Rita is opening the Business of Software Conference with a talk that explains her ideas about the end of competitive advantage as a strategic framework and the implications of transient advantage for entrepreneurial businesses.

I caught up with her in Nottingham yesterday where I left with two things: the knowledge that we have an amazing person kicking off the conference yet again; this little interview about her ideas and what they mean for entrepreneurial businesses. Enjoy.

http://businessofsoftware.wistia.com/medias/vbfgnxqqvh?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=640

Full talk, transcript and slides from the BoS Conference Talk HERE.

She says she will be particularly interested in hearing from attendees about how they pick business models for their startups.

One of the amazing things about the Business of Software Community is how much people care and want to give something back. We will be letting you know a little more about some of the other things that go on behind the scenes later but here is something that you need to know about SHARP!

Peldi, founder of the fabulous Balsamiq Mockups Software and a speaker at BoS on multiple occasions is not speaking this year but he is still coming (this is one of the things that means more to us than anything – so many conference speakers are keen to attend an event if they speak, but wouldn’t consider it if they didn’t). So many BoS speakers come back to hear the other speakers and be part of the community.

So not only is Peldi and Balsamiq coming back this year, they have offered to put something back into the community that has been so helpful to them over the past few years and have offered to support the event in a meaningful way. Part of that support is that they have bought a ticket, with a free pass to a post event half day workshop (total value if you take a chance on it not being sold out and wait until the last minute just under $3,000).

All you need to do is register your interest with Balsamiq over on this Google Doc and the winner, picked at random, will be given the pass.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST WITH BALSAMIQ BY OCTOBER 9TH.

You need to be able to cover your own transport and accommodation and personally, I suggest you bring some cash to buy Peldi a beer (though the beer is covered at all conference events and he would probably insist on buying you one in the bar anyway).

If you have never experienced any crises in your business, you can look away now… this Q&A is not for you.

For the other 99% of us, bookmark this page and come back at 12 noon EST on Wednesday Sept 25th when Scott Farquhar, CEO of Atlassian will be talking to BoS in a live Q&A session. Scott’s BoS talk is entitled ‘Leadership in Crisis: when stuff gets real’ and he’s drawing on lessons learned throughout the growth of Atlassian and from a few non public incidents that pushed them to the edge.

Atlassian now is one of the most credible technology IPO candidates in the software business, and counts some of the world’s largest organizations as clients—including some of the biggest names in media, manufacturing and technology—such as Microsoft, Facebook, Cisco, Oracle, Proctor & Gamble, Exxon, BMW and NASA. They have over 20,000 customers globally and has been named one of the “Fastest Growing Companies” by both Deloitte and BRW Magazine. So how did the management team achieve this?

We’ll be talking to Scott about that, his work now and his plans for BoS. Scott is very keen to make sure his BoS talk deals with the questions that are on your mind, so send us your questions or comments via Twitter (#BoS2013), Facebook or LinkedIn, and save the date in your calendar here:

At BoS we believe in software entrepreneurship – and we really want to encourage future generations to get involved. So we do what we can to make sure content from BoS is available for students, but there is no doubt that a lot of the value comes from attending the conference, the hallway track and the conversations with other delegates. That’s what peer learning is all about, after all.

Attending BoS is beyond the pocket of the average student, but our delegates are an amazing bunch and particularly the fabulous John Knox, a regular at BoS, who has offered to fund Business of Software Grants for a couple of students/recent graduates who would not otherwise be able to come to BoS 2013. John has form in the ‘helping people build careers’ department – including writing the book on engineering internships.

How to Apply

So if you are a student or just graduated, thirsting for a career in software, and/or have the entrepreneurial itch, please get in touch. Drop us a email, explaining why you would like to attend (but can’t) and what you can bring to BoS (you might want to check out some of the useful info about who comes and why). If you prefer to make a short video submission, we’re always happy to put a face to a name, but it’s not compulsory.

Apply by 28th September, John will pick two applications who will come to BoS as his guests, and get to spend some quality time with all of our delegates.

Thank you John! If anyone else wants to do similar or has ideas about how to support the future growth of the software industry, please get in touch.

John Knox at Business of Software by the lovely Betsy Weber.

