At the end of a packed 2.5 days in October 2012, we asked the attendees if they could sum up their BoS experience. Here are their responses – uncensored. We think there are lots of reasons to come to Business of Software Conference – we have designed the event so that you can get, over two and a half days, the theoretical grounding, practical knowledge and personal contacts that you need to build a long term, sustainable, profitable software business.

This is what attendees said in their feedback from last year.

• Every time I come to BOS I feel like I’ve found my “tribe.”  Fellow techie entrepreneurs who are dying to roll up there sleeves to get a business going.
• Each year you somehow present the best speakers perfectly relevant to our current/latest dilemma.  Are you eavesdropping on our management calls.
• I’m not one to create and execute on specific takeaways as a result of any conference.  But, I’ve come to realize, after several years of attendance, the ideas and skills I’ve learned have somehow seemed to ‘leak’ into my organization anyway.  My organization is better as a result of the ‘tools’ that BOS has provided to me.
• Business of Software gets you out of the trenches and firefighting, and reminds you that there are 20 other dimensions to your business that are fascinating and important and that you have been completely ignoring.
• Badassingly brain busting.
• Overall, the conference is tailored to startups and young companies. We have been around 25 years with an established world wide base. The content was good and the sessions valuable with some good takeaways but we felt we could likely help alot of companies with some of our lessons learned.
• Great speakers and great conversations. An amazing three days, with much learning and inspiration.
• It was an action-packed thrill ride.
• As an early stage founder, Business of Software was a phenomenal opportunity to learn from phenomenal software warriors who’ve been through the paces of a software company. The conference also put things into perspective, allowing me to take a step back from the day to day trenches to see where the business needed to go next.
• Great place for the novice software business person. If you are ready for personal stories and some bonding go, but if you are looking for more thematic learning and ideas of how to evolve you might as well read some good literature on the topics.
• Learn how to grow your software business.
• It’s like being hit on the head with an anvil forged of startup culture, ideas, and values.  Something that will forever change the way you think about business, software, and organizational architecture.
• A founder-rich environment of entrepreneurial people who want to learn and who are willing to share their experiences and knowledge.
• The Business of Software Conference is a quick way to get up to speed on current thinking in how to build a business that will delight customers.
• I usually come away from the conference with 2 or 3 action items that pay for the conference along with a renewed attitude.
• One of the best places to meet the people who actually make significant revenues in the software industry.
• You are guaranteed to learn something meet someone that makes the trip worth it on their own. As a bonus you get to go to an awesome software conference.
• Imagine a dream world of full employment, meritocracy, innovation and success, abundance, respect, and happiness. It’s real, and it’s going on all the time in the unbridled world of software, and the Business of Software conference is your window into that world.
• As a wannapreneur, it was awesome to be inspired some of my “heroes” speak as well as being pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the talks of those that I didn’t know previously.  And more importantly hope that the connections/relationships that I formed over the past two days continue and spur me to come back next year as an entrepreneur!
• Too much focus on the pure start up.  Many speakers repeated the same theme.  Would benefit from also providing speakers that took a business after start up phase and successfully led through the high growth phase and created a business with lasting value.    Also, no discussions on practical operational challenges of running a software business.  For example, a real discussion on remote versus central development teams, etc.
• Attending BoS is an absolute necessity for anyone involved in software start-ups and provides invaluable information for those in established software companies.
• Expensive – lost some of the “feel” from 2011 being much larger and also the expense made me much more aware of going.
• A great conference for great entrepreneurs to exchange great information about building great business focused on making users great.
