July 14.  Birthday.  Can’t help but evaluate my life and where I’m at and where I’m headed. Can’t say I like what I see.  I’ve been working for a year or so on the one TV show I was determined to work on, The Great Outdoors.  My contract recently finished and I’m not inspired at all by any of the other TV production gigs on the horizon. Go to sleep depressed, directionless and demotivated. 

July 15.  Decide I need a new set of problems to think about so will start my own business.  I’ve made loads of money for other people from my ideas and ability to make them happen before, why not do it for myself? 

Spend the rest of that week evaluating a big heap of ideas deciding which one is most likely to bear fruit, be loads of fun to do and that I can make happen and feel real good about. 

Make an appointment with a lawyer I know, as a fellow veteran of the Indie Rock Wars of the early 90s (his term, not mine. But it fits).  

Check out his site, obviously the only lawyer right for me - http://www.brettoaten.com.au He likes my ideas and gives me excellent advice on setting up a company. 

July 24 - I Love Rock & Roll Pty Ltd is incorporated.  I am RIDICULOUSLY excited to open a bank account and get “I Love Rock & Roll” cheques.  By now I’ve found an excellent workspace above a vintage/retro store in Glebe, Sydney, a few blocks from home. It’s cheap, has an excellent feel, lovely natural light etc and I can pretty much do what I like to it.  Grace the store owner is lovely and of a like mind. 

And obviously I’ve decided idea number one to get off the ground is a rock’n'roll dating site.  My life calling?  Not really, but I know it’s a jolly good idea and something I myself would definitely try out.  And nearly everyone I talk to about it gets it straight away, and is excited. 

I cannot believe that the URL for I Love Rock & Roll is available in Australia, and snap it up. 

The idea for this little interim site you’re on now is to ‘claim the space’ and see how many people are interested enough to leave their email address. Who wants to go to a dating site and only see a few other people there?  The plan is to collect as many fab people along the way to the ‘real site’ as we can so from day one there’s a bunch of cool people to interact with.  

Even though ILR&R is a dating site, I also see it as a place for people to find like minded friends (gig buddies maybe, or band mates, as an opportunity to play matchmaker for single friends and so on).  

I’ve almost got TOO many ideas for the real site.  What I do know is that I want it to be free to users (paid for by advertising) and I know I can make this work.  Also simple, uncomplicated to use, and obviously true to it’s rock’n'roll roots. 

Sept 1 - Marihuzka joins me.  It’s really, really real now and I have responsibilities to an employee. Responsibilities left, right and centre and a new streak of silver in my hair that wasn’t there a month ago.  Perhaps the eternal teenager is actually gonna grow up? 

Responsibilities aside, we are both convinced it’s gonna fly and beaver away on getting this interim site up so we can move onto the real deal.    

We’d love to know your thoughts and ideas, cos we’re doing this for you.  Sure we wanna make a buck but I’ve adopted the motto of one of my all time favourite bosses, Steve Stavrakis from Waterfront Records - “chase the dollar, keep the spirit”.  It’s some Rabbitohs coaches credo but it works for me. 

We’re not some corporation who’s seen a niche that can be exploited, we’re two crazy rock chicks who also happen to have heaps of online and commercial experience and want to have fun doing something we believe in.  This is it!