• Merch
• Eco-Friendly
• Recycle

At Business of Software we want to make a positive impact to you and your business whilst avoiding a negative impact on the world. This has been made even more clear in the aftermath of the pandemic.

When we moved everything online in 2020 we were left with a mountain of BoS merch that didn’t have a home to go to.

Wake Up. And Breathe…

Silicon Valley Bank – Imagine It Was Just a Dream

The last few days have been some of the most traumatic ever for many in the SaaS and software ecosystem. The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), would undoubtedly been a near extinction event for growth stage software companies across the world. They had become a very significant player in the global tech banking ecosystem and the potential disaster of a very large proportion of software companies not being able to access their funds, whether from customer revenue, equity or debt funding would not only have created chaos, it could well have precipitated a much wider global run on banks.

Fortunately, entrepreneurs, investors, SVB staff, industry bodies and let’s not forget, the US and UK governments, have been fast to move to ensure in different ways that those that banked with SVB are able to access their funds and continue normal operations. Of course, there will challenges to come, but the prospect of so many companies becoming insolvent has been averted.

This was probably the first social media bank run in history and it was not a pretty sight. From the run on the bank being accelerated by talk on social media, the instant experts who knew nothing, the hot takes, the pile ons from anyone who had a point to prove or a score to settle, social media has made the situation much worse. The last few days have been a horrible time to be an entrepreneur, or to work in a tech company, without the constant cacophony of uninformed opinion.

Thankfully, in the US and UK at least, there is some clarity now. Other countries are likely following their leads. We hope for the sake of the amazing people in this industry who work hard everyday to create jobs and do great things, that will happen very quickly.

What We Do Now

Imagine being a company founder who had left for a long weekend hike off-grid on Wednesday with no access to the internet to return early Monday morning, refreshed, revived and revved up for the week ahead. It turns out that being away for that time meant they missed all the drama.

Whenever and wherever you are travelling, it’s good to get some local knowledge of the best places to stay.

As Cambridge UK is the hometown of BoS, we are perfectly positioned to give you a low down of the best and highest regarded hotels in the city.

Obviously we recommend that you book the onsite accommodation for the Europe Conference at Churchill College, but if prefer to get away to something a little more luxurious, or if you’re in Cambridge not during conference ties, here are some great options for staying in the city in 2023.

Following our Product Symposium on Wednesday 8 Feb, Brad Bell at Point of Rental shared some notes from the sessions. With permission – and thanks – he’s said we can share them with the world alongside some of the other key takeaways from the day.

Get ready for matrixes, silences, and free tools.

Late in 2006 Mark Daoust, received a call from a good friend and fellow entrepreneur who was considering selling his 8-year-old web hosting website. Just 10 months prior Mark had sold his own profitable website and was looking for a new direction. Quiet Light was founded with this phone call.

Fast forward a few years and Quiet Light is now a leading player in the business of selling and buying profitable online businesses and have sold over 600 online businesses with over $300,000,000 in total transaction value. In 2022 they sold over 100 companies.

Even though they’re recognized as one of the most successful M&A advisors in the marketplace, Quiet Light still take an attitude of continual improvement to their processes. This is where BoS and Quiet Light make magic.

Alex Osterwalder is probably best known as the creator of the Business Model Canvas and is undoubtably one of the world’s leading thinkers, experts and practitioners on business strategy and innovation. You might not think of him as an apprentice CEO.

One of the defining characteristics of the most successful entrepreneurs is their commitment to learning and growth and Alex is no exception.

In this online session, Alex spoke about his journey from well known author and speaker to what he describes as being a ‘real’ entrepreneur over the past 10 years.

He discussed what he feels are the most important aspects of his leadership journey and the five things he consider most important in his path to becoming the leader of a self-funded, fully remote, software company employing over 50 people. He discussed:

• Coaching
• Emotional Literacy
• Three Books That Shaped Alex Osterwalder’s Approach to Leadership
• Organisation Structure
• Explore and Exploit – OKRs vs AKIs

We’re sharing some notes below but if you want to watch the talk when it is published, you need to get on the BoS newsletter and you will be the first to know.

Meanwhile, you can watch Alex Osterwalder’s talks from previous BoS Conferences.

Sounds like a witch’s brew but is in fact our first selection of Europe speakers for 2023!

Check out our upcoming events

2-4 October USA (Raleigh, NC) | 25-26 March Europe (Cambridge, UK)