Software By Rob

APRIL 13, 2010

Our goal is to help non-venture-backed, bootstrapped startups, microISVs and Micropreneurs. Join nearly 6,000 startup entrepreneurs by subscribing to my RSS feed. My new podcast launches today. It’s called Startups for the Rest of Us. My co-host is Mike Taber, the guy behind SingleFounder.com.

Restful 46

Restful Software Review RSS Startup 46

Software By Rob

JULY 1, 2010

In a traditional business this means offering non-commodity products and services. The lesson: create a written for everything in your business, even if you’re the only person doing the work. Valuable John talks about having a product that’s valuable to your customers.

Software Review 54

Software Review RSS Startup Vertical 54

Software By Rob

JANUARY 12, 2010

Is it so low because it’s advertising? Targeted advertising, but advertising nonetheless I suppose. #6 Is it so low because it’s advertising? Having done little advertising on the other PPC networks I would assume they would fall in with #8. That completely makes sense to me. 6 Rex Dixon on 01.13.10

Software Review 55

Software Review Marketing Startup PPC 55

Software By Rob

AUGUST 25, 2010

If they had done it for the money they would have stopped long before they became an overnight success five years of non-stop practice later. Heading out from school to hone your songwriting skill is not on the radar for most high schoolers. But they did it because they loved writing music.

Software Review 65

Software Review Germany RSS Software Developers 65

Software By Rob

JULY 20, 2010

“How to Win Friends…&# was an eye-opener for me and in fact the very first book which was recommended to me ever since I started reading books in this non-fiction genre. I agree with Dustin. But books are vastly subjective! Your site-blog looks cool…I am feeding it to my RSS. Leave a Comment Building Your Startup?

Software Review 41

Software Review RSS Software Developers Software Development 41

Software By Rob

AUGUST 11, 2009

The Differentiators The areas that kill the most time when consuming open source software are: Installation process Documentation Support Usability I’m sure we can all point out a handful of open source projects that have decent documentation and decent usability. How to Compete Against Open Source Competition | Software by Rob [.] #2

Open Source 62

Open Source Software Review Non-Compete Software 62

Software By Rob

OCTOBER 29, 2009

The Findings Five days later Patrick had 250 responses and enough information to decide on a name, but let the survey run because he was receiving solid information from the other (non-naming) survey questions, as well as leads who were interested in being notified when the app launched. Product naming is hard. Subscribe via RSS On Twitter?

Product Name 46

Product Name Naming Product Software Review 46

Software By Rob

OCTOBER 15, 2009

A Weeding Out of Sorts What’s happened as the press has turned its attention to the next big thing is that the long-tail of blogs, the thousands of new blogs created each day by non-techies looking to announce what they ate for lunch has waned, and they have now gathered on Facebook or Twitter to talk about that important second meal of the day…among (..)

Software Review 49

Software Review RSS Software Developers Software Development 49

www.virtuosimedia.com

MARCH 8, 2012

Look at the market size and the number of competing products. Research the cost of advertising your product. Look at online advertising rates for your potential product keywords, industry publications ad rates, search engine optimization fees, and any other advertising avenues you’d like to pursue.

Technical Cofounder 41

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Technical Review NDA 41

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JANUARY 11, 2010

Then one day I read a comment on Darren Rowse’s blog by a guy who created a point system to keep himself blogging, consistently, and motivated and I was electrified by the idea putting “actionable guides and discussions” together with “measurable progress you could see, share, and compete with in a friendly way.”

Entrepreneur 225

Entrepreneur Social Media Software Web 225

crowdSPRING Blog

JANUARY 13, 2012

It’s no secret that visitor data measured by Alexa, Compete and others is flat our wrong – [link]. Legal Contracts for Software Developers Who Hate Contracts (w/free contract template tco use today) – [link]. 40 Effectively Designed Non-Profit and Charity Web Sites – [link].

Social Media 93

Social Media Small Business Design Media 93

conversionxl.com

SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

The traditional method of product development, known as the waterfall model , the design and creation of a product follows a very liner, and sequential process. Though the waterfall model is specifically to software development, it’s core principles resonate beyond software and into startups across the board.

