Guest Posts - Wednesday, August 27, 2008 9:21 - 0 Comments
Accomplishing More By Doing Less
[Editor's Note: From time to time I invite guest posts here by those people, companies and services doing things of relevance and interest to the microISV/startup community. Servoy is one of a growing number of companies providing SaaS support. Interested in doing a guest post at here? Drop me a line.]
By Bob Cusick
Managing Director
Servoy-USA
There’s a big temptation when you’re creating a software product: work harder. Do more. More marketing, more features, more platform support, more blogging, more money raising… just MORE.
But you can actually do less - and get more done.
Whether your a one-person-band or part of a small start up - you will have to wear… well… 47 hats! That much is a given. However, if you can apply a filter to your activities - you’ll find that you’re actually able to accomplish more - while doing less work.
Let me explain. Let’s say that you’re working on the next great “it” and you’re working on your own, and you’ve decided to bootstrap it until things get rolling. As we all know - there are 101 things that need your attention and that must be done in order for you to get that first, all-important sales dollar.
If you’re like me - you find yourself pulled in all directions all the time. Between getting the actual product coded there are manuals to write, a website to create, graphics, promotions, Google Ads, blogging, order fulfillment, technical support, marketing, advertising, forums to post to, social media to keep up with - not to mention your social life and family time.
The key to accomplishing more by doing less - is actually very simple. You need to ask yourself a single question before you start down a particular task: “How much revenue will this generate for me?” If you begin to apply that filter to your list of activities - you’ll find yourself changing what you do, and the order and importance of your daily tasks.
Now, I’m not really a big “list” guy. I don’t have a compulsive need to write detailed lists and get them “checked off.” But, I will say - if you ask yourself that (potentially) million dollar question “How much revenue will this generate for me” - you’ll be more focused on what you do, and will be able to make measurable progress toward your goal.
Come up with an outline list of all the things you need to do to make that first sale. For example:
1) Product Development
- Debug login section
- Add paging feature
- Get latest URL to outside testers
- Investigate iPhone version
- Investigate Blackberry version
2) Product Marketing
- Finish website
- Add page for ordering
- Add comment page for support
- Fill out the “about us” section
- Make a version for mobile devices
- Link blog to main site
- Add blog entries
- Post to forums to raise awareness
- Take out banner ad on xyz.com
- Make PDF brochure
- Write “intro” email
- Update social media with blog entries
Of course your list will be more comprehensive - this is only a guide. But in taking a look at all the stuff that “needs to be done” - ask your question: “How much revenue will this generate for me?”
If you put each task through that filter - you may decide that getting the mobile version stuff can come out in 1.x. You can also see that getting your site where people can actually buy something directly relates where tasks like “fill out the about us section”, while important, can wait until you get the basics done.
Once you’ve put all your items through the filter - it may wind up looking something like this:
A) Product Launch TO DO:
1) Product Development
- Debug login section
- Add paging feature
- Get latest URL to outside testers (by Monday)
2) Product Marketing
- Finish website
- Add page for ordering
- Write “intro” email
B) Directly After Launch:
1) Product Marketing
- Finish website
- Add comment page for support
- Fill out the “about us” section
- Link blog to main site
- Post to forums to raise awareness
- Make PDF brochure
- Write “intro” email
C) 1.x Enhancements
1) Product Development
- Investigate iPhone version
- Investigate Blackberry version
2) Product Marketing
- Finish website
- Make a version for mobile devices
- Take out banner ad on xyz.com
D) On-going tasks:
1) Product Marketing
- Add blog entry (1x per week - Wednesday afternoon)
- Update social media with blog entries
- Post to forums to raise awareness (2x per week - Wednesday & Friday afternoon)
You still will accomplish everything on your list - but what you wind up with is a prioritized list of just the stuff you need to do in order to answer the question “How much revenue will this generate for me?” Everything else, no matter how “fun” or “interesting” needs to be put on hold until the appropriate time.
That’s the only part that really sucks. Sometimes you have to do the “gotta’ do” rather than the “like to do.” But, in the end, you’re the only one that can determine how much revenue your actions will generate for you.
===
Bob Cusick is a co-founder of and the Managing Director of Servoy, USA. Previously, he founded ClickWare, Inc. a business application development and integration company; was the original technical editor for FileMaker Pro Advisor Magazine; was a founding member of the CSA (Claris Solutions Alliance), and was a recipient of the first (and only) “Claris Fellowship” award for outstanding service to that community. He has spoken at dozens of technology conferences around the globe, including Sydney, Melbourne, Amsterdam and of course, Silicon Valley.
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Blogging - Aug 13, 2008 16:07 - 2 Comments
Calling all microISVs/startups! Be on the lookout for…
Well, I guess for me. I’m writing as of today for CNET’s Webware after quitting my previous blogging gig. Webware is all about web applications and CNET - which is owned by CBS now by the way - is all about the web apps that are changing how people live and work online.
If you’re a microISV or startup with a good story to tell and starved for some major media attention, I’m all ears: bob.walsh@47hats.com. And if you’re wondering does this mean I think the days of desktop apps are over - nope, but the days of desktop apps ignoring the 1 billion people on the net are.
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Business Practices - Aug 6, 2008 15:35 - 3 Comments
The law is the law.
…and you are far better off knowing the laws as it applies to IT about copyright, trademarks, domain names, software patents, trade secrets, NDA’s, NCA’s, open source licenses, consulting agreements, SLA’s, beta test agreements, EULA’s, SaaS TOS, commercial distribution agreements, privacy, digital content agreements, videogame publishing agreements, foreign distribution agreements, and what happens if you try to sell your encryption software to a Denied Person.
