At the beginning of starting my software development consultancy I was on the lookout for like-minded companies that shared my values and goals - and one of the first I discovered was Atomic Object [https://atomicobject.com/]. I loved how they positioned themselves, and how they didn't beat around the
A reader asked me an interesting question about this topic, so I thought I should write about source code and IP ownership. However first and foremost, I ain’t a lawyer, and these laws can vary from country to country - so please ensure you confirm this yourself and your
I’m not sure if living user story documentation is something anyone else does, but I want to talk about why it evolved in my agency, the benefits we saw, and how we implemented it. ✅Since writing this article I've released Userdoc - and AI-infused requirements management tool to help
Competing based on charging less than your competitors can help you get your business off the ground, but in the long term, undercutting using pricing is a race to the bottom, and there is always someone in the world who can run faster than you. Instead of using price, position
A turning point for my agency was when we introduced a project workshop for all new projects. But before I get into that, let me tell you about the good old days... In the early years I would do anything to impress a potential new client, I was very confident
Sales. I'll be honest, it's a topic I have been avoiding because its just so BIG. Instead I am going to start with a small chunk of sales - with something that greatly impacted my agency. > "People influence people. Nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend.
I'm sure out there somewhere there have been software developers who started their own successful agencies with little to no industry experience, but for me it was definitely a matter of 'stacking the bricks'. Meaning I needed to accrue certain experiences over a number of years to ultimately be confident
There are just a handful of software agencies which I took inspiration from for my own business, and Tighten [https://tighten.co/] was certainly one of those. A technically focused agency that also cares about humans, Tighten has worked with some well-known clients and are leaders in their chosen technology
Do you need a co-founder to run an agency? Do you need a partner in the business, with skin in the game just like you? This is a controversial topic in the startup world, we have Paul Graham saying the number #1 mistake he sees in startups is only having
Apologies in advance, this article is not a step-by-step guide on how to build a consulting company to a cool 1 million - it is in fact a book recommendation. The book is aptly titled Million Dollar Consulting: The Professional's Guide to Growing a Practice [https://alanweiss.com/shop/books/
Instead of pretending to be big, your small software agency should be honest and proud of its size. You have strengths that larger agencies don't have, and in my experience if you play to those strengths, then small can achieve great things. > "A small law firm, accounting firm, or ad
We build web and mobile applications - that's the generic website tagline 90% of your competitors will have. They all look the same, all talk the same, and are all pitching for the same clients as you are. > "If everybody is doing it one way, there's a good chance you