30 Day Challenge

A mISV uses different applications to manage his business. He may use Microsoft Outlook to record the details of his clients, an Excel spreadsheet to record product sales, a group mailer to manage mailouts etc. Aside from these applications, he also uses his development tools that relate to his product and website.

Time and time again a question regarding the existence or availability of a single product that manages clients (both current and prospective), products, SKUs, sales, marketing, feature requests, bugs or issues, and other related functions catches my attention in the different fora and newsgroups that I frequent. In short, is there a product that assists mISVs in managing their product or products?

The reason why I am interested in this type of question is because I am also looking for such a product. I sell a shareware application called VeriTime Time Tracker and I suppose like other mISVs I use several products to manage my clients, sales, mailouts, and product issues.

Now, if I am on the lookout and others who raised this question are also on the lookout it is a safe bet to assume that there are others who are also looking for this kind of product. In short, there is a need that is not currently being met successfully or completely. A perfect situation for a business opportunity. As someone said in a podcast that I listened to “Find a problem. Figure out how to solve the problem. Find more people with the same problem and you have a business.”

Since I cannot find an appropriate product that does what I am looking for, I have decided to write one myself. I have a fairly good idea of the main functional areas and how they all link together so I am not really coming in from the cold.

One thing that I will apply is the idea of release early, release often. I want to get this product out there as soon as possible to gain some foothold in the mindset of those people who are looking for this kind of application. Of course, the first release should be reasonably usable with a minimal set of bells and whistles which are not entirely essential to the functioning of the application.

As a challenge I will try to get this product out of the front door in thirty days (30). I am giving myself a month to develop the software, write the help file, and get a basic website and mandatory blog (this piece becomes the first entry) up and running within this time frame. Sounds ambitious? I think it is but it is doable.

What is the upside of this approach? Well, first of all people get to know the product early and also receive feedback from the early adopters. And the downside? People will not believe me anymore or will always treat what I say with a grain of salt or that the product joins the ranks of vapourwares.

I feel good about this challenge and it is worth doing it. So as they say in a race “get on your marks, get set, go!” and it begins on 1 June 2008 and finishes on 30 June 2008 with 1 July 2008 as the first day it becomes publicly available.

If you wish to be informed of the progress of this challenge, later be involved in a public beta testing, and eventually be able to get hold of a trial version please fill in the form below:

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