Congratulations to Gabriel Mays who won last week’s ‘Find the Code’ first thus winning himself a Free Pass to Business of Software Conference, October 28-30th. Good luck with Just Add Content Gabe, congratulations of finding the code ‘BoSKeyPie’ in The Whisky Priest Menu blog post and see you at Business of Software. Subscribe to email updates if you want a chance to win another ticket – we will hide one in every email to our mailing list between now and the conference.

After an extremely comprehensive review of Gabe’s photo collection, the girls in the office chose this one.

Gabe recently sent back the company car (see below) and traded in life in the Marine Corps for life as an entrepreneur.

Gabe’s old company car.

About Gabe and Just Add Content

Gabriel Mays lives in San Diego, CA  and is the founder of Just Add Content, a website platform that creates “instant” websites for small businesses without the headaches or compromises of budget website builders.  It also simplifies business management by bringing together the best business applications through simple website integration.

Gabe joined the Marine Corps as an officer after college at age 21 and left as a Captain after 8 years, spending about half that time on small specially trained advisor teams.  In the Marine Corps he spent years between Iraq and Afghanistan on embedded teams where he lived with and trained local security forces.  Gabe also spent two years managing a nearly $1 billion Marine Corps aviation budget.  Gabe’s wife is a Marine as well and flies F/A-18 Hornets.

Prior to leaving for Afghanistan in April 2012 Gabe started working on the idea that would become Just Add Content.  With no technical background and limited connectivity, Gabe spent his free time while deployed learning and building the first prototype of the platform.  When he returned from Afghanistan in April 2013 he decided to leave the Marine Corps to work on Just Add Content full-time and did so in August 2013.

Gabe recently released v1.0 with paying customers and is looking forward to taking Just Add Content to the next level.  In the future he wants to use Just Add Content’s infrastructure to change the world by empowering small business owners and entrepreneurs in developing nations like Kiva does.

Gabe has a B.A. from Cal State Stanislaus and a M.S. from the University of Nebraska.

Despite having no technical background or credentials, Gabe says Just Add Content will become the world’s first trillion dollar company by becoming for business what Google is to the internet (let that one sink in).  Gabe’s wife and mother agree, so he knows he’s on the right track.

I’ve just finished reading an-old-but-great-essay from the inimitable Paul Graham about the messages cities send and how that affects enterprise culture.

He makes the point that you need to live in a city and really understand it before you can fully decode its culture, but for a new girl in town like me, the most obvious sign of a thriving start up culture is a rich network of support groups. These are pretty fundamental for what they say about a city’s attitude to enterprise, as Paul explains:

‘No matter how determined you are, it’s hard not to be influenced by the people around you. It’s not so much that you do whatever a city expects of you, but that you get discouraged when no one around you cares about the same things you do.’

Boston’s support groups definitely care and I’m sure that’s part of the reason that one of the messages Boston sends is ‘welcome – let’s get stuck in.’

Here’s some of the best ‘local heroes’: if you’re an entrepreneur living in Boston, you should definitely check these guys out. They have been consistently welcoming and supportive to Business of Software and we’re very greatful:

• Greenhorn Connect. Greenhorn Connect’s mission is to help build connections within the Boston entrepreneur ecosystem through increased awareness of opportunities. The GreenhornConnect.com web portal connects Boston startups and enthusiasts with the many resources, events and jobs in the region as well as educational and informational content.The Greenhorn team is passionate about the Boston startup scene and is committed to helping build a more vibrant and integrated startup ecosystem. Their Greenhorn Connect newsletter is a vital resource to stay in the loop on all things startup-related.
• Boston Product Management Association. The mission of the Boston Product Management Association is to enhance the professional development of product management and product marketing professionals in the Greater Boston area by offering skills training, job resources, mentoring, educational seminars, and networking opportunities. They offer members opportunities to learn new and latest skills, connect with other product professionals and engage in lively discussions about the latest trends to help advance their careers.
• Venture Fizz. This is a one stop destination website , looking at everything that’s buzzing in Boston’s technology sector. Info on jobs, companies, deals and events – essentially all the news you need on Boston’s technology sector, established companies as well as start ups.

If you are local to Boston and know other great networks or media organisations that support the tech industry, let us know your favourites.