Oh my aching head!
Fortunately, Gene Landy has summarized all the above and more into language understandable by people not attorney’s, added 38 juicy contracts and forms and authored a book you need, now: “The IT / Digital Legal Companion: A Comprehensive Business Guide to Software, IT, Internet, Media and IP Law”.
I’ve been reading up on Software as a Service, chapter 13, and in 24 pages Gene did an excellent job of summarizing what you need to know about SaaS from a legal point of view. This book, published in June, is very up to date, logically organized and includes the seasoned judgment of a practicing IT attorney.
Now the Legal Companion is not a light read in any sense of the word: at 1,204 pages and 2.5 inches thick; you are not going to whip through this before lunch. But if want a good EULA, a software consulting agreement that favors you for a change or want to understand open source duel licensing or any other legal topic you’re likely to run across as a developer, startup or microISV, you need this book.
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Productivity - Aug 1, 2008 18:17 - 0 Comments
12 Tactics to stop stealing time from yourself.
My post Monday, Stop stealing, garnered 66 comments - definitely a record for me. As I said Wednesday, there’s both strategic ways to take control of your attention, focus and productivity, and there are plenty of tactics that can improve your productivity.
In fact, there’s too many. Way, way too many. Take for example this and this and this and this post. You can liquify your brain with productivity tips on the net. So here’s one “pre-tactic” before we get to my personal top dozen: print this post, check the ones you are actually going to try, cross off the ones that don’t interest you and do something more than just read these tips.
So here goes. Some are major, some trivial, all work. Be sure to read #12 if nothing else.
#1. Work for yourself first. Spend two hours each workday on whatever you make money doing before checking email/twitter or other communication channels. If you’re a programmer, code. If you’re a web strategist, strategize. Unless you model, you’re not getting paid for your good looks, you’re getting paid for what you produce. Hard to do? Start with 15 minutes and work your way up, kind of like this program.
#2. Set communication expectations. Set your email client to append it or add it to your standard salutation: “(I check email several times during the business day.)” - by resetting the expectations of others, you cut yourself some much-needed slack.
#3. Use a timer. Buy yourself a kitchen or kickboxing timer, stick it next to your Mac or PC. When you have to do something you don’t want to do, set it for 10 minutes, telling yourself you can do anything for just 10 minutes and then do it. When you’re in the mood to just chat or surf or whatever, set that damn timer to remind yourself you’ve got other things to do and move on. When you do your work day in and day out, alternate between 48 minute bursts of focused work and 12 minutes to move around, defocus and reorientate.
#4. Write your next post before you publish today. Two weeks ago I hit upon this quite by accident when I started blogging here again. Want to really increase the number of posts you write? Always have one post in the can. By doing that, you dramatically turn down the pressure on yourself. If something comes up and you want to write about it immediately, great! If not, you’ve already got the next one ready.
#5. Pay Jacquie Lawson $10 a year. It’s been a good five years since I’ve sent anyone an actual thank you/birthday/holiday card because that’s how long ago I found this superb British illustrator’s animated e-cards. They’re eyecatchingly impressive, extremely well done and added to frequently enough so you always have a new e-card to send.
#6. Get an iPhone 3G. Want to know why I paid $299 and 3.5 hours of my life for an iPhone 3G? Two words: Visual Voicemail. Given various pursuits, there are weeks I get zip voicemail and days I’ll get a dozen. Now I’ve freed myself from the tyranny of voicemail’s interface. As a bonus, I’ve organized my email so that just the messages I need to process daily are also routed to my iPhone so I can knock them out when I’m away from my desktop.
#7. Always use two monitors. While I do nearly all my work from my MacBook Pro these days, the only times I’m without a second large monitor is when I’m traveling. The sheer luxury of having enough digital real estate to spread out my work hugely improves how fast I can work. Don’t believe me? Read this and this.
#8. Use systems that you trust, build systems if you must. Would you voluntarily own a car that worked 90% of the time? Not if you could help it. Yet if you don’t have a system for capturing not 90% or 98% but damn near 100% of the things you decide you are going to do in life, you are in the same predicament. Paper or plastic, Mac, PC, or what have you - whatever works. For me, it’s a little Red Pad that I can take anywhere as my “task in-basket” and then OmniFocus on my MacBook Pro and iPhone, but there are plenty of other products and combinations that get the job done.
#9. Unless you’ve got a better system, learn and use Getting Things Done. Period. I know of no way of managing yourself that has worked for so many hundreds of thousands of people. Believe me I have looked. If you do, I’m all ears, but if you’ve been one of those people who always tell your GTD-organized friends you’ll take a pass and you’ve not tried GTD, what are you waiting for?
#10. When you bereft of motivation, organize a drawer. Since we’re people not computers, there are times when despite all of the rational reasons you should be doing what you should be doing, you just damn well don’t want to. Fine. Clean out an office drawer. Or organize your dvd’s. Or clean the refrigerator. Strike a blow against entropy. I don’t know why, but it works.
#11. Get enough rest. Developers - especially if you’re trying to bootstrap your startup/microISV - work insane hours. There are times when 18 hour workdays make sense, and are right and proper. But week after week, month after month? No. And if it’s your boss, manager, company or corporate culture that is manipulating you into work as an obsession, the most productive thing you can do is tell them to shove it.
#12. Productivity is a means, not an end to and of itself. All of the tactics, all of the blog posts, all of the books, seminars, tools, applications and advice - very much including mine - are just the means to an end, the end being living. If you forget it’s the things you build and the people you love that are the reason for all that productivity, you’ll master the techniques but never hear the music.
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