A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

product that barely worked, no sales organization (except tech support, which often works better anyway ), and I just hoped they’d run a credit card. The contract says you retain the IP and are allowed to sell a product like this to other companies. You build the product, then you have your banner customer and go get others.

Customer 231

Customer Software Review IP Technical Review 231

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

APRIL 5, 2010

When we demand overwhelming customer outcry before committing to the slightest product change, we're in danger of losing the value of creating a cool feature that takes too much effort but people just love. Still, every article I read turns the creative process of business and product design into Vulcanian objectivity.

Software Review 226

Software Review Metrics Lean Algorithm 226

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

NOVEMBER 29, 2014

Specifically, waiting a long time for the existing mechanism to keep working, and lucky that nothing stops that slow but predictable growth: the channel doesn’t saturate and get worse, new competitors don’t arise, market conditions don’t make the product less desirable, the economy doesn’t slow, and so on.

Software Review 300

Software Review Technical Review Startup Channel 300

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JANUARY 10, 2011

Photoshop is a great illustration of a product designed to this extreme. (A Build your product specifically for them, even if that means confusing and abusing everyone else. If your product really is good, they’ll give you money and tell other power-users (birds of a feather already forum and Twitter together).

Software Review 232

Software Review Technical Review .Net Design 232

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

APRIL 12, 2010

A disruptive product causes such a large market shift that entire companies collapse (the ones who don't "get it") and new markets appear. It's hard to think of disruptive technologies or products that didn't take many millions of dollars to implement. Disruptive" is the in-vogue word for the opposite of "incremental improvement."

Technical Review 243

Technical Review Software Review Engineer Search 243

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

I found that my product was difficult to express succinctly within the constraints of a small text ad. Of course, I had spoken with people in developing the product. “I’m working on an online software product for deer management and I’m looking to learn from people in the industry and make some connections.

Campaign 272

Campaign Software Review Brazil Conversion 272

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 18, 2015

They have everything: money, brand, momentum, existing customers, press, product teams, distribution channels, expertise, market insight, analysts, sales offices, product features, and, by definition, a working business model. This market is willing to pay far more than cost for this product (else profits wouldn’t be generated).

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Valuation Flash Revenue 120

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 23, 2016

But it seems to me that it’s our duty as entrepreneurs to create companies which leave the world better than we found it, or at least not make it worse, and our duty as employees to invest the majority of our waking hours and the most productive years of our lives in companies that make the world better, not just “hit a number.”

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Viral Metrics Salary 120

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MAY 24, 2010

If someone sues us over your product, you have to pay our legal costs." Are you going to be providing free technical support for this product in perpetuity? What happens if the product is defective?" Once a large business has agreed to buy your product, you are expected to send it to them for free. Support details.

Software Review 233

Software Review Technical Review Sales Software 233

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 23, 2010

Your company is defined by its own strengths, values, customers, and products, not by how it compares with other companies. Our company has core value X that we exude everywhere from our AdWords to our tech support to our product. Defining your company by the competition. Example value: Simplicity. We're going after competitor X.

Software Review 275

Software Review Technical Review Software Advertising 275

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MARCH 27, 2012

Intuitively, we tend to see prices as a consequence of a product’s inherent worth , and marketers everywhere want to keep it that way. Of course you can’t just offer the same product for two different prices. Sure enough, he couldn’t tell the difference, despite one kind of bread costing twice as much as the other.

Sales 279

Sales Software Review RSS Web 279

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

DECEMBER 21, 2009

In one sentence, what does your product do and who buys it? In one sentence, why does someone buy your product? people not knowing you exist, pricing, not enough product features, unorganized sales strategy, look-and-feel of website, haven't identified pain points,). Enjoy product demos but hate cold-calls?

Startup 315

Startup Revenue Cofounder Sales 315

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

Cool ones cease being cool, new products cease being new, the slow-growing startup with a terrific idea is eclipsed by the faster-growing one with weaker ideas, the fast-growing startup by definition changes itself so quickly that year-over-year it’s unrecognizable to those inside it. Companies are constantly changing.

Acquisition 120

Acquisition Technical Review Stock Options Employee 120

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 11, 2010

We're putting a 'Retweet' button inside the product to encourage viral growth.". For example, here's what the founder's ( Josh Baer ) availability looks like: Instead of trading emails with lists of available time-slots, Josh just sends the link to this page and the other person uses the product to schedule a meeting.

Software Review 261

Software Review Technical Review Viral Software Developers 261

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JANUARY 4, 2018

We just announced a few more things. Late last year we passed $100M in annual recurring revenue.

Engineer 152

Engineer Revenue San Francisco Security 152

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 13, 2015

Hint: If you’re not already in the scaling phase, well beyond product/market fit, the answer is: No.). Now you can scale anything — both computers and people — inside your engineering department. Does that 10x the company or create a feature so important that you win your market?

Part-Time VPE 120

Part-Time VPE Hiring Retention Revenue 120

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 12, 2010

It's common for older products to compete on the fact that they have more features than the competition. Indeed, the next company can observe what works well and what doesn't, and than improve on your innovation. End users don't care who thought it up, they just care how it works today. We have the most features.

Intellectual Property 319

Intellectual Property Bootstrapping Software Review Open Source 319

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JUNE 5, 2018

Now let’s see why you can actually charge eight times as much money for the same product. So the next time you want to formulate your product as a way to “save time” or “save money” or “be more efficient” … DON’T! Everyone’s happy!

Product 283

Product PR .Net Lead Generation 283

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 4, 2016

The single most important SaaS metric is retention , because cancellations indicate lack of product/market fit, no matter the cause (price, features, severity of need, duration of need). It even impacts objectively important things which don’t have numeric metrics, such as brand quality and Product relevancy. Once you’re scaling (i.e.