• An opportunity to take a step back from the business and get inspired and re-energized, so I can dive back into the business with new ideas, hopes, and wisdom.
• Defies summing up.  Brilliance, compassion, excellence and support all around — who else would you want to hang out, learn, and explore with?
• It’s rare that I can have an interesting business conversation with any random person next to me – this is one of the few venues where I can pick a person out of the crowd and have a deep meaningful conversation, help them, or learn from them.
• Being a software company already grown out of the startup phase and well into maturity, it’s still amazing how much I learn from this conference, which is seemingly the “how to” for start up entrepreneurs.
• Unless you’re buried under a pile of money you pretty much don’t have any excuse for not being at the Business of Software conference.
• Amazingly well done conference. The talks are outstanding and the people you’ll meet are even better.
• BoS is alike to taking a deep breath of fresh air while jogging through the park .. just that it is intellectually doing so with fresh thinking, knowledge and experiences of speakers already blazing the path being unraveled..
• A skinny dip into a pool of software passion.     A high entropy solar wind of actionable information to turn you into a badass s/w entrepreneur.
• Best conference I have ever attended!
• This conference reminded me of being in the classroom with favorite professors.  Clarity, delivery, substance–it was all there!–were the marks of every speaker.  Their collective honesty and vulnerability, frankly, made for a rich and open environment where learning can flourish, far beyond the confines of business or technology.
• It’s good to realize you’re not alone; there are many entrepreneurs facing the very same problems, and they’re just as confused as you are.
• Engaging and enlightening conference that allows you to learn more about the software industry and connect with others.
• Go for the content, re-go for the audience
• It’s like a spa weekend for software entrepreneur geeks – you leave feeling recharged, focused and centered but also a little bit sore.
• The conference every software entrepreneur must attend.
• Great place to meet, interact with, listen to, and exchange ideas with like-minded and passionate individuals.
• BoS is a great venue to meet people, share experiences and learn about how to grow in the (fascinating) business of software. In my opinion, BoS is the best conference for those who are focused in getting their startups on a path to growth through knowledge and shared experiences.
• I got enough inspiration and knowledge in three days to keep our company busy until BoS 2013. It was an experience that no other conference can offer.
• The most inspirational three days of our year. We went home with more homework on how to improve our company and our product than we’ve ever had from a different conference.
• Simply the best conference to attend if you’re serious about running a successful software company.
• Software is only as good as the problems it solves for its users.
• An intent 2 1/2 day event that condensed the best knowledge, wisdom, and experience from the world of starting, growing, and running a software company into one delicious package.
• Nice to get out of the office and have time to think about big business issues rather than the details of the day-to-day
• an awesome collage of people, ideas and information that will help bootstrap your software product company into a BADASS software business with wildly ecstatic customers.
• A bunch of ambitious, smart, hardworking geeks leveraging each other’s knowledge to create their own rules and figure out how to build profitable, sustainable businesses and lifestyles.    I also left wondering; “What is the Business of Software?”.  When is your business about software vs. services? Is GroupOn in the business of software? Is AppSumo (a GroupOn for apps/online services) in the business of software? How about Facebook are they in the business of software? Is the orientation here that the business of software is about delivering business to business products and services versus business to consumer? The line is very blurry, but the audience and content seemed much more focused on business to business solutions.
• I’m very, very tired
• Stay away if your personal finances aren’t in order, because you might just quit your day job and start a company after this meeting. (please don’t use my last name or last initial if you use this in a testimonial)
• Business of Software is a place to meet and talk with people going through the same challenges as you, then learn actionable information on how you can improve your business.
• the best mastermind group in the world for startups. most of your tech smb rockstars in one room.
• Mind stretching brain food
