The Startup Success Podcast

This week Bob and Pat talk to Cathy Tullysmith, founder of Opscotch about her new startup to help companies manage a helpdesk. Opscotch is a pure Saas system that’s incredibly easy to try, so if you are interested, just go to http://www.opscotch.com/ and check it out. Cathy is also the founder of http://www.techecards.com/, a site that owes inspiration to Bob and that drives a surprising amount of traffice to Opscotch.

Bob talks about the dangers of growing too slowly – unless that’s exactly what you want to do.

Patrick talks about the Professional Developer Conference (much of the content will be available online), where many announcements about Microsoft’s cloud platform, Windows Azure, are expected. Even if you don’t use Microsoft’s cloud, you should probably be looking at cloud computing.

Download Show #44 here: Show #44 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Please call in your suggestions, comments and constructive criticisms to our Listener Hotline at 206-202-6473. When you call, tell us if it’s okay to play your comment in our podcast.

The Startup Success Podcast

This week Bob and Pat talk Renn Vara, Co-founder of SNP Communications about how corporate communications has changed in the last few years, how to handle a major public crisis in your startup, why founders are above all communicators and more.

Bob kicks off the show with three time myths you need to stop believing in, and Pat has two excellent resources for startups who want to get more out of Microsoft, and a request for any of our listeners going to Microsoft’s Professional Developer Conference.

Download Show #43 here: Show #43 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Please review it on iTunes: we need your feedback!

Please call in your suggestions, comments and constructive criticisms to our Listener Hotline at 206-202-6473. When you call, tell us if it’s okay to play your comment in our podcast.

Bob Walsh is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Show Notes:

URLs mentioned in this episode of the Startup Success Podcast:

• BubbleTimer.com
• SNP Communications
• Microsoft Most Valuable Professional program.
• The Region: News and Views of Microsoft Regional Directors.

This week’s show…

… Is sponsored by StartupToDo.com. StartupToDo.com is an online productivity app and community for startup founders, microISVs and anyone who wants to create their own software company in less time, with less wasted effort and far better results. Be successful faster at StartupToDo.com!

The Startup Success Podcast

This week Bob and Pat talk with Rob Walling and Mike Taber, founders of the Micropreneur Academy, an online training program for people who want to become microISVs. Rob and Mike are software entrepreneurial veterans and have designed a powerful online learning environment that delivers real value at a very reasonable price.

(Bob’s Disclaimer: While some may think my StartupToDo.com and Rob’s Micropreneur Academy are competitors who should be biting and clawing at each other for your money, neither of us see it that way. If you’re serious about building a software business you should buy both! )

Pat talks about something startups may have missed in the hoopla over System 7, namely Beta 2 of Visual Studio 2010 and the .NET Framework 4, and Bob talks about a third new resource for startups – with a precautionary warning.

Download Show #42 here: Show #42 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Please review it on iTunes: we need your feedback!

Please call in your suggestions, comments and constructive criticisms to our Listener Hotline at 206-202-6473. When you call, tell us if it’s okay to play your comment in our podcast.

Bob Walsh is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Show Notes:

URLs mentioned in this episode of the Startup Success Podcast:

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, beta 2
• The Micropreneur Academy
• StartupToDo.com
• Answers.Onstartups.com

This week’s show…

… Is sponsored by StartupToDo.com. StartupToDo.com is an online productivity app and community for startup founders, microISVs and anyone who wants to create their own software company in less time, with less wasted effort and far better results. Be successful faster at StartupToDo.com!

The Startup Success Podcast

This week we break format and Bob grills Pat on if and why Microsoft Windows 7 matters to Startups and MicroISVs. Put aside the marketing and hype and the reflexive Microsoft hating: is Windows 7 just a rehash of Vista? Exactly what opportunities exist for startups in Windows 7?

And, Pat covers a few specifics for startups interested in being Windows 7 compatible.

Download Show #41 here: Show #41 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Please review it on iTunes: we need your feedback!

Please call in your suggestions, comments and constructive criticisms to our Listener Hotline at 206-202-6473. When you call, tell us if it’s okay to play your comment in our podcast.

Bob Walsh is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Show Notes:

URLs mentioned in this episode of the Startup Success Podcast:

• Frontrunner for ISVs: http://msdev.com/frontrunner
• .NET framework: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/default.aspx
• Boot from VHD: http://blogs.technet.com/keithcombs/archive/2009/05/22/dual-boot-from-vhd-using-windows-7-and-windows-server-2008-r2.aspx
• Windows 7 for developers: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/default.aspx
• Windows Server 2008 R2: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/default.aspx
• IIS: http://www.iis.net/
• New version of IIS (7.5 – Patrick misspoke and said 7.1) in R2/Windows 7: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/iis-r2.aspx
• Biggby coffee: http://www.biggby.com/
• Jennifer Marsman’s blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/jennifer/

This week’s show…

… Is sponsored by StartupToDo.com. StartupToDo.com is an online productivity app and community for startup founders, microISVs and anyone who wants to create their own software company. Be successful faster at StartupToDo.com!

The Startup Success Podcast

This week Bob and Pat talk with Derek Sivers, founder of CDBaby about creating and then selling CDBaby, his extremely successful approach to business, knowing when to sell, knowing what to start and more. This is one interview you don’t want to miss!

Bob sounds off aboout one useful way to tap the infamous Law API and Pat covers what Microsoft is doing now for LAMP startups and makes the case for open source developers to take a fresh look at Microsoft.

Download Show #40 here: Show #40 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Please review it on iTunes: we need your feedback!

Please call in your suggestions, comments and constructive criticisms to our Listener Hotline at 206-202-6473. When you call, tell us if it’s okay to play your comment in our podcast.

