Startup Tip: Simplify Software Features and Iterate More Often

My experience with crowdSPRING over the past several years has proven to me that with few exceptions, startups must keep their feature-sets simple and release software more often so that they can iterate and leverage feedback from users. Time and time again, we’ve made the mistake of over-thinking a feature only to learn that we didn’t do a good job planning and took far too long to release that feature.

Over the past three months, we’ve done a better job – simplifying our scope and iterating more often. It’s clear to me that what we’re doing now – simple, focused features followed by iteration – is the best way for startups to operate. I explain why in the following video.

Do you agree that startups should simplify features and iterate more often?

Startup Tip – What I Would Have Wanted To Know About Data Migration

This is the last of a 3 part video series discussing software technologies and data migration. In part 1, I talked about selecting software technologies for your startup. In part 2, I talked about what to do if your existing software technology just isn’t good enough. In this video, I share what I would have wanted to know about data migration before refactoring our software to a new language and platform.

Startup Tip: What To Do If Your Existing Software Technology Just Isn’t Good Enough

In yesterday’s video, I offered five suggestions to help you pick the best technologies for your startup. But what do you do if the technology you pick doesn’t work for you later on? We recently struggled with this issue at crowdSPRING and completely refactored 100% of our code, moving from PHP to Python. In this video, I offer suggestions on what to do when you find that your existing technology just isn’t good enough.

Tomorrow, I’ll talk about the challenge of migrating customer data – something that any established startup must face when changing software and/or platforms.

Startup Tip: Selecting Software Technologies For Your Startup

You have a great idea for an Internet startup – and maybe even seed funding – but how do you pick the right software to power your startup? I offer 5 suggestions in the following video, based on my experience with crowdSPRING.

Over the next two days, I plan to cover two closely related topics for technology startups: knowing when it’s time to make a change to a better platform (when you realize your initial software doesn’t scale well), and the challenge of migrating customer data.

And if you have additional suggestions or questions – please feel free to leave a comment.