Brad Feld thinks so, and he’s ready, willing and able to explain to you what has and has not worked so far in his 18 year marriage with his wife, Amy Batchelor. Pat and I interviewed Brad – noted VC, blogger, early stage investor and cofounder of TechStars – for The Startup Success Podcast (Just posted as Show 127).

If you want to build a great startup, but have no wish to fail your wife, significant other, or yourself, this is one show you should listen to.

You’re reading Startups and Relationships: Can you have both? from: 47 Hats. If you like this post, there’s plenty more! Want more sales for your startup? Stop by and let’s chat, or consider a Microconsult with Bob Walsh.

How to overcome the resistance to shipping your product, why doing an app to spec isn’t enough anymore, why Steve Jobs is an artist and so are you, and lot more in this week’s the Startup Success Podcast (iTunes) with author Seth Godin. Pat and I had the great pleasure of interviewing Seth – author of a dozen bestselling books including Purple Cow, Tribes, Permission Marketing and now Linchpin – on how his insights apply to our world of startups.

If you don’t generally listen to the Startup Success Podcast that’s okay. But this is one podcast you really do want to hear.

You’re reading The secret to succeeding for startups: from Seth Godin’s lips to your ears. from: 47 Hats. If you like this post, there’s plenty more! Want more sales for your startup? Stop by and let’s chat, or consider a Microconsult with Bob Walsh.

A short post to let you know that:

• The MicroISV Digest will return here Monday October 26th.
• The Startup Success Podcast for this week is being worked on at this moment by our Executive Producer, Francesca Amari. Francesca has been the reason the last 6 or shows have come out like clockwork – The issues with the current show are mine and Pat’s, not Francesca’s. Bottom line: it may be Monday the 26th before the next show airs, unless Francesca can work a miracle.
• StartupToDo.com is back in action after a major screwup left it launched, but without a working payment processing system. As of last night, we are now integrated with Amazon Simple Pay Subscriptions and will be adding a second payment processor which accepts PayPal as well as credit cards worldwide, soon.
• Already, three new Guides (on Twitter, Google Analytics and getting into and making sense of Microsoft’s BizSpark, Empower and new WebsiteSpark programs) have been added.

Now that I’ve rebuilt our payment system, I can get back to giving you very good reasons to spend some of your money and more importantly, some of you time, with StartupToDo.com.

You’re reading Come hell or high water… from: 47 Hats. If you like this post, there’s plenty more! Want more sales for your startup? Stop by and let’s chat, or consider a Microconsult with Bob Walsh.

Got the following one today (unedited save for adding links):

Hey guys,

After listening to your podcast and getting Bob’s MicroISV eBook for free (offer from him for being bizspark member) (note I also found it so helpful that I paid for it anyway) I decided to do something about my horrible site.

The product this site was for is a pretty niche thing.  (controller for an RS232 device – a syringe pump).

I blamed my paltry sales on the small market.  After figuring out the potential market (the manufacturer is making a living selling these things so there had to be lots of room for growth for me – and I have no competition as far as I know) I figured there had to be a way to get more sales.

The eBook, combined with the hanselminutes episode about the timesnapper guy and the timesnapper guy’s 25 things to do list was an eye opener.

I just got off the phone with another sale today – this one from MIT – and am thrilled.  My sales for Feb 2009 is about 20%-25% of my total sales for the last 2 years combined.  (still nothing to write home about, but it is going in the right direction)

So, thanks guys.  The podcast and ebook were wakeup calls.  I still had a lot of work and research to do on my own, but without the kick in the pants I would have been still kidding myself about the lack of sales and waste of time.  (I still have to fix my paypal IPN scripts, upload more screenshots, make a huge download now button, write more faq entries, make some screen recordings/videos, but I am happy with the improvement.  I had the cliche horror-show butt-ugly do it yourself web site from the 90s.  (I am a C++ developer, not a web guy))

regards,
-Tim

You’re reading Emails that keep me going… from: 47 Hats. If you like this post, there’s plenty more! Want more sales for your startup? Stop by and let’s chat, or consider a Microconsult with Bob Walsh.

FYI – just posted show #10 to the Startup Success Podcast – a really excellent interview with Scott Hanselman – yes, that Scott Hanselman – the man behind Hanselminutes and Baby Smash!

Listen/subscribe to it here.

Also, we now have a Facebook Page for the podcast where you can suggest topics, suggest specific questions for our upcoming guests and generally give use hell when and as needed. Please give it a look.

You’re reading Startup Success Podcast #10 – Scott Hanselman from: 47 Hats. If you like this post, there’s plenty more! Want more sales for your startup? Stop by and let’s chat, or consider a Microconsult with Bob Walsh.

Show #4 of the Startup Success Podcast is out.

This week we have an in-depth interview with Microsoft’s Larry Gregory on BizSpark, and I interview Peldi Guilizzoni the founder of Balsamiq Studios and creator of Balsamiq Mockups, a really cool Adobe AIR app that I and other startups have learned to love for mocking up screens. We talk about what’s it like being AIR-centric microISV and an a powerful way of micro-marketing with Twitter.