• The most interesting and highest-quality software conference by far. Attendees aren’t too shoddy either.
• A friendly and informal conference with inspiring speakers and attendees. An evangelical church for software entrepreneurs with charismatic ministers and testimonials from members of the congregation.
• Invaluable advice for software companies
• I found that (a) it replenished my sense of excitement and confidence in my startup, (b) drove home the point that I am not the first person to wrestle the sort of difficult questions I’m wrestling with, and (c) provided me with a LOT of ideas and perspectives to mull over going forward.
• Come and be amazed and engaged by leaders and inspirational speakers from the business of software.
• Meeting awesome people, the doers, the FOUNDERS.
• Stimulating, thought provoking, fun, thoroughly worthwhile and good value for money.
• Perfect opportunity to swap war stories and elevate everyone’s game!
• Expose yourself without the constraints of the title on your business card to change the way you approach the software business.
• Jet fuel of inspiration and problem solving tools and approaches for entrepreneurs and wannabe entrepreneurs
• The only conference I know of where you leave more mentally awake and refreshed than coming in. To anyone considering coming, DO IT.
• A college semester’s worth of training in entrepreneurship and working in the software industry, packed into three days with a room full of people who are all smarter than you.
• I was honored to be part of an incredible network of talent actively discussing how best to apply their passions and address software business challenges.
• Independence of agenda is imperative to creating an interactive and informative events for the ISV community.
• You dont know what you dont know until you know what others know.
• this wasn’t the theme of all talks, but I liked this aspect: startup wisdom for companies of all sizes and stages.
• Some hundred software biz nerds from around the world sharing their learnings.
• This was the best BoS yet. The only drawback was that there was TOO much good stuff to think about! My next six months are already overbooked!
• BoS is the only place where I feel – professionally – amongst my peers. We’re all working to use technology to build successful and sustainable businesses. I always walk away thinking bigger, thinking clearer, and looking forward to the next time I can be here again.
• As a first timer to BoS, it’s great to meet with like minded people building real business in the areas we are passionate about. That together with the high quality presenters makes this a must see conference. I will definitely be back next year.
• Great for anyone looking to start a company.
• It’s a conference about software but not about code, and one where the presentations are just one-fifth of the real show. And it picked up right where last year left off.
• Inspirational
• The BoS experience is the truest and best representative set of what is now and what is next in software from a business perspective.  Nowhere else can you have access to the people actually DOing the innovation in tech, and they are just as passionate as you are about the craft which remains so essential to success in the software business.
• If you’re serious about your software company there’s no better place to spend your money than going to this conference.
• The only place where I can meet so many similar founders and get real answers to my specific business problems.
• Amazing crowd and good content. Down to earth conversations, a good place to come back to
• Good opportunity to stay out of the day-to-day business for 3 days and reflect on some ideas/what other people are doing (and some academic research).
• BoS equips you to understand what success is to you and also how to reach it.
• That line that “the people make the conference?” It’s never more true than at BoS. So many great conversations with great people, all looking to learn from each other.
• Well worth the investment.
• Fourth year here, and the caliber of participants is better than ever.
• Inspiring
• Hear inspiring content, have amazing conversations, and make fantastic connections!
• A gathering of real entrepreneurs who help each other and build a community
• Everything about the business of software, except technology.
• BoS is a software, technology, and business focused TED. And, because of that, for me, it might be better than TED.
• Smart people. Epic learning.
• A bootstrapper’s MBA in 3 days. An opportunity to learn from software thought leaders offering actionable and seasoned advice.
• BoS is a great community of startup entrepreneurs.
• There is nothing like the Business of Software conference anywhere in the world.  It’s a place where passionate practitioners in the software industry convene to learn and share.  My favorite event of the year.

