For the last 6 years I have been “heads down” furiously working on building web based software for clients, growing our consulting team and building our own intellectual property at White Wall Web.
Even as early as 2003, we were convinced that building web based software had serious benefits to both the licensors and the consumers of software. Over the years White Wall Web have evangelized this view by making claims like “all software will ultimately be web-based” and “synergy through convergence.” These are expressions of my personal view and by extension, our collective.Since then, these ideas have gained increasing popularity and terms such as “software on demand” and “software as a service (SaaS)” have become industry buzz words, assisting in popularizing these notions. At the same time, internationally, internet technology and infrastructure have supported the feasibility of SaaS products being distributed to more and more users of software. The astronomical success of the likes of BaseCamp , SalesForce and Freshbooks (to name just a few well known examples) have made the argument (at least that it can work) conclusive.
At the same time, all the hype around the “Programmable Web,” “Web 2.0,” “Social Networks,” “Web as a Platform” and the latest (most useful term in my view), “Service Orientated Architecture (SOA)” has expressed the excitement amongst the-people-who-understand, that web based applications offer unique opportunities both from a feature and business model perspective. Google and it’s plethora of web based applications has almost single handedly made this thinking pervasive (the “moment of relevance and user generated content” strategy).
Apart from over 50 consulting projects I have personally been involved in, White Wall Web has built up and commercialized four of our own SaaS products*. I remain a director and strategic participator in all of these businesses. This “University of Experience” has therefore afforded me the opportunity to navigate my way through the treacherous waters of high risk (because all software projects are high risk) and into a position where I can claim a (albeit self proclaimed) professorship in “SaaS business and product development.”
I have a bit (a very little bit) more time on my hands these days. Because of my passion for this subject** and a desire to help others to navigate this risky path that promises to begin with an idea and end with a successful business, I have decided to begin a new journey of my own: writing this blog. My dream for this venture is to begin doing speaking engagements on the topic** and have many conversations (face to face and via comments) with others which will help to refine my ideas and perfect this thought framework.
All the while I plan to write (at least) a post a week. I already have approximately 52 weeks planned and it will probably grow (I imagine it will be about one year’s worth of weekly or twice-weekly posts).
I hope to obtain contributions from some of the other brilliant people at White Wall Web, the RAMP group, the vibrant South African tech entrepreneur network and other SaaS experts further a-field. If I can get that right, I believe that it will ensure that SaaSPert.com is a meeting of experts on the topic** and a great resource and experience for everyone who engages with it.
My end goal is to compile all of the posts, conversations, debates and conclusions into a book which will help would-be entrepreneurs to more easily realize success in their SaaS ventures.
My vision is to offer my Thinking-as-a-Service (TaaS anyone? Corny?) to all who engage with my writings.
I am truly energized by the prospect of embarking on this journey and expectant that it will bear fruit for everyone who joins me in it.
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Next Week Teaser:
Next week I will begin the “Starting Out” series and unpack the question “What is SaaS really?” I will answer questions like, “Why is it unique?”, “Is it really new?” and so on…
Full Book Chapter Plan:
This blog and ultimately, the book, is going to be arranged in series categories and each series category will contain various topics that will make up chapters. This is a work in progress and so it may change significantly during the course of the next 52 weeks. However, as I begin each category series, I will try to “firm things up” and make public what the topics will be for that series. The full list is available on the Upcoming Topics page.
Glossary of Terms:
Because this is a technical subject which contains loads of jargon, I will be maintaining and adding to a Glossary page which will evolve over time. Please comment if I use any term that you are unfamiliar with or feel should be added to the Glossary page.
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* Pulse (real estate software), Finassets (financial asset management software), PersonL (recruiter management software) and GamePlan (team productivity and collaboration software).
** Software as a Service (SaaS) and Service Orientated Architecture (SOA)
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