Are There 2000 Customers for You?

Jason Fried with 37Signals wrote this interesting take on their iPad app DRAFT offering this year: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20101101/go-ahead-raise-your-businesss-prices.html

Take a minute and wander over, it's good stuff.

While it is a great idea for those that have limited products and limited customer base, the only BIG lesson here: know your market, and more importantly, know yourself.

Jason's small company admittedly wasn't using a product to garner additional customers. In fact, this was just an ADD-ON to their already in existence Campfire products.

This example is worthless to most business folks.

1. They ARE trying to draw more (Jason has a built-in customer base).

2. It means little to those that don't have inter-connected product lines (this had a specific design structure, it works specifically with Basecamp).

3. They are not trying to draw other customers in (only the RIGHT customers, Jason says).

There is NOTHING wrong with such a niche-specific offering and it being offered at the price point they did. It was smart. Too cheap (FREE) and it devalues their current offerings, too much and who buys?

If you had 2,000 dedicated customers and knew they were willing to pay $10 for such an app, what's next?

I'm guessing, bundled into current offerings at reduced price. Right?

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Slow Death or Rebirth for Myspace?

Are we really watching the slow inevitable death of Myspace? With the integration with Facebook complete and the push towards what appears to be a mobile only function , isn't it time to call this one? One report says that Myspace is making $200 million less this year. They are functionally giving up on Myspace Music , which was always their bread and butter. Without the music tie in, why would people BOTHER with Myspace? I'm talking about it because my wife's band has used every medium known to mankind to promote themselves online and Myspace has been nothing but dead weight from the very beginning. Only bands and their most ardent fans go there. The rest are on Facebook. There is talk of selling Myspace, but who in their right mind would consider it? This will have some interesting implications for bands down the road. Many use Myspace as their de facto website, just pushing their domain name onto the customizable site. Now apparently, Reverbnation , a North Carolin

Check out my appearance on the The Toddcast Podcast

Click and watch the podcast recording of my appearance on the Toddcast Podcast Such a fun time!

New Life

It's weird, sad and slightly freeing. I've been headed towards a completely different life for a lot longer than I even knew. It took me a while to catch up to realize it was happening. Thankfully, I was cognizant enough to see it finally and mostly ready for it. It's amazing when you have the rug completely pulled out from underneath you. The adjustments are jarring. I made mistakes, but like most I learned from them, adapted, and tried my best to do better. The reason you see that truck next to a storage place? That's the sum of my life right now. Never take for granted that you will work hard for something or someone, and it will end up meaning very little. You are guaranteed nothing, owed nothing, promised nothing. Anything and everything can be taken away in a heartbeat. I wrote this to my kids a while back: I tried to be the best father I could be based on what I knew when I knew it and how I could. One of the lessons for your life needs to be: you need to b

Todd Lyden

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