Bookmark this page! This is where we’ll be continuing our series of Q&A sessions with  speakers on 14th October, when we’ll be broadcasting a Q7A session with Mike Muhney.

Mike pretty much invented the CRM industry when he co-founded ACT! 20 years before most of us were even thinking of opportunities in B2B software he created a business that is now used by over 10 million people.

Since leaving ACT! Mike is building a new  and very successful business – ViPOrbit – founded on his core beliefs in the power and importance of relationships.

So he has quite a point of view.

Join us on 14th October at 12 noon EST for an interview with Mike, to introduce him to you all and look into the  topics that he’ll be speaking on. If there are questions you want to ask (I know, you’re thinking: ‘what could I possibly want to know from a man who’s built several multi-million dollar businesses?’ but just in case) you can share them with us on Twitter (use tag #BoS2013), or Facebook, or LinkedIn.

You can add the event to your Google Calendar here:

That was a harder one!

Some of the companies and people that are coming to the Business of Software Conference, 28-30^th October 2013, Boston, MA.

It not just the talks that makes BoS awesome, (though we think they are world class), it’s the amazing people who come from around the world (almost half from outside the US), to talk and share ideas about making software people want and building long term, sustainable software businesses.

Obviously, while we would love to share everything about everyone, we do not publish individual names of attendees outside the conference attendees. This list of companies and the job titles should give you a good sense of who is coming though.

Companies

4ormat, ABIS, Inc, Accedian Networks, Acid Media / Mobiscroll, Acquia, acQuire Technology Solutions, Adaptasoft, Inc., Admin Arsenal Corporation, Adzerk, agileDSS , Anamika LLC, AppFusions, Appointment-Plus, Atlassian, Avangate, Aviaso, Avontus Software, Award Nexus, Axiomsoft, Axosoft LLC, Badass Users, Balsamiq, Bettermarketing Inc., Bidsketch, BitsDuJour, Bizworks, Blackbaud, Blue Fish Development Group, BlueZebra Sports, booj, Boondoggle Films, Box, Brecht Inc, Buildium LLC, Business of Software, Calix, Campaign Monitor, Cancel Bayern Software, Cape Horn Strategies, CAPS, Inc, catalyst investors, CDI Apps for Good, Cisco Systems, Cisco Systems, Inc., CivicPlus, Columbia Business School, Computational Hydraulics International (CHI), Constant Contact, Inc., Conversocial, ConvertKit, CopyCat LLC, CoreMedia AG, Corporation Service Co, CoSupport, CURE International, CustLabs Ltd., Cycling ’74, Dassault Systemes, DDL, Delivra, Development Partners Software, DevFacto, device42, Devonshire Investors, DevResults, D-I, Dnet Internet Services, DRH Internet Inc., ECIS Consultants Ltd, Effective Computing, Elbrys Networks, Ellexus Ltd, eMoney Advisor, Emurasoft, Inc., Enova, Entrance, EVER TEAM, Evernote, Exprodat, Faria Systems Ltd., Fire Ant Software, Fireworks Project Inc., Five Lakes Studio, FLAVIA IT-Management GmbH, Fog Creek Software, Formstack, Formstack LLC, Formstack, LLC, Formula VC, Forward Thought, Inc., Freeside Internet Services, Inc., FundStream, Globe Software, GoECart, Google, Inc., GovProcure, GovProcure Partners, GRAHL software design, Grant Street Group, GraphPad Software, Grasshopper Group, LLC, GunpwderLabs, Harvard Innovation Lab, Heroku, HFLabs, Highland Capital Partners, Hopper, HubSpot, Hudl, Independent, InetSoft, Insperity, Insyston, Integral Group Inc., Interapptive, Inc., Intercept Solutions, Intercom, Intern Avenue, inWorks LLC, IQ Capital Partners, JBurgess & Associates, Jitbit Software, JKI, Just Add Content, Kalzumeus Software, kCura, Keepify, Kentico software s.r.o., Kindoo, KnowledgeLake, Inc., Koombea Inc., KSS International, Inc., Lab Escape, Inc., Litmus, Lobster Software, Locaweb, Logos Bible Software, Mad*Pow, marcucio.com, mdk GmbH, Metaworks Inc., Method R Corporation, Microsoft, Microsoft, Mind the Product, Modern Survival Solutions, MongoHQ, Monkida, Moon River Software, Inc., Moraware, Multunus Software, N. Nyman Oy, N/a, Neo, NeoSmart Technologies, North Bridge Venture Partners, Nozzle, Nuxeo, Ocean Learning Ltd, One More Cloud, OpenEye Scientific Software, Optimizely, Optis, Oracle, O’Reilly Media Inc., PadMapper, Inc., Paramount Software UK Ltd, Percussion, PHC, Physion, PK Data, Planscope, Pluralsight, Pollen.io, Precision Lender, PrecisionLender, Primate Technologies, Promethean, Inc., PROS, protobi, Rand Worldwide, Readdle, Readdle Inc. , Real HQ, Recruitment Systems, Red Gate, Relevance, Inc, RIPE NCC, Rivo Software , Robots and Pencils Inc., RocketScope, Rogish and Associates, Royal Palm Software, LLC, SASSIE / SurfMerchants, Sched.org, Schneider Electric, Schneider Electric IT Denmark ApS, Schneider Electric IT DK ApS, SeeThoughtDone, Self, Serlio Software, Servolutions, SimplyWork, Sitrus LLC/ AMC Bridge LLC, Snow Mountain Labs UG, Socious, Software Pricing Partners, Inc., Software Verification, SoftwarePromotions, Solana, Stack Exchange, StartHQ, Stella Nova Technolo, Sterling Medical Devices, Stormpulse, Inc., Streema, Inc, Swoop, Table Xi, Takipi, TBA, Tealeaf Academy, TechSmith, Telerik, Terraine, Inc., The BLN, The BLN & Business of Software, The Re-Wired Group, Three and a half Roses, Thycotic Software, Tioga Lake Systems, LLC, Total Synergy, Totango, TRANZACT, Tucows/OpenSRS, Tuff Decisions Inc., Univeris, US Health Works, UserIQ, UserScape, Veson Nautical, Violarth, VIPorbit Software Int’l, Inc., Vircom , Webapper Services, LLC, Websites4Sports.com, Widefido, Winshuttle, Wisco, xMatters, Xtreme Labs, Yammer, Yesware, Zillow, Zoomergy LLC.