Bob Walsh is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Show Notes:

URLs mentioned in this episode of the Startup Success Podcast:

• FairSoftware.net
• Derek Sivers web site.
• CDBaby – Derek’s old company: Customer page, Musician’s page.
• Derek’s free ebook of Music Marketing Advice.
• MuckWork.
• About NowNowNow.
• Microsoft WebsiteSpark – web site and ScottGu’s announcement.
• Microsoft Web Platform.

This week’s show…

… Is sponsored by StartupToDo.com. StartupToDo.com is an online productivity app and community for startup founders, microISVs and anyone who wants to create their own software company. Be successful faster at StartupToDo.com!

The Startup Success Podcast

In this week’s show, in a burst of shameless self promotion, Pat interviews Bob about his newly launched StartupToDo.com – a training and productivity community for startups and microISVs.

Download Show #39 here: Show #39 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Please review it on iTunes: we need your feedback!

Please call in your suggestions, comments and constructive criticisms to our Listener Hotline at 206-202-6473. When you call, tell us if it’s okay to play your comment in our podcast.

Bob Walsh is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Show Notes:

URLs mentioned in this episode of the Startup Success Podcast:

• StartupToDo.com
• StartupToDo announced at 47hats.

The Startup Success Podcast

This week Bob and Pat talk with Gabriel Torok, founder and president of PreEmptive Solutions, a Java and .Net obfuscator company that’s going in a new direction: instrumenting your software so you can really see how customers use your app without running afoul of privacy concerns. Gabriel has some excellent advice for startups in general; this is one episode not to miss.

Bob shares a secret you can use too, and Patrick gets on the prototyping bandwagon with Microsoft SketchFlow.

Download Show #38 here: Show #38 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Please review it on iTunes: we need your feedback!

Please call in your suggestions, comments and constructive criticisms to our Listener Hotline at 206-202-6473. When you call, tell us if it’s okay to play your comment in our podcast.

Bob Walsh is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Show Notes:

URLs mentioned in this episode of the Startup Success Podcast:

• TextExpander (Mac).
• Direct Access (PC).
• FastFox (PC or Mac)
• Mnemonics
• Mnemonic.
• Medical Mnemonics for iPhone
• 47Hats is a Microsoft BizSpark Partner
• PreEmptive Solutions.
• Microsoft SketchFlow.

The Startup Success Podcast

This week Bob and Pat talk with Ginevra Kirkland, Six Apart Community Manager, about how to care for, nurture, advocate for and grow an online social community. Ginevra has been a Community Manager at Six Apart (makers of the TypePad blogging service) for over five years and is way ahead of nearly all of us on the Social Media curve.

Bob warns of a terrible temptation put in front of startup founders, and Pat explains the power and significance of a single word for startup founders: “no”.

Download Show #37 here: Show #37 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Please review it on iTunes: we need your feedback!

Please call in your suggestions, comments and constructive criticisms to our Listener Hotline at 206-202-6473. When you call, tell us if it’s okay to play your comment in our podcast.

Bob Walsh is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Show Notes:

URLs mentioned in this episode of the Startup Success Podcast:

• Exclusive! Ginevra kindly provided listeners of this podcast the discount code STARTUP09 for 15% off any TypePad account (old or new)

The Startup Success Podcast

This week Bob and Pat talk with Michael Grosse, First Vice President – Wealth Management, of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney on the realities, perils and opportunities that come with startup funding. This is a whole new level of play for most developers, and Michael gets down to specifics of what happens after you get the money.

Bob talks about the advantages and reasons for doing a closed private beta, and Pat points out another nice Microsoft BizSpark benefit – BizSpark Incubation Week for Windows 7 @ Boston Oct. 5th.

Download Show #36 here: Show #36 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Please review it on iTunes: we need your feedback!

Please call in your suggestions, comments and constructive criticisms to our Listener Hotline at 206-202-6473. When you call, tell us if it’s okay to play your comment in our podcast.

Bob Walsh is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Show Notes:

URLs mentioned in this episode of the Startup Success Podcast:

• Aardvark.
• Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.
• You can reach Michael Grosse at michael.s.grosse@smithbarney.com.
• BizSpark Incubation Week for Windows 7 @ Boston Oct. 5th.

The Startup Success Podcast

This week Bob and Pat talk with Matt Mickiewicz, founder of 99designs. 99designs is shaking up the graphic arts industry for emerging and established companies. Matt candidly talks about how 99designs is structured, their strategic direction, and how a crowdsourced business works. Matt’s also the cofounder of SitePoint – a leading IT/graphics site.

Bob talks about why you don’t want to make the mistake he did, and Pat points to how to turn your PC into a multi-os platform and getting your product ready for Windows 7.

Download Show #35 here: Show #35 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Please review it on iTunes: we need your feedback!

Please call in your suggestions, comments and constructive criticisms to our Listener Hotline at 206-202-6473. When you call, tell us if it’s okay to play your comment in our podcast.

Bob Walsh is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com.

Patrick Foley is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Show Notes:

URLs mentioned in this episode of the Startup Success Podcast:

• Dual Boot from VHD Using Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
• Your wrists hurt, you must be a programmer.
• Programming Your Hands.
• Typing Injuries Frequently Asked Questions — Answered.
• A Diagram of what your Workstation should Look Like.
• How do I know if have RSI or carpal tunnel?.
• 99designs.
• http://www.rightscale.com.
• http://aws.amazon.com/.
• Tips on crowdsourcing a project.
• SitePoint’s upcoming book – Host Your Website on the Cloud: Amazon EC2 Made Easy. Pre-order on Amazon, comes out in October.
• Front Runner.
• The Windows 7 Software Logo Program.