all around the world so it should be easy enough to get in touch with the right people there.

Pretty much everything here seems to have a 12 month contract attached - including a standard phone line from BT which is annoying. Set aside a decent budget for getting things connected as it’s pretty expensive.

I’m not sure how credit agencies work within the EU so you might find it easier but setting up in a new country generally causes a few problems with passing credit checks because you basically don’t exist on any of their systems. Set up a bank account as soon as you possibly can and immediately ask them to send you a statement so you can use it as proof of address - even if you’re staying in a hotel to start with they can send it there. You can generally get past any credit check problems by providing a deposit which they give back after 3 months or so. The best trick I’ve found is to search around for a highly motivated sales person - they can push pretty much anything though. :)
That’s pretty much a complete, unfiltered brain dump of the stuff I’ve learnt. We’ve been very lucky and things have gone quite smoothly. The biggest frustration has been a lack of internet access and phone capable of calling internationally - we’ve been very cut off from friends and family until the phone came on this week. Getting a calling card (or just not being scared of the costs of calling from our Australian mobiles) would have been a good idea.

Anyway, I hope that all made sense and is useful. If you need help with anything just give me a yell and I’ll be happy to help.

]]> By: Gianugo http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83172 Gianugo Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:04:37 +0000 http://boldlyopen.com/2008/02/14/time-for-a-change/#comment-83172 <strong>Yoav</strong>, thanks a lot. As I'm now 4 hours closer to Boston, maybe meeting up will be easier! <strong>Arjé:</strong> yeah, now it's just a matter of finding the right swimming suit to crawl the Channel. Easier than crossing the Alps, I guess. <strong>Fanta</strong>, thanks. Don't forget I'm looking forward to more Ethiopian food as well! <strong>Adrian</strong>, good to see we'll have a chance to meet. Please don't be shy and let me know about your agent: Maidenhead is definitely an option! Yoav, thanks a lot. As I’m now 4 hours closer to Boston, maybe meeting up will be easier!

Arjé: yeah, now it’s just a matter of finding the right swimming suit to crawl
the Channel. Easier than crossing the Alps, I guess.

Fanta, thanks. Don’t forget I’m looking forward to more Ethiopian food as well!

Adrian, good to see we’ll have a chance to meet. Please don’t be shy and let me know about your agent: Maidenhead is definitely an option!

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