Raleigh, NC – The Business of Software Conference USA (BoSConf USA), world’s leading event for SaaS and software entrepreneurs globally, returns to Raleigh, North Carolina, on September 23-25, 2024. This 3-day conference marks the second year of the conference partnering with the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) to bring this acclaimed event to the heart of one of the fastest-growing tech clusters in the U.S.
Building on the success of BoS USA 2023, BoS Conf USA 2024 extends a unique opportunity for local and international software leaders to share knowledge, network, and gain insights from the world’s best. The conference fosters collaboration and growth within the local software ecosystem, providing access to the hard-won experiences and insights of industry leaders directly in North Carolina.
Us humans, we are driven to build. From a young age, we explore different possibilities, building things out of curiosity. Through experimentation and experience, we discover what ignites our passion. This innate desire to build translates into every aspect of our lives, including our careers. As adults, we continue to build, but now our creations extend beyond ourselves, benefiting entire industries, customer, and communities.
After many sleepless nights of research and contemplation, you finally started your own company on Day 1. Time fast forward, you’ve nurtured your company from a startup to a growing business, but new challenges have emerged. There is the cut-throat, market competition, limitations of resources, etc. Stimulating your company’s growth has been tougher and more complicated than ever. There is a need for you to change. What if you can turn these challenges into your advantages? One of the strategic steps you can consider is an M&A or Merger and Acquisition.
On the grounds of Churchill College, the Business of Software Conference Europe once again unfolded last 25-26 March 2024.
Sunday – Pre-conference activities
Prior to the official start of the BoS Conference Europe 2024, a group of attendees and speakers gathered to embark on an open-bus tour, led and supported by Christopher Moore of Quiet Light.
After the tour, everyone got together for drinks, where everyone met new folks and caught up with old friends from previous BoS conferences. It was a fun way to kick off the conference, setting a friendly and welcoming vibe for the days ahead.
Monday – Conference Day 1
Day 1 of BoS Europe kicked off in full swing, setting the tone for an enlightening and engaging event filled with valuable insights and meaningful connections. From thought-provoking keynote speeches to interactive discussions over lunch, the day was brimming with opportunities for learning and networking.
Morning Sessions
The day commenced with an insightful session by Joe Leech, who delved into the seven essential traits of a modern CEO. Following Joe’s insightful talk, attendees were treated to a 2-hour session by the renowned Bob Moesta, who did an improv centered around Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) theory. Bob’s engaging improv showcased real-world problems and solutions, and how understanding customer needs and motivations can drive innovation and success in software businesses.
Lunch and Birds of a Feather discussion tables
At BoS, lunch isn’t just about refueling – it’s an opportunity to connect with fellow attendees on a deeper level. From discussing the intricacies of software development to sharing personal preferences like whether one prefers cats or dogs, lunchtime conversations sparked new friendships and fostered a sense of community among attendees.
Afternoon Sessions
The afternoon sessions kicked off with Imogen Wethered sharing her expertise in starting and selling a business, offering valuable advice and practical tips for aspiring entrepreneurs. As the day drew to a close, Dr. Eleanor Gunn led an interactive session aimed at connecting attendees with their core values. Through thought-provoking exercises and discussions, Dr. Gunn encouraged participants to reflect on their personal and professional values, fostering a deeper sense of purpose and alignment.
Breakout Sessions
What makes BoS unique is the dedicated breakout sessions, where attendees engage directly with experts in smaller, interactive settings. These sessions foster deeper discussions, personalised advice, and valuable networking opportunities, ensuring attendees gain tailored insights and forge meaningful connections.
The day concluded with a lively dinner at the dining hall, where attendees had the opportunity to unwind and socialise in a relaxed setting. Amidst delicious food and lively conversation, attendees reflected on the day’s learnings and eagerly anticipated what lay ahead in the days to come.
Tuesday – Conference Day 2
Morning Sessions
The morning began with an announcement that Matt Lerner was unable to attend due to personal reasons. However, attendees were pleasantly surprised when they received copies of his new book, “Growth Levers and How to Find Them”, as a token of his presence in spirit.
In his place, Bill Thompson stepped in and read a captivating letter from 2107, offering a glimpse into the future of software and technology.
Following this unexpected start, Oyinda Bagbose took the stage to discuss how technology can still save the world and support the work of NGOs. Then, Ninnu Campbell, self-proclaimed Chief Failure Officer, took attendees on a journey of embracing failure as a pathway to becoming a more effective leader.