Job Titles – good to see that some people retain a good sense of humour when it comes to Job Titles.

#1, Architect, Associate, Audience Evangelist, Author, Backwards Thinker, Business Strategist, CEfounder & O, CEO, CEO & Co-Founder, CEO & Founder, CEO & Lead Developer, CEO/CTO, CEO/Founder, CFO, Chairman, Channel Account Manager, Chief Architect, Chief Entertainment Officer, Chief Evangelist, Chief Information Officer, Chief Product Officer, Chief Strategist, Consumer Applications, CIO, Cloud Consultant, CMO, Co Founder & CEO, CoFounder, Co-Founder, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Commercial Strategist, COO, CTO, Deputy Assistant, Developer, Development Manager, Director, Director IT, Director of Client Care, Director of Client Services, Director of Consulting, Director of Engineering, Director of Information Technology, Director of Marketing, Director of Operations, Director of Product and Operations, Director of Product Development, Director of Product Management, Director of Product Strategy, Director of Sales, Director of Software Engineering, Director of Support, Director, Engineering, Director, Marketing & Product Strategy , Director, Software Development, Editorial Strategist, Engineer, Engineering Director, Entrepreneur and Investor, Event Assistant, Events Manager, Founder, Founder & CEO, Founder & CTO, Founder / Principal Consultant, Founder and CEO, Founder and CTO, Founder/CEO, Founder/CTO, Founder/Editor, Founder/Principal, General Manager, General Partner, Global Engineering Director, Global Product Management Director, GM, Heroku Postgres, Google Whisperer, Growth PM, Hacker in Residence, Head of Customer Success, Head of Finance, Head of Marketing, Head of Product Development, Head of UX, In house Counsel, Independent, IT Director, Jack of All Trades, Jobs-to-be-Done Associate, Jody’s Daughter, Jody’s Mom, Lead Developer, Localization Specialist, Manager, Software Dev Engineering, Manager, Software Engineering, Managing Director, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Managing Partner, Marketing, Marketing Coordinator, Marketing Manager, MD, Member of Technical Staff, NED, One of the team, Oracle Business Unit Manager, Owner, Partner, Partner Program Manager, Physician Assistant, President, President & CTO, President / CTO, President, Software Division, President/CEO, Principal, Principal Consultant, Principal Engineer, Product Manager, Professional Services Director, Professor, Project Manager, Sales, Sales & Development, SciBizD, Senior Associate, Senior Developer, Senior Experience Designer, Senior Manager of Software Engineering , Senior Software Developer, Senior Software Engineer, Skilled Engineering, Software Craftsman, Software Developer, Software Development, Software Development Expert, Software Engineer, Software Engineering Manager, Special Projects, Sr Director Product Management, Sr. Product Manager, STAFF, Support Engineer, SVP Business Development, SVP Customer Operations, TBA, TBD, Technical Director, Technical Product Manager, Technologist, Thought Follower, UX Lead, Vice President Solution Software, Vice President, Business Development, Vice President, Commercial Operations, Vice President, Strategy & Marketing – 3DVIA, VP, VP and Technology Evangelist, VP Business Development, VP Engineering, VP marketing, VP of Engineering, VP of Industry Solutions, VP of Marketing, VP of Operations, VP of Product Management, VP of Products, VP Operations, VP Product, VP Product Strategy, VP solutions, VP Technology and Platforms, VP, Business Development, VP, Engineering, VP, Enterprise Solutions, Web Guy, Zookeeper.

