A Smalltalk Product Company

Christian Haider

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Contents

• The product and the company

• The role of Smalltalk

• Development

• Marketing

• Pricing

• Mistakes

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History

• Contract to do a simple chart program• 1 year (3 man months)• First of its kind -> Market?• smallCharts Trademark• Help Website

• Contract with business newspaper• ½ year (4,5 man months)• Opened company

• Second contract as a company• ½ year (3 man months)• Marketing Website

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The Product

• Examples…

• Each version had a long development• More features

• Better design

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Unique Selling Proposition

• Automates the Chart creation for print• Cheaper• Faster• Later• More correct• More consistent• Simpler• More direct

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Why a Company?

• Independent legal entity (GmbH)

• Partners

• Infrastructure

• Costumer recognition

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The Role of Smalltalk

• None!

• …except• Would not have done initial project

• For remarks that this change was quick

• For exploring external interfaces on the fly

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Being a Company

• Is about profitability

• People

• Organization (transparency)

• Bureaucracy (Government, Internal)

• Partners (explicit Plans and Goals)

• Website, logo

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Development Process

• Needs to be professional

• Delivery

• Testing

• Tracking features, bugs and time

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Marketing

• Find customers

• Get the product known

• Specific target market (Impressum)

• Talk to the decision makers

• Gatherings

• Word of mouth

• Presenting

• Networking with other Start-ups

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Pricing

• Price model• License, rent or lease

• Complexity

• Price level• No competitors

• Costs for the customers are not known

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Mistakes

• No Marketing• Hope on Word-of-mouth advertizing

• Did not want to do Marketing

• Underestimated development time

• Underestimated customer decision process

• GmbH with a Partner