Good Advice for Today's Start-ups

A business associate of mine sent me the video of David Heinmeier Hansson at Startup School 08 because I used to pepper him with subscription pricing models for selling software as-a-service. That was back in 2005, 06 and 07. I finally gave up when he wouldn't consider producing any of them and I could not compete in an enterprise marketplace. I think it is appropriate for this forum.

I can attest that an entrepreneur can get comfortable with just a few million in revenue each year, but I was never able to get a subscription service off-the-ground and I count that as a nail in the coffin of the company. I could not convince other shareholders though and they voted to slog away at the enterprise business until it dried up. That was another point David made in his presentation.

Dealing with few large customers does not always create a sustainable business. If you cannot keep pace with advancing competition that is perceived as "good enough" if not as good as your own offering, the business is always up for grabs. This video was produce last year, though the advice is just as valuable now. Anyway please enjoy this well-informed advice from the inventor of Ruby on Rails. Warning: X-rated language.