Unless you’re seriously into computer systems, chances are you won’t have heard much about something called meta-data. Meta-data holds the promise of different cloud platforms seamlessly interacting with each other and it is going to be increasingly important for the way you run your business. In the old days, computer systems were totally self-contained. Your inventory management system ran on its own separate machine and had its own separate reports. Likewise your accounting system, your customer contact system, and everything else that dealt with electronic data. Even today, companies spend significant sums of money paying people to pull data from lots of different systems and bring it all together inside Excel. Basically you chose your specialist package, paid your money, and learned to live with it. Read the rest of this entry »
Delivering a Useful Product
“If you’re not embarassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.”
Reid Hoffman – Founder, LinkedIn
Reid Hoffman – Founder, LinkedIn
I understand that quote and in my gut, I agree with it. But it’s a really hard thing to do. Coming from a sales and marketing background, I know that you only have one chance to make a first impression. And if someone isn’t immediately impressed with your product, you may not get another chance. So how do you decide when to launch your product? Read the rest of this entry »