Where do you begin with embedding innovation practices in your growing software business?

Tomorrow at 12 noon EST we’ll talk to Jeff Gothelf, CEO of NEO about his work and the big, audacious topic he intends to tackle at Business of Software – a step by step guide on how to build and support innovation in your business.

• Who should be on the innovation team?
• How should they work?
• How will you measure success?

Jeff has worked with dozens of product teams and literally written the book on lean design methods for user experience. If you’d like to put some questions to Jeff or share your experiences, we’d love to hear from you. Here’s what to do:

• Bookmark this page and come back for the Q&A
• You can ask questions on Twitter before or during the Hangout, using the hashtag #BoS2013

You can add the Hangout to your Google Calendar here:

Wondering who else will be at Business of Software?Well, here’s a bunch of interesting companies for a start:

PHC, eMoney Advisor, OpenEye Scientific Software, Avontus Software, UserScape, Tuff Decisions Inc., Software Verification, Interapptive, Inc., Enova, Moraware, GoECart, Cape Horn Strategies, Zillow, TBD, CustLabs Ltd., Entrance, Schneider Electric IT DK ApS, Lobster Software, agileDSS Inc., Delivra, SimplyWork, Servolutions, Acid Media / Mobiscroll, Evernote, Terraine, Inc., TechSmith, Schneider Electric, Effective Computing, SoftwarePromotions, RIPE NCC, CURE International, Rogish and Associates, DevResults, Monkida, Jitbit Software, ECIS Consultants Ltd, JKI, Bidsketch, GRAHL software design, Veson Nautical, Hudl, Total Synergy, DDL, 4ormat, Sitrus , LC/ AMC Bridge LLC, PK Data, Anamika LLC, Vircom , Readdle Inc. , Insyston, Solana, BlueZebra Sports, Buildium LLC, BitsDuJour, Grasshopper Group, LLC., Computational Hydraulics International CHI), xMatters, CopyCat LLC, kCura, Snow Mountain Labs UG, Five Lakes Studio, Bizworks, Dnet Internet Services, Moon River Software, Inc., CoreMedia AG, Wisco, Rivo Software , Koombea Inc., CAPS, Inc, Forward Thought, Inc., Precision Lender, Integral Group Inc., Accedian Networks, Univeris, Cancel Bayern Software, Tioga Lake Systems, LLC, Lab Escape, Inc., Development Partners Software, device42, Three and a half Roses, Optis, Readdle, FLAVIA IT-Management GmbH, SASSIE / SurfMerchants, Cisco Systems, Inc., marcucio.com, mdk GmbH, Thycotic Software, HubSpot, CoSupport, VIPorbit Software Int’l, Inc., CDI Apps for Good, Fire Ant Software, Kalzumeus Software, Neo, Columbia Business School, Atlassian, Acquia, Ocean Learning Ltd, Self, Mad*Pow, Red Gate, Harvard Innovation Lab, Ellexus Ltd, Exprodat, Adzerk, Devonshire Investors, NeoSmart Technologies, Bettermarketing Inc., PadMapper, Inc., Hopper, Nuxeo, Emurasoft, Inc., Zoomergy LLC, Aviaso, Multunus Software,Pollen.io ,Google, Inc., Formstack LLC, Formstack, PROS, Appointment-Plus, Heroku, KSS International, Inc., Locaweb, Fog Creek Software, TRANZACT, Kentico software , .r.o., Metaworks Inc., Axosoft LLC, Cisco Systems, Modern Survival Solutions, Stormpulse, Inc., D-I, FundStream , Boondoggle Films, O’Reilly Media Inc., Conversocial, JBurgess & Associates, Sched.org, Method R Corporation, KnowledgeLake, Inc., Yesware, EVER TEAM, Oracle, Balsamiq, DevFacto, Highland Capital Partners, Elbrys Networks, Fireworks Project Inc., Formula VC, Websites4Sports.com, RocketScope, booj, Brecht Inc, Planscope, Mind the Product, ConvertKit, , Totango,  Intercept Solutions, Freeside Internet Services, Inc., Stack Exchange, Socious, Faria Systems Ltd, Constant Contact, Inc., Webapper Services, LLC, Corporation Service Co, DRH Internet Inc., CivicPlus, SeeThoughtDone, Microsoft, Logos Bible Software, Telerik, Formstack, LLC, N. Nyman Oy, Rand Worldwide, Takipi, Promethean, Inc., Catalyst investors, Winshuttle, Grant Street Group, Nozzle, Tucows/OpenSRS, Percussion, Campaign Monitor, inWorks LLC, Axosoft, LLC, Litmus, Streema, Inc, Paramount Software UK Ltd, Physion, Intercom, acQuire Technology Solutions, Optimizely, GraphPad Software, Xtreme Labs, Royal Palm Software, LLC, Primate Technologies, Globe Software, Swoop, HFLabs, Admin Arsenal Corporation, Sterling Medical Devices, Stella Nova , echnolo, Relevance, Inc, Kindoo, Recruitment Systems, Adaptasoft, Inc., Table Xi, Dassault Systemes, protobi.

