Micro-ISV: From Vision to Reality

I read this book after about ten years of running my own ISV, and while there weren't any huge surprises, it still had a number of helpful items in it. I like the fact that Bob goes into a number of useful tools (both software and otherwise), and that the book has lots of screenshots and graphics. The sidebars include lots of interviews, and while many of the people interviewed are obviously pushing their own products, it's always nice to be able to read many different perspectives in a single book. It's a good overview of running a small software company - I recommend it.

Did you know that certain companies offer a free single-developer-license, banking on business generated when you succeed ? Well *I* didn't, so the book has already paid for itself and I'm not done with chapter 2 yet !

I have a number of professional colleagues who have gone the route of becoming micro-ISVs or ISV (independent software vendors). While I know it's a lot of work, I don't think I realized exactly what all goes into that. Bob Walsh has what I would consider a "must read" title if you're in that area or thinking of going down that path... Micro-ISV: From Vision to Reality. Contents: Having a Vision; Developing the Micro-ISV Way; Presenting the Product; Business is Business; Focusing on the Customer; Welcome to Your Industry; What Happens Next?; Appendix; Index The fact I'm reading this doesn't mean I'm contemplating quitting my day job. :) Apress sent me the book and it looked interesting enough that it ended up in my backpack for reading while at work. What I found inside was a lot of wisdom and advice that can give the small entrepreneur a fighting chance to succeed on their own. Not only has Walsh traveled this path before, but he's enlisted the advice of a number of other successful micro-ISVs in the way of stories and interviews. The overall result is that you get an extremely realistic view of what you will encounter if you choose this path. He deals with everything from the motivation behind the decision to launch your own business, to best practices in setting up your development environment to lay the groundwork for future growth (and less headaches), to how coexist with the 800-pound gorilla in the room known as Microsoft. Even if you're not thinking of going independent, there are a number of websites he covers that are nearly worth the price of the book. For instance, there are sites where you can get stock photography to use to create nice websites (without paying a bundle in royalties). There are sites that cover the competitive landscape of your customers and competitors, which is just good business practice to follow regardless of who's writing your paycheck. He even talks about how you can set up automated feeds to scan for mentions of your site/company/product in news and blogs. Again, an excellent practice to follow for more than just small development companies. This is one of those books that goes on a short "homework" pile for me. Now that I've read the book, I need to go back through it at my computer and bookmark the sites that grabbed my attention. And if I were ever to contemplate striking out on my own, my first task would be to re-read this book and start taking serious notes. It's money well spent to swing the odds in your favor. A recommended read...

I highly recommend this book for any one who is either contemplating or already embarked on the Micro-ISV journey. This is a very readable, inspirational and practical book. The chapters are well structured and define clear stages of the uISV process. I discovered many items of priceless information that I would have never known about if it were not for this book. In addition to all the information contained within the text there are many useful links to external resources relating to the material. The final chapter contains interviews with many uISVs at various stages of growth. This really helps to emphasise many of the key messages and themes discussed earlier in the book. Since first reading the book I have already found myself returning to it again and again for reference. Congratulations to Bob Walsh for producing such an excellent book. Samuel Warwick www.odin.co.uk

I am co-owner in a small software company and I found this book to be invaluable. It has nuts-and-bolts information that you just can't find anywhere else. I'm just upset that the author didn't write the book 2 years ago when we were starting out. It would have saved us a lot of time and money. Don't even think about starting a small sofware company without reading this book.