DaveBirchall.com on Business Technology

Archive for the ‘Start Ups’ Category

Dave Birchall: Tim, you’ve recently gone to market with your social networking solution for the business environment. What exactly does that mean?

Tim Ayling: We don’t really like the term social networking, as it’s more associated with time-wasting. We’ve called it Social Business Integration – it’s more about getting value from those enterprise applications that companies have spent so much on… like CRM, ERP, document management and more. We just see the Twitter-like interface as the best to encourage people to use them. So people receive “tweets” from these applications, such as “Dave Birchall has closed a deal with ABC Corp for $500,000″ or “Tim Ayling has closed a Severity 1 support call with XYZ Ltd”… in essence we want to be the pulse of our customers. When their employees want a quick snapshot of what’s happening in the company, they can go to their homepage and see who is doing what. There’s huge value in that – recognising performance, generating internal competition, and creating heroes in a company

DB: Why Platform 46? Is there a Platform 47 out soon?

TA: You have no idea how many times I’ve been asked what the 46 is! We wanted the word Platform in our name as we wanted to express a place where people meet other people, like a railway platform. I was reading an article about the history of IT and discovered the first computer was finished in 1946. The CEO of our first customer called me a geek when I told him that. I like being a geek!

DB: Many people in the industry dream of running with their own venture. What got you here?

TA: Great question. I think there are a few things. Firstly, I had an idea. I don’t actually think an original idea is necessary, as long as you do it well. But that’s how I started. Secondly, I took that idea to people I respect, who validated it. One of those is my co-founder and CTO, Rich Atkinson. Thirdly, we took it to customers and partners and we haven’t had many knock-backs so far. I read somewhere that there are three things you need to start a company… a market, good people and a good product. On that basis, I think we’re off to an excellent start

DB: What social networks do you belong to?

TA: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I’m on Plaxo too, but never use it. I used to favour Facebook but since moving to a Mac and downloading “Tweetie”, I’m hooked.

DB: How many tweets a day is too many?

TA: Depends what’s going on really. I can go a week without tweeting. But then have a good day and I’ll do three or four. I’ve passed the Platform 46 tweeting responsibility to Rich. I think giving him the password secretly made him happy!

DB: You’re a fellow ‘Pommie’. What do you make of the software technology scene over here?

TA: I’ve got two passports now actually, and proud to be an Aussie. I still support England in the cricket though! I like the scene here – it’s much more of an underground movement here than in the UK. I didn’t realise the entrepreneurship spirit in Sydney until we started Platform 46, but it’s huge when you look for it. In the UK it’s much more obvious.

DB: What challenges have you faced that you didn’t expect to have to deal with?

TA: Two things have surprised me. Firstly, it was a challenge leaving full-time work to start at Platform 46. It’s a big step that you have to make, especially with a young family that I have. Secondly, I find the speed of going to market a challenge, as we have so many ideas and I want to do it all now. I’m not a developer, and Rich is. He keeps my feet on the floor and sets the realistic timeframes.

DB: How do you see social software evolving in the next ten years?

TA: There’s obviously a big push for consumer-based networks like Facebook to be integrated into the workplace… SocialCRM is the next “big thing” we’re told. But I’m not sure companies are ready for that. I blogged on the Platform 46 website recently that companies aren’t seeing value from standard CRM yet, so they can’t be ready to socialise it. That’s part of the value that we’re offering – a lightweight social network (in the absence of better terminology) that is all about adding value to existing apps. We think CRMs will be key to the success of our company.

One thing people forget is that social networks have been around for longer than Facebook. I was a member of Friends Reunited back in ‘97… So who knows what the next social network will be.

More info on Platform 46 can be found here

http://www.platform46.com/

Startup Company Lawyer.

Thought I would share this with the group. A great resource for the start up community and even has a term sheet generator (see tab on left column)

Starting on Friday a mixed group of professionals from the start up scene will be attending Australia’s first ’start up camp.’

The ideas is to come up with a concept, and research it, plan it, implement it then pitch it and market it all in one weekend.

Obviously, we will be atking some serious shortcuts so the product will be discarded at the end of the weekend but the process that we will follow is important.

You can follow our progress at

http://www.startup-australia.org/startupweekendschedule

http://www.startup-australia.org/startupweekendcoverage

There’s a great new google group over at

http://groups.google.com/group/silicon-beach-australia

There seems to be an enormous amount of buzz in the Australian start up scene at the moment which is great.

I am just getting news on some new funding availability so I will investigate and post details back shortly.

As a software development company, we are mostly asked to either ‘boldly go where no other pre – existing solution has gone before’ or to assist start up companies to develop their idea and convert dreams into functionality.