And if job titles are your thing, here’s a wordle of those registered:

So, if you’re the Founder CEO of Presidential Engineering in Software Markets, there’s obviously only one place you should be on the 28th October.

Thanks to this website tear down that we asked our new friends Brecht Palombo and Scott Yewell at the ‘Bootstrapped with Kids‘ podcast we just noticed that we don’t actually say that Business of Software is a Conference, in Boston, on our homepage (among many other things). We don’t even say why people might want to come.

You can see the site tear-down here and feel free to weigh in with your thoughts too.

We are in the process of rebuilding the website, blog and other bits of the Business of Software community so we have made a quick temporary fix, settling on the utterly modest line, ‘3 days of peer learning for leaders of the world’s best software businesses‘, as a start.

Old version. 

Refreshed version.

This was a very helpful reminder to us that we must never stop thinking about things from the customer’s or prospect’s perspective but we did wonder if there was anything else that we should be doing/not doing/supporting through the site?

We will, at the very least, recognise the contributions of others but this is also a good chance to let us know about tools you believe in that you think we, and our community, will find useful. Who knows, we might be your next customer? For more details see.

If you make software that will make our lives, and the lives of our customers, easier, we’re all ears…

We are currently starting to rebuild the Business of Software and BLN web sites as well as integrate these sites with our back office, billing, CRM, email marketing, social media, accounting functions etc. As we retool the site, we will also be integrating the other events that we run and so we thought it would be a grand time to ask if there are things that you use or indeed build and sell that we should be using to run a global community of software and technology entrepreneurs?

All ideas and suggestions gratefully received – particularly if you know of a CRM system…

We will, at the very least, recognise the contributions of others but this is also a good chance to let us know about tools you believe in that you think we, and our community, will find useful. Who knows, we might be your next customer.

If you want to recommend a fabulous tool that saves you two hours of work a day or makes your customers so happy they are on the verge of rapture, please leave a note in the comments below or drop us a line directly at mark businessofsoftware.org (And if that fabulous tool so happens to be yours, that is OK too, we still want to know about it).

Location:

The Whiskey Priest. 6.30 pm till late. 28th October 2013.

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Buffet Menu, Business of Software Conference Networking Dinner, Whiskey Priest, Boston, 28th October 2013.

• Chicken Broccoli Ziti
• Beef Satay
• Grilled Lemon Chicken
• Scallops Wrapped in Bacon
• Crab Legs
• Golden Calamari
• Oysters on Half Shell
• Lobster Dip (with bread & chips)
• Spring Vegetable Dip (Crudite)
• California Roll
• Vegetarian Sushi
• Jumbo Asparagus
• Roasted Red Potatoes
• Grilled Seasonal Vegetables
• Seasonal Vegetable, Broccoli & Ziti
• House Salad (Balsamic Vinegar dressing)
• Tomato Basil Mozzarella Platter

Dessert

• Petit Fours & Sundae Bar
• BoSKeyPie [Update 19th September. This is it but sadly someone else got there first. Your search isn’t completely in vain though. If youre quick – first three people to use this get $1,000 off.]

Coffee

• Regular & decaffeinated coffee, tea

Support can be an unloved function in a software business, but what other part of your business gives you the chance to turn ‘ho-hum’ customers into raving fans?

