24 things to do, and 100 things *not* to do (yet) for building a MicroISV

I've been building another microIsv lately, and as such I've had to produce a new 'to-do' list to keep me focused. It steals a lot from the previous list but matches my current predicament more closely.

I've got 24 things to do, but 100 things I'm *not* going to do just yet. In TimeSnapper (a moderately successful Micro-ISV shared with my colleague Atli) we go well past the first 24 items, and far into the next 100.

Consider also the fractal nature of this work... each item can contain its own sublist of critical and non-critical action items... and so on. A length essay (or at least a series of links) could be provided for every item on the list.

(The worst thing is... even though I know that only the first 24 are needed for now... I so badly want to do the rest before I finished the first ones. It's killing me!)

mandatory (1-24)

i intend to complete items 1-24 before 'launch'. (Things already completed are shown in a lighter shade)

micro isv application:

And here's the list itself...

1. build the simplest product imaginable
2. fill it with particles of delight
3. mark some features as 'paid'
4. make it a standalone exe
5. have an eula shown on first run
6. have a form for registering the application
7. call the registration webservice, store the result
8. on startup, check if registered
9. if registered, unlock the paid features & hide registration hooks
10. naming, branding, logo to match url

micro isv website:

11. get a url (technically, this step comes before step 10)
12. choose your server-side technology stack
13. purchase hosting
14. choose website template
15. index page (landing page)
16. choose a price
17. register with payment gateway
18. purchase page
19. handle payment notification from payment gateway
20. send "registration code" email
21. thank you page (show registration code)
22. webservice to confirm registration code from client
23. download link
24. screenshots of app

for extra credit (25-71)

i'll probably do these.

tax and legal protection

25. incorporate

continual improvement:

26. beta testing from friends/critics
27. ask at business of software for feedback
28. bugtracking/support system (e.g. fogbugz for startups)
29. "uservoice" for feedback
30. web analytics
31. drive support costs down

advertising/promotions:

32. update your email signature so you're always representin
33. shout out on twitter
34. blog about it at your day blog
35. sidebar and footer links from your day blog
36. ask for links from your friends' blogs
37. pad file
38. register at download sites
39. twitter account for announcements
40. build a community
41. build a movement

website enhancements:

42. about page
43. help page
44. faq page
45. privacy policy
46. articles on your niche topic
47. refund policy
48. usage policy
49. various pricing levels
50. release notes page
51. automated backup
52. bug reporting link
53. privacy policy
54. 'try it online' for free
55. an article targeted at each potential user group/demographic
56. amazing screen shots
57. testimonials

app enhancements:

58. implement most desirable features
59. release often
60. check online for current version #
61. background download of updates
62. link to release notes inside application
63. feedback link inside app
64. suggestion link inside app
65. bug reporting link inside app
66. an offline way to register
67. have a commandline way to register

application development:

68. source code repository (actually this is item 0.)
69. extra backup
70. obfuscation (eazfuscator?)
71. unit testing

for even more extra credit (72-124)

i may not get to these. i haven't bothered categorising them

72. locate relevant user groups/communities and give them free licenses
73. locate niche bloggers and solicit feedback from them
74. a form for adding testimonials
75. survey the competition
76. talk at user groups
77. talk at conferences
78. revision control
79. self service for lost serial numbers
80. a/b testing framework
81. crash reporting from the field
82. bug/suggestion reporting from application
83. branding/logo at the payment page
84. continuous integration
85. automated releases
86. adwords campaigns
87. advertise in non-google networks
88. box shot 3d
89. web casts
90. disk shipping (aka on-demand fulfillment)
91. companion products
92. upselling
93. email campaigns
94. be cool
95. sign up/email harvesting
96. follow up email tutorial series to non-paying (and paying) users
97. product roadmap
98. spam control
99. a low-impact installer
100. uninstall reason collection
101. competitions
102. discounts, e.g. student, charity, startup
103. product blog
104. thriving plug-in community
105. vm test bed
106. multi-browser testing
107. customer satisfaction surveys
108. internationalisation and localisation of product
109. internationalisation and localisation of website
110. campaign websites/websites named after keywords
111. professionally designed website
112. app analytics
113. companion urls, e.g. .net, .org, nation-specific
114. ci monitor
115. status panel
116. usability testing
117. give licenses to MVP's list
118. give out promotional gifts
119. sponsor something
120. Run an affiliate service
121. check compiled binary with virus total
122. virus free logo on website
123. sign your binaries, e.g. authenticode signed.
124. stop reading/writing this list and implement something

Stay tuned of course.

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