Previously, on Business of Software, Avangate have very generously supported scholarships for promising software businesses to come to BoS. Now they are extending their generosity to other BoS delegates, with a dinner at Morton’s Steakhouse on the evening of Tuesday 29th. We’d recommend it because Avangate scholarships reliably turn up some very interesting new faces at BoS.

Their space is limited, so if you want to go you need to book a spot here.

In their own words:

If you are attending the Business of Software conference this year, taking place October 28-30 in Boston, please join us for dinner on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 at Morton’s Steakhouse as we celebrate our Avangate – Business of Software Scholarship winners.

It’s a great opportunity to network and share ideas with other emerging Software, SaaS, and Cloud Services industry leaders and make valuable connections to help push your company or organization to new levels.

If you would like to join us, please RSVP using the form on this webpage. We will follow-up with you to confirm your attendance.

Space is very limited so be sure to reserve your seat!’

Or not – it is transient after all.

I went to see Rita Gunther Mcgrath last night in Nottingham. She was addressing a group of Boots executives on the ideas in her book, ‘The end of competitive advantage’. Would I normally spend 5 hours in a car to hang out with a group of pharmacists? To be honest, probably not, but as Rita will be speaking at Business of Software Conference (28-30th October, Boston), I wanted to meet properly before she spoke. I was so glad that I went – I left buzzing with excitement that she will be opening the conference. Not only is she whip smart and utterly charming, she has a way of explaining things that is up there with Geoffrey Moore and Clayton Christensen. A total rockstar.

You can also view a short interview with Rita that I did that offers a taster of some of the things that she will talk about at BoS where she will talk about the ways that entrepreneurial software businesses can use her strategic framework to maximise their impact here.

I won’t spoil Rita’s Business of Software talk by sharing some of her ideas here – this talk was a talk for an audience of executives in big organisations. I think she is even more excited about what the implications of this framework for entrepreneurial businesses which is what she will focus on in Boston.

So what’s the big idea?

Rita challenges the orthodoxy that the main thrust of strategy for many years has been built on concept of sustainable advantage where you build a business that creates barriers to entry and exit for competitors that allows companies to milk their advantage for huge profits for many years. The world changes and she illustrates the idea with a story.

Billionaires, silver and the death of Kodak

Kodak and Fuji were once very similar – global brands, well run, highly profitable.

In 1973, two oil and gas billionaires, the Hunt brothers, decided to hedge their exposure to the oil industry by buying silver. By 1980, they had so much silver that they controlled the market, a major ingredient in film and prices skyrocketed, quadrupling in price between 1978 and 1980 (fascinating background here). Kodak and Fuji, at the time were the largest consumers of silver and they were both somewhat panicked.

3 months later, the price dropped back to a more normal level and everyone carried on as normal. Everyone except Fuki. The two global photography behemoths took very different paths.

Fuji realised that what could happen once, could happen again and started to investigate the opportunity for photography to be less dependent on chemistry where they couldn’t control the cost of materials.

