Remarks to Software Forum Dinner Meeting (1997)

#1

Post by hobble » Fri, Jan 17, 2025, 8:21 PM UTC

Remarks to Software Forum Dinner Meeting (1997)
klhess.com

Re: Remarks to Software Forum Dinner Meeting (1997)

#2

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jan 17, 2025, 8:22 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Remarks to Software Forum Dinner Meeting (1997)

#3

Post by turnsout » Tue, Jan 21, 2025, 2:42 PM UTC

Man, so much of this still rings true today. Focusing on the niche where you're an expert; solving a single problem 10X better than the alternative; bootstrapping; focusing on profitability; the importance of focus.

Re: Remarks to Software Forum Dinner Meeting (1997)

#4

Post by twic » Tue, Jan 21, 2025, 3:25 PM UTC

> Being the world expert is vitally important to meeting the new product criteria I’ll discuss in a moment. If you aren’t the world expert, you’re just kidding yourself about your chances for success.

This is interesting. Makes sense. But it's absolutely not part of the modern theory of startups, is it?

Re: Remarks to Software Forum Dinner Meeting (1997)

#5

Post by kragen » Tue, Jan 21, 2025, 3:41 PM UTC

twic wrote: post #4

> Being the world expert is vitally important to meeting the new product criteria I’ll discuss in a moment. If you aren’t the world expert, you’re just kidding yourself about your chances for success. This is interesting. Makes sense. But it's absolutely not part of the modern theory of startups, is it?

If you don't have either investors (he's talking about bootstrapping) or world-class expertise, it's going to be pretty hard to launch a successful startup. You may be thinking of venture-funded startups, but he's not.

Re: Remarks to Software Forum Dinner Meeting (1997)

#6

Post by skmurphy » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 6:11 AM UTC

I heard Ken Hess give this talk at the Software Development Forum back in 1997. He offered some practical insights and inspiring advice for bootstrappers. This was a great talk. Key takeaways:

+ Domain / industry expertise is a key differentiator.

+ Solve a single known problem when launching: be 10X better than current alternatives.

+ Stay focused: continue to ask, "is the task I am working on essential?"

Re: Remarks to Software Forum Dinner Meeting (1997)

#7

Post by skmurphy » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 5:18 PM UTC

Another good perspective on the early days of PC Software is "Software People" (1985) https://www.amazon.com/Software-People-Insiders-Personal-Com... by Doug Carlston who was the founder of Broderbund Software.