Afternoon Inspiration
The afternoon sessions kicked off with Duane Jackson, who shared his inspirational story of going from behind bars to successfully starting and selling a business. His resilience and determination served as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of entrepreneurship.
Next up, Claire Suellentrop offered insights into operationalising Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) theory, providing attendees with practical strategies for implementing this framework within their organisations. The day concluded with a session led by Bruce McCarthy on how to align executive teams for success.
As we bid farewell to the Business of Software Conference Europe 2024, we do so with a sense of excitement and anticipation for the future. The knowledge gained, connections forged, and inspiration gleaned from this conference will serve as fuel for the journey ahead. Armed with new insights and a renewed sense of purpose, attendees are poised to tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities that lie ahead in the ever-evolving world of software business.
Software, to the average person, is pretty boring.
‘Words are actually free. Now, getting them wrong is expensive. But if we can get them right and get some attention on our copy, we can actually stand out – even if we’re no different from our competitors – because everybody saying the same meaningless things,’ Joanna Wiebe, founder of Copyhackers says in her 2015 BoS USA talk.
Read on to learn why your words aren’t getting through and how to write copy that converts.
For a full version of this talk, including a video recording and transcript, click here.
In his 2010 talk, Smart Bear and WP Engine founder Jason Cohen talks about the proverbial ‘rules of business’ and many varying pieces of advice founders get – often from well-meaning mentors and experts. However, even good-intentioned advice isn’t always the right advice.
Cohen shares some entertaining and illustrative stories as well as some excellent arguments for when (and when not) to take advice from others in his talk, ‘Working Out When to Break the Rules & Ignore Advice’. The biggest takeaway: You should write your own business rules.
For a full version of this talk, including a video recording and transcript, click here.
Starting any business is hard. There’s no perfect playbook laying out all the right turns to take and potholes to avoid. Unfortunately, we’re all prone to make mistakes. But those mistakes are often what lead to the most important, eye-opening lessons on how to get things right in business.
One of the best ways to sidestep later trouble is to learn from leaders who have already experienced it. In his 2022 BoS USA talk, Dharmesh Shah, co-founder of HubSpot, lays out some of the biggest mistakes he’s made (and lessons he’s learnt) as a founder. Here are some of the main takeaways from his presentation.
When you think about trying to scale your software business and sell your product – especially in today’s world, where AI now seems to be the automatic default – you may be stressing over how to do it well.
Current logic suggests the best option is to cut out as much human interaction as possible. After all, the more humans you have working, the more expensive it is to run your company. And while advances in technology like ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools can now mimic humanity and sound more like humans and less robotic, they’re still imperfect tools. Customers know they’re not speaking to an actual human.
Here’s some food for thought:
Humans like to deal with humans. And humans like to buy from other human beings.
If you want to sell something – be it software or handbags or cars or bananas – it pays to consider that.
Steli Efti, co-founder of Close, one of the most widely-used SaaS CRM tools on the market, shared his views on how software companies – even ones with particularly lean teams (Close.io has only 9 members itself) – should make more of an effort to push sales in their organisations in his BoS USA 2015 talk, ‘How to Sell Software Using Sales’.
For a full version of this talk, including a video recording and transcript, click here.
5 Ways to Sell Software Using Sales
No matter your product or what you’re trying to peddle to your customers, being successful requires one major thing: sales.
Too often, startup founders spend time hoping for a miracle. We want some kind of free, viral, network effect – a silver bullet, so to speak – to suddenly ‘flip the switch’ and skyrocket our software company to profitability.
But that’s not the reality for most software entrepreneurs. That kind of success takes work; there are no silver bullets.
This creeping progression is what Gail Goodman, former CEO of Constant Contact, refers to as ‘the long, slow SaaS ramp of death’.
Kathy Sierra is one of the heroes of Business of Software Conference. She’s an extraordinary thinker and speaker. Thoughtful, kind, generous and one of the smartest people on the planet. I think of her often, particularly when I’m talking with speakers who want to give the best talk they possibly can. She is not a natural extrovert and found speaking in public incredibly hard, yet she is always brilliant.
I wanted to send one of this year’s speakers a link to her blog post, Presentation Skills Considered Harmful recently and sadly, her blog is no longer live. (This links to the post recovered from the WayBackMachine). If you speak in public, it is worth your time.
Kathy is a genius and we have been incredibly lucky over the years to have welcomed her to the BoS community where she has shared her incredible insights. You can watch all her talks, Web 2.00 business models, Building the minimum Badass user, Building the minimum bad ass user. Part II. Unfinished business…, Motivation matters and lots more here.