Here’s the gist on BizSpark:

• You get development-only licensing for everything from VS Team Studio to Excel for everyone developing in your startup for up to 3 years, and these licenses don’t expire – it’s as if you’d bought each product.
• You get development and production licenses for up to 3 years for Windows Server, SQL Server, SharePoint and the other Microsoft servers you might want to use to power your web app.
• You get an MSDN subscription that lets you into the moderated tech support groups and 2 tech support incidents a year.
• You pay zip until you quit the program, or hit $1 million a year revenue, or the 3 years is up. Then you pay a disconnect fee of $100.
• Your company has to be privately held, younger than 3 years, and be making less than $1 million year revenue.
• You get BizSpark from a BizSpark Network Partner (various VCs, angel networks, user/startup groups and others) or from certain Microsoft employees.
• BizSpark is global: some adjustments in price conditions in some countries.

More details/info in the podcast. And the BizSpark Program Manager Julien Codorniou who’s been very actively answering questions at the Business of Software forum here and here just pointed out to me his blog at: http://codorniou.wordpress.com.

Subscribe via iTunes. (And if you like what you hear, please add a review there!)

To download directly, visit The Startup Success Podcast blog.

Update: Correction! I was wrong re non-server licenses persist: they do not. “After 3 years, if they want to keep receiving the updates and the new versions, They have to pay for a new MSDn subscription, or join empower or any certification program,” Julien Codorniou emailed me.

You’re reading Show #4: Microsoft BizSpark and Balsamiq Mockups from: 47 Hats. If you like this post, there’s plenty more! Want more sales for your startup? Stop by and let’s chat, or consider a Microconsult with Bob Walsh.

Show #3 of the Startup Success Podcast is out: this week Pat and I focus on the news from the Microsoft Professional Developer Conference and I – and you – get a consultation on the core accounting/financial stuff you need to know for your startup or microISV from Mairtini NiDhomhnaill, Senior Vice President for the consulting firm Accretive Solutions. Accretive Solutions has provided accounting, financial and other consulting services to over 500 startups.

Subscribe via iTunes. (And if you like what you hear, please add a review there!)

To download directly, visit The Startup Success Podcast blog.

Admin note: I’m attempting to move this blog over to wordpress.com this weekend – it’s been pretty frustrating so far since for some reason 2008 posts are not exporting/importing properly.

• If you don’t see Monday’s MicroISV Digest, please visit http://47hats.com and resubscribe.
• If you know anybody who can make things happen at Automattic – the company behind WordPress – please email me.

You’re reading Show #3: Microsoft Azure and accounting basics for microISVs from: 47 Hats. If you like this post, there’s plenty more! Want more sales for your startup? Stop by and let’s chat, or consider a Microconsult with Bob Walsh.

In our second show, Pat and I talk about JQuery that has jumped on both our radars, I interview Sanjay Bhatia, who founded Izenda a few years back and now runs a 20+ ISV and Pat and I have a couple tips for aspiring microISVs – especially those wondering when to quit their day jobs.

We’re trying out a format – and pushing to make reduce the length of the show: what do you think?

Subscribe via iTunes. (And if you like what you hear, please add a review there!)

Visit The Startup Success Podcast blog.

You’re reading Show #2 of the Startup Success Podcast is up. from: 47 Hats. If you like this post, there’s plenty more! Want more sales for your startup? Stop by and let’s chat, or consider a Microconsult with Bob Walsh.

Patrick Foley (Microsoft ISV Architect Evangelist) and I have launched The Startup Success Podcast. Here’s our first episode.

The game has changed for microISVs and startups. It’s not just the credit crunch/recession in the U.S. and Europe, or the ever-growing number of platforms, frameworks and languages you can develop a web or desktop app in, or the wild growth of a postindustrial new sector of the global economy – the Startup Sector. It’s all these things and more.

Here’s our goal:

The mission of The Startup Success Podcast is simple: make microISVs, startups, Mac indies and everyone perusing the dream, challenge and reality of starting their own software company more successful.

Each week, we hope to bring you about 20 minutes of valuable information on the business, technical and social developments, tools and trends that will give you an assist in your startup.

Some of you may remember The MicroISV Show I co-hosted with Michael Lehman that ended a year ago. The Startup Success Podcast is going to be bigger, better and independent of the rules and dictates of Microsoft. I’ve teamed up with Patrick, and yes, he works for Microsoft as an ISV evangelist, because between our two very different viewpoints I think we can provide you with the best information possible whatever you develop in.

In the weeks and months ahead, I hope The Startup Success Podcast becomes a valuable and timely ally in your efforts to build your startup or microISV. Got a suggestion, something to share with the community, someone you want us to go interview?

Let us know!

I’m on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com
Patrick Foley is on Twitter at http:/twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

You’re reading Back in the podcasting business! from: 47 Hats. If you like this post, there’s plenty more! Want more sales for your startup? Stop by and let’s chat, or consider a Microconsult with Bob Walsh.