In the later case, its often true to say that the project sponsor has developed the platform in prototype form using a highly accelerated design environment. As the business takes off and the number off users increases, attention turns to more business related activities and the focus is taken off development in favor of marketing, PR, accounting company structure and a whole gambit of other activity.

Its at this critical point in the role out that cracks can start to appear in the design and the original architecture of the system. The company is put under pressure to address technical issues along with a whole raft of other challenges that come with the launch of the new start-up. To further complicate things, the system can be poorly documented which means that outsourcing the project to a third party is a further investment in time.

In my experience, start ups have a tendency to shy away from software development companies for the simple reason that cost is a chief concern. Ironically, this approach can cost businesses money in the long term and sometimes even in the development phase of the role out.

Sadly few technology start ups are aware of the enormous benefits of outsourcing the development from the beginning and may even have some false perceptions about what it involves. What follows is a ten point guide to address some of the aspects of outsourcing that may not have previously considered.

1) Large development teams – Some iterations of your development will be suited to a lead developer and some may be suited to a entry level or graduate developer. If you have a variety of skill sets in your team, you can assign the right person to the right task, hence saving money.

2) Code Re-use. Any development house worth their salt will have accumulated a code library from previous projects. Code can be reused and tailored rather than written line by line. This not only accelerates development but makes for a leaner and more cost effective delivery.

3) Code check in and check out – Teams adopting Agile development methodology will be building several parts of your project at the same time. How do you know that what is written by team A is compatible with what is written by team B? A reputable developer will adopt the practice of ‘checking in’ the code regularly to check code consistency. This can drastically reduce the elapsed time and therefore cost of the development. An investment needs to be made in terms of software and hardware to make this cost effective.

4) Design Phase – Your team of choice should have expertise to bring to the table. In the design phase the team should suggest functionality you may not have previously considered and to give you a reality check on ideas that are unworkable. They should also build with the life cycle of the product in mind. A system intended to last five years would be built in a different way that a proof of concept.

5) Technology Partners – There is a growing trend to look towards emerging markets for the provision of development days. The belief seems to be that development days are becoming commoditised. To me this is missing the point by a mile. Your chosen developers should be your ‘technology partners’. They need to guide you through the experience every step of the way and more importantly, to get your feedback and input as the project comes together. Some robust conversations may even happen along the way but the dialogue need to remain open as you work towards your common goals.

7) Success rate. Theres a common phrase that gets banded around my office. ‘In software development you are only as good as you last job.’ Think about it, if you had a 100% success record Its in your interest keep your reputation clean. Chose a company that is as passionate about the project as you are. They will be careful to select the job as they need to be confident that they can deliver. You may even need to work hard sell them the concept.

8)  Intellectual Property. Yes, you can outsource your development whilst retaining your IP. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. A Non Disclosure Agreement may put your mind at rest and this should be a standard procedure for a quality software development firm.

9) Project Management The development will most likely involve some degree of Project Management and testing before release. These are difficult skills to acquire for a small in-house team.

10) Transparency – Perhaps the biggest fear that people encounter is the fear of the unknown. How is my project progressing? How much time has elapsed in each iteration? Are we ahead or behind schedule? A reputable company will provide transparency at each step of the way. Our approach is to hold regular iteration planning meetings with clients as well as to provide full access to the project reports via a web based account

Conclusions

Projects can and often can be run successfully in-house but it is important to be aware of the pitfalls. Software development requires a unique blend of skills that can be hard to resource for and in a tight skills market this it can be doubly difficult. It can in fact be liberating to distance oneself from the day to day difficulties and challenges of the project and be allowed to get on with the business of being in business.

When I talk to people who have successfully started a business and made profit, the same key questions always come to mind.

What have you learned along the way that you didn’t see coming?
To what do you attribute your success?

Some common themes emerge and I will share them with you now.

• Things always take longer than you thought they would.
• Things are always much more complexed than you ever imagined.
• People often spend more than they though they would.

So given all that, what is the common denominator of success? Some would argue that its bringing the right sort of expertise on board and having them buy into your idea. Whilst there’s an enormous amount of truth in this, you can’t achieve this without what I believe to be the real key to success.

You need to have an unbending belief in your idea.

You need to stand strong when all the doubters try and talk you out of it. You need to hold true to your course when people tell you your have drifted off course. Can you convince the funders? What about technology partners? What about your spouse or even the media?

If you enjoy what you do and you believe in your idea, the passion will come out without even trying.

So ask yourself…

What do I like doing?

I stumbled across this interview that I thought summed this up nicely.

I am actively involved with Technology Startups in Australia, not only through various groups  but by partnering with commercialisation managers, IP attournies and Business consultants, My company is able to prototype and build business systems and net generation websites for the the next generation of Australian Entrepreneurs.