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Micro-ISV: From Vision to Reality First Edition

by Bob Walsh (Author), Joel Spolsky (Foreword)
4.3 out of 5 stars 36 ratings
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Micro-independent software vendors, or micro-ISVs, have become both a major source of applications and a realistic career alternative for IT professionals. As for the latter, are you a programmer and curious about being your own boss? Where do you turn for information? Until now, online and traditional literature havent caught up with the reality of the post-dot com bust.

Micro-ISV: From Vision to Reality explains what works and why in today's emerging micro-ISV sector. Currently, thousands of programmers build and deliver great solutions ISV-style, earning success and revenues much larger than you might guess. Written by and for micro-ISVs, with help from some of the leaders of the field, this book takes you beyond just daydreaming to running your own business. It thoroughly explores how it is indeed possible to launch and maintain a small and successful ISV business, and is an ideal read if you're interested in getting started.

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  1. ISBN-10
    1590596013
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1590596012
  3. Edition
    First Edition
  4. Publication date
    January 13, 2006
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    7 x 0.85 x 9.25 inches
  7. Print length
    398 pages
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bob Walsh is the founder of 47Hats, a consulting firm/blog/startup dedicated to helping startups succeed, the author of Micro-ISV: From Vision to Reality, podcaster-in-chief of the Startup Success Podcast, co-moderator of the Joel on Software's Business of Software forum, and creator of StartupToDo.com, a online productivity app and community for startup and microISVs. At his company, Safari Software, Inc., Bob was a contract software developer for more than 20 years before launching, selling and ultimately selling off a Windows personal task manager commercial application. Before getting into information technology, Walsh was a reporter for several news organizations, the most worth bragging about being United Press International (UPI).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Apress; First Edition (January 13, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 398 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1590596013
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1590596012
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.55 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.85 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 36 ratings

About the author

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Bob Walsh

Bob Walsh

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My name is Bob Walsh (bob.walsh@47hats.com), and I believe that startups and microISVs (one-person software companies) represent the future of the global software industry and of the billion-person Internet to which we are all now connected. I believe this so strongly that this is my fifth book on the subject.

My previous books are Micro-ISV: From Vision to Reality (Apress, 2006), Clear Blogging (Apress, 2007), MicroISV Sites That Sell! (ebook, 2008), and The Twitter Survival Guide, with Kristen Nicole (ebook, 2008).

In addition, I do a podcast with cohost Pat Foley (The Startup Success Podcast, at http://startuppodcast.wordpress.com) and write a blog (47 Hats, at http://47hats.com). I also comoderate Joel Spolsky's Business of Software forum (http://discuss.joelonsoftware.com/default.asp?biz).

My day job is consulting with startups and microISVs on how to increase their sales by better explaining their software on their web sites. But my real job since 2007 has been to recreate myself from a Windows desktop developer into a Rails web developer so that I can build and launch a superior way for startups to succeed: StartupToDo (http://startuptodo.com).

Before getting into all of the foregoing, I was a custom software developer for 20-plus years, and before that a reporter. I like what I'm doing now a lot more than either of those past careers!

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
36 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers appreciate the book's in-depth content, with one mentioning it serves as a useful checklist. They like the interviews included, with one customer noting the excellent interviews with other ISVs.

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7 customers mention "Content"7 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's in-depth content, with one customer noting its helpful references and another mentioning its outstanding index.

"...Not only for the in-depth content (some of which will quickly become obsolete given the speed of technical progress), but perhaps more importantly..." Read more

"...you the confidence to venture out on your own and the helpful advice from the entrepreneurs that have already learned things the hard way...." Read more

"...I like the fact that Bob goes into a number of useful tools (both software and otherwise), and that the book has lots of screenshots and graphics...." Read more

"...There are a lot of fillers - interviews the author had with experts. Some useful, others a waste of page space...." Read more

3 customers mention "Interview quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the interviews in the book, with one review highlighting the author's conversations with experts and another noting the inclusion of sidebars with multiple interviews.

"...Its filled with excellent interviews of other ISVs, that give you the confidence to venture out on your own and the helpful advice from the..." Read more

"...The sidebars include lots of interviews, and while many of the people interviewed are obviously pushing their own products, it's always nice to be..." Read more

"...There are a lot of fillers - interviews the author had with experts. Some useful, others a waste of page space...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Chuck Brooks
    5.0 out of 5 stars From Soup To Nuts: An Excellent Guide
    Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    This excellent book deserves to become the definitive manual of the mechanics of software development for small (`micro') Independent Software Vendors. Not only for the in-depth content (some of which will quickly become obsolete given the speed of technical progress), but perhaps more importantly the description and outline of an approach to the business. Each of the seven chapters have right-now, to-the-point tips and tricks, along with the reasons for them, as well as an outstanding index and rich external references. This covers all the bases, and a few other things as well, and although well written by a seasoned and successful master, it has all the depth necessary to become a well-used reference manual. An excellent companion to this book is `The Business Of Software' by Eric Sink, from a broader perspective animated by anecdotes of his company's path to success.
    Eric Sink on the Business of Software (Expert's Voice)
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  • Dmitri Sunshine
    5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring book that goes way beyond what you would expect
    Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    This book was very inspirational to me and it went far beyond what I had expected. It covers everything from paper prototyping, to "GTD - Getting Things Done", to copyrights.

