From Service Provider to Software Vendor

Version of this presentation given at Reading Geek Night on the 10th October, 2012.

Transcript

1. From Service Provider to Software Vendor Rachel Andrew Reading Geek Night, October 2012
2. Rachel Andrew http://edgeofmyseat.com http://grabaperch.com http://rachelandrew.co.uk @rachelandrew
4. Time is a finite resource
5. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/4039347263/
7. Do what you know
8. Build something that you need.
9. We need “a really little CMS”
10. ... other people might need this too
11. Bootstrapping is easy if you can do most of the work yourself.
12. Use evenings, weekends, downtime in your business to work on your product.
13. For us, the code came free.
14. What can you do that only costs your time and not money?
15. Pay for things that matter most
16. We paid for User Interface design work.
17. We paid a solicitor to create a software license.
18. We paid for top quality hosting for the marketing site.
19. Balance the “Minimum Viable Product” with the fact that first impressions count
20. Perch was making a profit after 24 hours
21. Your brand is incredibly important in a crowded market.
22. People remember we are the CMS with the bird.
24. Great support is free marketing.
25. We offer unlimited, free support.
27. When deciding product pricing, take support time into account.
28. Listen to your customers
29. Ask their opinion and act on it quickly.
30. What will make the most difference to the most people?
31. Be open to change but don’t forget who you are
32. Put your customers first
34. “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.” - Henry Ford -
35. thank you.