Kodak did too – they invented the digital camera after all, but were stuck in a film-based paradigm. Early digital images were obviously pretty poor and in 1990, Kodak announced they had a ‘digital solution’.

The solution was: Film – Scanner – Manipulation – Put on CD – Available to play.

Their digital imaging solution was one that started in the place where they had a clear leadership position. While Kodak invented the digital image but they couldn’t move outside paradigm of existing thinking and processes. At first, digital imaging was a far inferior solution, but the world moves on.

Fuji continued to develop digital imaging as a core part of their activity.

• Fuji has $87 billion in global revenue in 2012.
• Kodak is more than a little bit broken.

The film-based competitive advantage for both had existed for decades. Competitive advantage does not last.

Competition outside your industry.

Today, the most important competitor you have may not even exist in your industry. Industries face massive competition from different industries. A recent US study on household spending showed recently that spending on electronics in the US is up whilst spending on eating out and apparel is down. Do people want an iPhone or a better car?

Industries are competing with each other for consumer’s cash.

The background behind the book

Her book was based on a series of case studies considering world’s largest companies ($1billion market cap. Total of 5,000 companies). Only 8% of world’s largest companies could sustain 5% growth for 5 years in a row.

Only 10 companies had been able to sustain 10% growth over year.

• Tsingtao
• ACS
• Indra
• Atmos Energy
• Infosys
• Cognizant
• Yahoo Japan
• KRKA
• Factset
• HDFC Bank

She set her students on looking at what happened to them when they had layoffs. What happened in a downturn. Couldn’t find any evidence of either. There was however, plenty of evidence of ‘ongoing configuration’ in all of those companies.

Rita’s new playbook for strategy.

1 Continuous Reconfiguration

• Have to be good at executing the traditional stuff but they also have to be in a state of continuous reconfiguration. Be aware of, hypersensitive to, the environment around you.

• Verizon – often spooked analysts by discarding existing highly profitable business units and focusing on longer term growth areas. Has paid off in long terms as others have stuck with existing businesses that eventually fail.

• Pallet manufacturer and distributor Brambles found supermarkets has major issue with handling of e.g. soft fruit. Developed packages that are picked and packed into trays directly. Reduces handling significantly and gets product to market faster. Don’t think of themselves as a pallet distributor, see themselves as solving logistic challenges for customers.

2 Healthy disengagement

• How do you recognise when things need to change before it is too late to do something about it?

3 Deft resource allocation

• Powerful people control where the resources go in businesses. They tend to be senior within companies and want to support the status quo – Blackberry’s vast spend on relaunch of BB10 for example. The allocation of resources for the future has to be separated from the people who control the existing profitable lines.

4 Innovation Proficiency

• Innovation today has to happen faster and more routinely than at times in the past. It cannot be episodic.

5 New leadership mindset

• More open, candid. “Don’t bring me any surprises” “Don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions”. Total BS. Means the executives only hear about the stuff that really matters when it is obvious to everyone. People in the executive suites need to be more willing to embrace uncertainty and surprises.

• Leadership really matters

Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford, noticed when he took office that there were no Fords in the Executive parking lot. Saw this was a problem. Had traffic light system to manage management information. Came in sat down with team who presented a sea of green. “How can you be showing me a sea of green when we will lose $6 billion this year?”

“You can’t manage a secret”

When first guy to break cover after a few meetings and showed red on his dashboard, room went quiet expecting an on the spot firing. Mulally clapped. Floodgates opened. Began the turnaround process.

What does this mean for individual careers and talent?

• From                                                                    To
• Organisational systems                                  Individuals skills
• Sable career path                                              Series of gigs
• Hierarchies and teams                                    Individual superstars
• Infrequent job hunting                                   Permanent career campaigns
• Careers managed by organisation             Careers managed by the individual

Is there any good news in all this?

If you are an entrepreneur, YES! Organisations can’t keep you out. Access to assets, not ownership of assets becomes more important.

If you are an employee, yes if you understand the changing rules of the game.

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.