As the Geekier among you may already know, there has been a bit of controversy in the blogosphere as of late (Arguments on the Internet? Crazy, right?) about the so-called "Imax Experience." In a nut shell, Imax has installed their sound and video equipment in theaters across the nation and has begun showing regular feature films on said screens. The picture quality is fantasmic, the sound quality is superb. So what's the problem?

The screens are absolutely minuscule compared to the Imax screens we're all so fond of, and we feel cheated. These are not the Imax screens we have all come to know and love. They're hardly bigger than a normal theater screen. My girlfriend and I pre-ordered tickets recently to see Star Trek on an Imax screen at AMC Theaters, and upon walking in we thought we might be in the wrong theater. After verifying that we were indeed in the correct place, we felt rather cheated. AMC fleeced us out of an extra $10, on top of the already ridiculously expensive tickets.

How can the extra $5 per ticket charge possibly be justified? As I pointed out earlier, these "Imax Experience" theaters deliver high-quality sound and video reproduction tuned to perfection by the expert engineers at Imax. That would be fantastic if the difference were discernible to Joe Everyman, or if Joe even cared. Frankly, I noticed no major differences in quality in the Imax theater as opposed to a normal theater screen. Only experts will be able to tell the difference. Besides, when I pay extra to see a movie on Imax, I am not primarily seeking a bump in quality. What am I seeking? A huge, mind-blowingly intimidating screen that forces me to physically turn and pivot my head to see the corners. I want the screen to scare me. That is, and always has been Imax's selling point. Without the God-screen, they are nothing.

Imax, your arguments are doing nothing but increasing the Internet's anger. Stop now. Admit that your new theaters have no real mass appeal, lower the ticket prices significantly, and stop marketing these faux-Imax screens as "Imax." I can say with certainty that I will never make the mistake of buying an Imax ticket again, and I expect that ticket sales will decline steeply once people realize what it is they're paying for. An average screen with marginally better projectors does not a true "Imax Experience" make.

I became interested in computers, technology, and the Internet at a fairly young age. Although my family did not actually own a computer until late 1999, I grew tired of performing "normal" user tasks a couple of years before this. Having a computer in our home opened up opportunities for me to learn, in detail, about the machine and its software. I picked up some technical books and programming manuals to aid me in my self-education.

Upon obtaining a decent, if basic, skill set, and becoming knowledgeable enough to stumble my way through most things, I immediately began attempting to commercialize on my work. Why? I lived in a rural town, I was bored, and I was tech-motivated/obsessed. It was something to do. Here's what I learned from my early endeavors, documented for other young would-be entrepreneurs:

GASoftware

This was my first "company". Technically, the name stood for "George's Amateur Software", but in sixth grade I thought it was funny to have "gas" in the name. Through GASoftware, I released several freeware utilities, a couple of programming tutorials, etc. The only for-profit part of the operation was the custom programming service I provided under the name. I got a few local clients, for whom I built simple database front ends, etc.

Writing and distributing software, even free software, is a valuable learning experience. I highly suggest that any programmer who wants to start an indie software company try releasing and supporting free or open source products first. It teaches you how to make stable, tested releases and how to support customers.

GASoftware was actually fairly successful. My software, while primitive, was typically well-received and oft-downloaded, and my tutorials and other content were appreciated. It definitely provided me with a foundation for future endeavors.

HostShuttle

My second attempt at a commercial tech-business was HostShuttle, a shared web hosting service. I leased servers from a large, well-known data center and partitioned off the resources to resell, providing server support and management.

This particular business attempt taught me quite a bit, but I also bit off a bit more than I could chew. Being young and unemployable due to my age, I had little startup capital, so I needed to make a profit fairly quickly. This was my first big mistake. Profit rarely appears in the company coffers immediately.

My second mistake was my pricing model. I priced HostShuttle's services very competitively, but they could only be profitable if I had fairly high sales volume. This strategy, while great for attracting customers, does not work if you don't have enough startup capital to endure an initial drought of sales.

Eventually time constraints and the fact that I was just breaking even discouraged me enough that I decided to throw in the towel and sell off what I could. (Keep in mind I was quite young and immature. Obviously I would not have given up as easily, had I been older.) I took care of my customers, though, notifying them well in advance, obtaining accounts for all of them with another quality host, and migrating all of their data for them. I also continued to provide support for them until the hosting period they had paid for expired.

I learned a lot from HostShuttle, including some important economic principles which should be heeded when starting a business. As has been recommended countless times by others, don't start a business unless you can afford to support it for its first year. I also gained valuable insight on business management and client relations.

There were several things I handled well in this venture. My customer support was lauded, my prices were attractive, and I created new, custom services for a couple of niche markets. Several of my clients asked me to contact them if I ever decided to host again. While I decided to shutter the business, I do consider it to be a personal success.

AttachéSoft

AttachéSoft was my second attempt at forming an indie software company, this time primarily for profit. I was much better equipped to build this startup. I had a simple business plan with low operating costs, enough startup capital, and a business partner to help me out (whom I will call John).

John was also young, a year older than me. He had some coding experience, but his role at AttachéSoft lay primarily in web design, website management, marketing, and customer support. My role was that of the lead developer and business manager. The division of labor worked out quite well, and the venture was relatively successful. We began to turn a profit almost immediately, despite the simplicity of our products, and our income showed signs of steady increase.

Since our business was doing well, despite its infancy, I approached John with an idea to expand our services. Initially, he agreed and thought it was a great idea, but he later began to lose his enthusiasm. Before the product was finished being developed, John contacted me, informing me of a questionably true personal issue which would impair his ability to continue in the venture and he dropped out.

With John gone, my work-load doubled, I was less motivated, and I was much more distracted. Eventually, I made the decision to shelve AttachéSoft, as it was hard to adequately support the project while keeping up with my "real-world" responsibilities.

If there's a lesson in this particular anecdote, it's that the previously mentioned principles, when heeded, can produce success for young startups. Obviously, you should also make sure that your employees/partners are reliable and share your goals. If you happen to lose someone, replace them with someone you can trust as quickly as you can.

A Bit of Advice

I have owned a couple of other websites/venures, but these initial three were the biggest learning experiences for me. Looking back, all of these businesses seem rather trivial to me, and when I revisit my older work I can't help but chuckle at its simplicity.

I believe, however, that my most useful asset in all of these ventures was my written communication skill. Since I was a decent writer for my age and since I was socially competent, I was able to interact with clients in professional situations, despite my age. Most of my clients never realized that I was still in school, and would be for years to come.

Besides the above advice, potential young entrepreneurs should heed this warning: do not start a business or offer a service trivially. You must be willing to see the effort through, and to accept what comes of it, good or bad. No matter what happens, you must avoid affecting your customer base adversely at all costs. You will have a commitment to your customers, and you must fulfill your obligations. If you get started and find you can't handle the work, make it right with your customers in whatever way is feasible.

Keep in mind also that legal issues are a concern. Minors cannot enter contracts, and are limited in other ways when it comes to business operations/employment. Always be careful and make sure you're not operating illegally.

That said, I would encourage any young person who feels they have an idea for a viable entrepreneurial venture to go for it. Worst case scenario, the project will fail miserably but you'll have learned a lot.