    Its filled with excellent interviews of other ISVs, that give you the confidence to venture out on your own and the helpful advice from the entrepreneurs that have already learned things the hard way.

    The only downside to this book is that it doesn't talk about OSS, open source software, which is really important for start-ups because it is free and has much lower maintenance costs. If it had a chapter about utilizing OSS and cross-platform development then I might be developing in PHP and MySQL right now.

    I highly recommend this book to anyone who has just started or is considering starting their own company.
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  • P. V. de Metter
    4.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone involved in an ISV
    Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    I only read half the book. Then why still rate it four stars?

    Having my own ISV for over six years now I have arrived at the point of having 10 people in my staff and having experienced most things any startup will bump upon. Sometimes that makes you think you've seen it all by now, but this is an illusion.

    No matter how many staff you have working for you, there will always be a Micro ISV within the company... you! Exept for any partners, no one will do your job of creating the company or product vision and has the same kind of commitment. Some would say that's sad to hear, but I think this is reality. You hire most people to complement you on your own skills, so most of the time don't expect the vision to come from them.

    Going through this book I sometimes skipped some of the pages. Some things I knew just to well to read about again, some applied on starting your own business and some parts applied to US / UK law only. Still, I managed to gain a lot of knowledge, ideas and feedback from this book.

    Thinking of starting your own ISV business? Then get this book first! Already a business owner with some experience under the belt? The pick your paragraphs and read what you have to. Great book, especially for ISV startups!
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Silverbox
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good scope, lots of helpful references
    Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    I read this book after about ten years of running my own ISV, and while there weren't any huge surprises, it still had a number of helpful items in it.

    I like the fact that Bob goes into a number of useful tools (both software and otherwise), and that the book has lots of screenshots and graphics. The sidebars include lots of interviews, and while many of the people interviewed are obviously pushing their own products, it's always nice to be able to read many different perspectives in a single book.

    It's a good overview of running a small software company - I recommend it.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • AlanS CO
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book if you develop software
    Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    If you are developing software to sell publicly, this is a must. There are a lot of fillers - interviews the author had with experts. Some useful, others a waste of page space.

    There is not much available that addresses this market. So when you find one you tend to be glad to get anything. This book not only delivers decent info, but actually satisfies a good number of questions.
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  • Roger Jack
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must have for any micro isv
    Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    I am co-owner in a small software company and I found this book to be invaluable. It has nuts-and-bolts information that you just can't find anywhere else. I'm just upset that the author didn't write the book 2 years ago when we were starting out. It would have saved us a lot of time and money. Don't even think about starting a small sofware company without reading this book.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Gregory Lusk
    1.0 out of 5 stars Not That Great
    Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2008
    I expected to get valuable advice from the trenches of a software start-up, but instead got mostly a sales pitch for the author's software product.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Roberto P
    4.0 out of 5 stars If you want to write a shareware this is a book you should read.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    If you want to write a shareware through a micro-isv (micro independent software vendor) this is a book you should read. I like it covers all the aspects neccessary to be a micro-isv. It includes information applicable to the U.S. and U.K., but no other countries.

    It mentions software to help you throughout the phases of development of your software, but sometimes it is windows or visual studio oriented. Java programmers need to search for equivalent software elsewhere. In such cases the good part is that with the help of the book you know what to look for.

    It has four stars because it is really good, but the information can become obsolete quite quickly (legal changes, new software appears, etc).
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Tuna
    4.0 out of 5 stars 実用書
    Reviewed in Japan on February 16, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    エンジニア出身の人々は「いいものさえ作ればきっと売れる」と思いがちですが現実はそうではありません。それをよく理解させてくれ、また肝心なマーケティングや営業などをどうすればいいかを著者の経験や多数のインタビューから教えてくれます。
    もちろん、英語圏の人向けに書かれた本ですので日本とは異なる部分もありますが、そもそも今時Micro-ISVとか目指しているならば世界をマーケットに考えないといけないでしょう。

    個人的には数ヶ月かけて個人的に調べていた情報がこの本には実は詰まっていたって事でがっかりしましたが・・・。
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  • A. Brice
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very useful resource for software start-ups
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    If you are looking to set up your own small software company, then this is an excellent resource. It contains a wealth of advice on marketing, development tools, legal issues, time management, ecommerce and lots more. I have been running my own software company for over a year now and I still found quite a few items of interest. I wish this book had been available earlier.
    The author obviously talks about his own software products. Occasionally this does feels like as if it is verging on a sales pitch. But that is understandable in the circumstances and doesn't detract from the usefulness of the book.
    [Disclosure: I am one of the micro-ISV owners interviewed in the book. However I haven't met the author face to face and have no financial interest in the book.]
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  • Mr T
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good advice
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 6, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This is a good book and the author sets realistic expectations for the user.

    The steps to take that are advice are still very valid and easy to implement.

    It's good to be able to implement the suggestions as one reads the book.
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