Customer Development 60

Customer Development Conversion Developer Customer 60

Software By Rob

APRIL 21, 2010

at 4:43 pm I’d love to write an automated comment moderator, which downvoted or otherwise penalized brainless and non-constructive comments. This post was cool to reflect on how much I’ve learnt and am still learning about myself, and people… thanks! #9 9 Chris Pearce on 05.02.10 10 Tim Cull on 05.06.10

Software Review 65

Software Review RSS Software Developers Software Development 65

Software By Rob

DECEMBER 23, 2008

Consider this the Year in Review for Software by Rob. The Five Minute Guide to Becoming a Freelance Software Developer “This advice is intended for someone looking to become a freelance software developer or web designer (or looking to start a small web design/development/consulting firm).

Software Review 27

Software Review Software Product Technical Review 27

crowdSPRING Blog

AUGUST 4, 2010

Interesting perspective on why New York City could never compete in tech – [link]. Stupid vs Smart: Diesel Typography Advertisements – [link]. The Key to Non-Profit Website #Design : An Attempt for a Cause – [link]. 46 Amazing Examples of Public Awareness Advertising – [link].

Social Media 92

Social Media Small Business Design Media 92

Software By Rob

OCTOBER 14, 2010

My first SaaS web app ( https://amberleafapp.com ) launched a few months ago, in completely the wrong way: non-existent marketing, no pre-launch mailing list, etc. . #10 Chris Blunt on 10.15.10 at 4:14 am Hey Rob, Great article, and once again I only wish I’d read it a few months ago!

Software Review 77

Software Review Marketing Technical Review Software 77

Software By Rob

AUGUST 18, 2010

Plenty of advertising systems work well on 0.8%. #4 So if you can’t immediately profit from freeloaders (think gmail and advertising) don’t invite them in at all. #8 While plenty of advertising systems work on 0.8%, this simply requires more traffic than most non-funded products are able to achieve by offering a free plan.

Software Review 78

Software Review Software Revenue Cofounder 78

Software By Rob

AUGUST 5, 2010

You own a wall of books, or perhaps a Kindle or iPad bulging at the edge of its hard disk with non-fiction you’ve earmarked for future reading. Pop vs. non-pop business books isn’t the problem, it’s the attitude that there are ‘secrets’ to getting rich other than the obvious: work hard, be smart, and be lucky. #12

Founder 78

Founder Startup Software Review Software 78

Software By Rob

MARCH 12, 2009

But there’s one more lesson here, and it’s for software companies (including Micropreneurs): don’t have a license agreement that screws your customers. If you advertise a product as “royalty-free,&# mean what you say; don’t hide things in a license agreement just because no one reads them.

Software Review 31

Software Review Ruby Distribution RSS 31

Software By Rob

DECEMBER 3, 2009

Ruben: A couple of things: The amount of time I’ve spent on non-development activities throughout this whole thing. That may not sound like a lot but when you’re a nobody and don’t have any connections, it’s amazingly hard to get people to pay attention to your product. Rob: What has been the most unexpected part of the process?

Software Review 44

Software Review Software Design RSS 44

Software By Rob

JULY 14, 2009

Start with non-critical tasks and be very specific in how they should be executed. Every time… Avoiding This Roadblock The best way is to to start small, gain comfort with a contractor, and gradually increase the amount you outsource. Outsourcing is a learned skill, and you’re likely to screw it up your first time around.

Software Review 44

Software Review Startup HTML RSS 44

maplebutter.com

JANUARY 8, 2013

Non of this academic stuff. Create a strong brand, solid social community, sell advertising. Entrepreneurs always struggle with competing priorities and manage expenses very closely. I’m a web designer but I need to find a dependable software developer to team with. What are the other essentials? P.S. Do #1.

Technical Review 44

Technical Review Startup Cofounder Software Review 44

blog.expensify.com

APRIL 24, 2012

Microsoft started down this path when they were the only game in town, explicitly to maintain their monopoly by making it as hard as possible to either port Windows apps to non-Windows platforms, or to even conceive of how to do it in the first place. Basically, the lesson in this guys argument is entirely non-technical. Get a grip.

Java 107

Java PHP Software Review Coder 107

sivers.org

JUNE 25, 2010

Sometimes non-programmers arent very good at anticipating where there might be problems, so it makes sense to give a very high-level overview of what you expect to happen after the first milestone, and the programmer will know if any follow-up is necessary. Sandcastle is a software development service for entrepreneurs.

CTO Hire 84

CTO Hire Hiring Software Review Technical Review 84

Software By Rob

SEPTEMBER 22, 2009

There are many ways to get there that don’t involve VC funding: Micropreneurship is the route I’ve chosen, Joel Spolsky’s done well with a traditional software company and 37signals has done well with a non-traditional software company.

Marketing 50

Marketing Software Review Technical Review Startup 50