This morning/afternoon (depending on your timezone) we’ll be chatting to Sarah Hatter, founder of CoSupport, about why is support is such a dirty word in many software companies and why this isn’t very clever. We’ll be holding a Google Hangout at 12.00 EST to talk about making support easier, cheaper and more effective and what Sarah has to say at Business of Software this year.

As the first person to run support at 37 Signals and now a founder of CoSupport (which counts Mailchimp, Sprintly, Wildbit, WooThemes among its clients) Sarah has serious form in helping companies do great customer services on the web. Sarah and Mark will talk for 15 minutes about what software businesses can do to keep customers rabidly happy and scale successful support without derailing product development, business development and all those other good things.

If you have questions or comments for Sarah about her experience and her themes for Business of Software, now is your chance to put them to her:

• Bookmark this page and come back for the Q&A
• You can ask questions on Twitter before or during the Hangout, using the hashtag #BoS2013

You can add the Hangout to your Google Calendar here:

This hangout is now history. Thank you Dan. You can view the conversation between Dan Siroker and Mark Littlewood about the growth of Optimizely and AB Testing and what keeps Dan awake at night below.

Come and join Dan Siroker, CEO Founder of Optimizely and previously the man behind the data analytics for President Obama’s successful social media election campaign. We will be holding a Google Hangout at 13.00 EST, September 4th 2013 to talk about A/B Testing and see what you want Dan to talk about at Business of Software Conference this year.

An interesting conversation despite a couple of technical issues connecting Dan and Mark which did remind us of this from Alan Partridge…

Dan’s talk at BoS is titled, ‘If data can help win Elections, what can it help you do for your business?’ Companies like Disney, Amazon and Salesforce already use optimization as a core part of their business activity and they have masses of data that they can use to achieve this but how can smaller organizations with relatively small data sets use it to generate long term value? How can you get buy-in for A/B Testing in a business? Understand the future of optimization in the software industry as it enables the transition from a one to many relationship to a more personalized relationship with individual customers.

Dan and Mark will talk for 20 minutes about what Dan plans to talk about as well as trying to answer some of the burning questions that you have about Dan, Optimizely and A/B Testing. AB Testing at the Business of Software has often been a point of some contention:

• Patrick McKenzie (@Patio11) has been talking about the value for a long time. Engineering your marketing outcomes.
• Jason Cohen talked about how you have to be very wary about living by the numbers at last year’s Business of Software Conference – Why data can make you do the wrong thing

Dan recently published a book, A/B Testing: The Most Powerful Way to Turn Clicks Into Customers. It will be interesting to hear Dan’s perspective. Is there something that you would like Dan to cover in this talk? Now is your chance to let him know directly.

• Bookmark this blog post, join Dan and come back for the Q&A.
• You can ask questions by using the Twitter Hashtag #BoS2013

One of the highlights of BoS for me would be attending this but I never end up getting the chance as we are busy putting up signs, getting registration ready etc. That shouldn’t stop you going though. The chance to take photos and learn a few tricks with people like Betsy Weber and John Knox is one that you shouldn’t pass up. (John incidentally generously funds the Graduate Scholarship to attend Business of Software Conference, entry deadline 28th September). If you are new to photography and just want to take better pictures, are verging on the professional, or don’t have a camera but just want to meet some really nice people who are coming to Business of Software, then get involved in the Sunday photowalk.

Grab your camera! Any camera will do, even the one on your phone, and join your fellow Business of Software attendees for our 3rd annual photowalk around Boston before the conference kicks off.

Rain or shine, on October 27, we’re heading out on the town! This year we’re going to grab a water taxi so we can get some spectacular pics of Boston’s harbor. We’ll head to Fairmont Battery Wharf and visit Boston’s picturesque North End also known as Little Italy. The North End is full of interesting architecture, Italian bakeries, tourist attractions and more.

Everyone is welcome to join – all skill levels and all cameras/camera phones are welcome! Check out some past pics from the event here: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=bosphotogs

Interested? Find out more details and sign-up for a free ticket here.

Look for John Knox  (picture/@windaddict on twitter) and Betsy Weber (picture/@betsyweber on twitter) in the lobby of the Seaport Boston Hotel at 1:00pm.