Building a platform or product from scratch takes a lot of time, money, patience and passion. Like any other project, time is of the essence and money is never unlimited. Going live with a new software application is a rush that most people will never experience...the thrill that your product is live, working, and generating real revenue is certainly rewarding, but a lot goes into taking a project from an idea to a functioning piece of software.

 

Building and launching a product is one thing. Growing, scaling, and refining your applications and software based on real client feedback, partner input, and customer demands is one of the most critical activities you will face.

 

• How do I prioritize these requests for modifications? 

• What is my competition doing that we should be considering / ignoring?

• Are we growing our user base and leveraging all of our people an assets to continually improve?

• Do we have a clear roadmap established that lays out the features and fixes necessary to be successful?

• Do we have the necessary resources in-house to get the project done on time and on budget?

• Is my application compliant with GDPR data use and other regulatory obligations?

• What is my repeatable and measurable process for determining the ongoing success of my applications and products?

• What are my biggest risk and opportunities associated with my products and my business?

• What is my plan to mitigate and address those risks? Who else is responsible for the success of my product / business?

• Where can I go for help, mentorship, or to bounce ideas in real-time?

 

Over the last 15 years, Chicago has become home to some of the world's largest and most successful technology start-ups and incubators. Our teams have worked with, founded, invested, or helped start and grow some of Chicago's fastest growing SaaS companies.

 

We've made all the mistakes an entrepreneur can make. We've experienced the best and the worst days from the inside some of Chicago's top companies and learned tough lessons from our first-hand successes and failures. Talking with an experienced entrepreneur about your product or platform can provide invaluable perspective and help you navigate the decisions that are critical to the success of your projects.

 

Removing your emotion from the product design and development process can be hard, but it is critical to realize that your opinions and preferences, when building requirements or refining features mean very little in comparison to the actual data and client feedback from real users. The answers are usually right there in front of us, but there is no more difficult process in the world than checking your ego at the door and taking an honest and fact-based approach to product management. Nobody wants to hear that their "baby is ugly", and quite often that is not the case, but accepting and activating on real client feedback will make your applications and tech better, more easily adopted, and if marketed properly...viral and profitable.

It is just difficult to see opportunities clearly when you are neck deep in the day-to-day detail.

 

Sometimes, all it takes is a step back and a conversation over coffee (or a beer) to spark a fresh idea, get a process "un-stuck", or make that tough decision.

 

Connect with us today and tell us your product story! We're here to listen, make useful introductions, and potentially offer some helpful suggestions that can move you one step closer to your goals.

Starting a conversation is easy and we never charge for an introductory discovery conversation. Let's get connected.