Mick Wroblewski is a Chicago-based software developer whose company, Babylon Technology, recently launched its own mobile app. Ticket Tapp is a ticket scanning solution for event organisers. It basically allows them to use an iPhone or iPod to scan people’s tickets (much cooler and more convenient than clunky barcode scanners) and do real time reporting and ticket analysis. Mick offers some good advice to coders who need to rely mainly on themselves.

How did you start out on your own? My side work grew to the point where I didn’t have a choice but to leave the full-time job.

What is a typical day like for you?  A typical day will consist of around 60% programming, 40% responding to emails. phone calls, meetings, proposals, etc. I tend to focus much better at night, so I’ll sleep in and work through the night at least a couple days a week. I realized very quickly that I get a lot more done at 2am than 2pm!

Do you enjoy your work? I enjoy my work because I love creating products. I also enjoy using technology to address inefficiencies in all sorts of other industries.

Where do you find inspiration for your work? I read a lot of different tech articles and blogs from companies that I admire. 37signals is definitely on the top of that list – I’ve read ‘Rework’ multiple times and look to them for guidance on how to run my business.

What sort of skills do you need to do your work? Aside from the technical skills, communication skills are a must. Diligence is also very important; it’s very easy to get lazy with nobody constantly looking over your shoulder.

“Look for an inefficiency that clever software could fix”

Do you have one tip for other aspirant entrepreneurs? Spend your time on the projects you enjoy doing, and don’t be afraid to say no to (or outsource) a project that you won’t enjoy.