How do I grow? As software publishers, it is the question which is always on our mind. Of course, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, the answer depends on a lot of variables. However, as a software publisher, there is a simple starting point that you can use to systematically determine where to focus your attention so as to grow your software business.

In the past, I have always thought of product strategy as simply “solving problems”. I recently listened to a podcast on iTunes U in which the guest speaker was Scott Kriens of Juniper Networks. Kriens made a brief comment on the evolution of their product strategy which has given me a new perspective [...]

In my recent blog posts, How to Compete with Free (Part 1 and Part 2), I spoke about how to compete with free in terms of differentiation. Differentiation sounds great in a text book, but how does it apply to the small/medium software business that is swamped with development, customer support, and the day-to-day [...]

The premise of my “how to compete with free” post was that the best weapon against “free” is a “better” product. I argued that there are real and perceived benefits that consumers want and are willing to pay for and that the challenge for you as a publisher is to find the benefits that [...]

So, there is a free alternative to your software product… The end is here, your business is doomed. Your only option is to close up shop, layoff your employees, and sell all of your office equipment onCraigslist. There is just no way to compete with free – right? Of course not!