Metrics 270

Metrics Retention Revenue Equity 270

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

I didn’t want to manage managers or figure out what changes, strategies, hirings, products, marketing, and sales were needed to make $100m/year. At Smart Bear I didn’t want to lead a huge company. I didn’t want to relinquish Eclipse and my ability to check in code. That’s exciting to me. This is my new challenge.

Software Review 295

Software Review Startup Cofounder Search 295

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 8, 2019

No matter how optimistic you are about those probabilities, the end product is a small number. This is true of everything from product features to website copy for conversions to avenues for exiting the company years from now. This was an example of “high risk, high reward.” Like startups. Only one of these needs to work!

Affiliate 245

Affiliate Stock Channel Portfolio 245

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MAY 31, 2010

Same message, same product, same pricing, and still taking a dump on Facebook instead of playing by the new rules. They can't change their product, so you can innovate without competition. Like unadaptable dinosaurs, whatever your large competitor is doing now is probably what they'll be doing two years from now, possibly four.

Software Review 243

Software Review Development Team Review Technical Review Software Developers 243

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 31, 2017

Using common metaphors also makes your product UI identical to all the others. There’s no personality, no brand, solidifying the notion that this product is “just another tool” rather than a new way of interacting with a computer. Could you craft something that accelerates the user becoming successful with the product?

Design 191

Design Customer Product Video 191

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

DECEMBER 30, 2013

You are most productive when you’re “in the zone,” a contiguous period of focus, without interruption by human or computer. ”) You are happier and more productive (both!) You are happier and more productive (both!) You are happier and more productive (both!) when you’ve had enough sleep.

Flash 316

Flash Restful Email Demand 316

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 22, 2017

Product teams have been repeating the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) mantra for a decade now, without re-evaluating whether it’s the right way to maximize learning while pleasing the customer. Get it into the market quickly, because real learning occurs only when real customers are using a real product). of something simple.

Customer 336

Customer Video Engineer Social Network 336

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 8, 2011

The Struggling Entrepreneur Podcast , Fred Castaneda for supplying the audio equipment and post-production work. GroupCharger , the community organizer’s secret weapon, for renting out all of Cospace for the event. So take a listen, and let me know in the comments what you liked and what we should do differently.

Cofounder 226

Cofounder Angel Investor Hosting Software Review 226

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JANUARY 18, 2010

Doesn't a founder invent a new product based on her confidence that others will want it? Related posts: Underbelly: What haughty startup bloggers don't tell you How to be the most expensive product on the market The customer is always right? Don't founders forge ahead even when others say success is impossible? But it does make sense.

Software Review 335

Software Review Reputation Software Sales 335

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 12, 2014

Can’t be about product features, they change, grow, and die like cells. What doesn’t change as we grow, and thus binds us together in this journey? If we “go around the world,” changing out every board, what has been conveyed?

Laos 279

Laos Technical Review Startup Engineer 279

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

For example, a new incremental product will launch to your existing customer base, with immediate impact in the millions of dollars — something a small company will take years to accumulate. Companies in the scaling phase feel like this too. In most ways you are moving faster than ever, particularly when you’re moving in a straight line.

Architecture 236

Architecture Government Finance Security 236

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 5, 2013

We looked at all the products in the space and thought, “We can do it better.” After all, if your product is inferior in every way to even one incumbent product, why do it at all? So when someone says their product is “better,” my next question is always: ”Better for whom?”

Distribution 267

Distribution Differentiation Lean Restful 267

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

SEPTEMBER 25, 2012

With all those fully-completed products, it’s a mystery why UserVoice even exists. Don’t ask anyone if they’d pay for your product. Of course they’ll pay; the math is simple: By using your product they’ll save 45 minutes a day. I guess some people are chumps! Maybe they should buy it twice.

Stealth 309

Stealth Database Software Founder 309

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JANUARY 2, 2017

Some things you can see, but also things you cannot. “It is all vital to the life of the tree.” ” What I don’t usually do is talk about the future.

Engineer 203

Engineer Security Networking Sales 203

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 22, 2013

There’s a saying that a great developer is 10x more productive than a mediocre one. A product manager driving consistent, brilliant output driven by salability instead of under-the-hood technical gymnastics. That’s not true. You can’t put 100 average designers on a committee and get a fabulous design, right?

Engineer 257

Engineer Social Media Acquisition Sales 257

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Winning products have at least one attribute that’s 10x better than all competitors (and it’s not necessarily design ). Your best marketing channel is often 10x the productivity of the next-best. And sometimes, changing your policy or product to reduce that set, is a quick and strategic way to generate profit.

Restful 120

Restful Portfolio Channel Business Model 120

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 29, 2017

The difference is that we can see slow code objectively in the profiler and continue to make changes before we commit the code; it’s not so easy when the change is happening to a whole team, or a major product release, or a cross-departmental strategic initiative. Even deciding what to change is hard.

Demand 159

Demand Employee Management Product 159

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MAY 3, 2010

As far as I know, a "solution" just means product and/or service, so the word doesn't add information anyway. The misuse is to too widespread, the abuse too deep. So what should you do instead? Be specific. Many of the dead words weren't especially illustrative to begin with. Instead, be specific and inspire me.

Software Review 279

Software Review Technical Review Security Advertising 279

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 29, 2011

Another way your experience can hamper you is that selling different products into the same industry is different. But your outmoded ideas prevent you from addressing the market as it is today , allowing a competitor to beat you with innovative advances they achieve exactly because they’re not shackled by old ideas.

Lean 269

Lean Software Software Developers Software Development 269