I retired from personal blogging in July 2008.
But you can find me over at http://blog.xero.com.
PlanHQ reviewed on WorkHappy.net
It’s a brilliant bit of software. Intuitive, very well designed, and comprehensive without being overwhelming.
PlanHQ is an example of what I call the ‘0 to 60′ model. A relatively small amount of money thrown at a small amount of very smart people. Starting from 0, designing a product, building a brand, a team and getting to first revenues.
As I’ve been flat out with Xero I haven’t spent a lot of time on PlanHQ since we envisaged the concept so it’s a real credit to the team to have launched, get first customers and good reviews.
Like Xero, PlanHQ is a Software as a Service (SaaS) product. Based on customer feedback it can be continuously improved. PlanHQ has no country specific features so is global from day one. All marketing is web and community based (budget = $0), so reviews are key to the strategy. There is no limit to how big/fast it can go. It’s going to be fascinating to see if/when it takes off.
PlanHQ is an example of a ‘new economy’ company. A few young, passionate and talented people, with a relatively small amount of capital, building a business designed to immediately earn export revenue.
These businesses are the future of New Zealand. A small change of R&D treatment, a small amount of investment, and we could have thousands of these little businesses exploiting global niches.
Congrats Tim, Nat, Koz, Ben, Oliver and Nik.
blog
Just want to add my note of support to Tim and all. My free trial ran out today but being overseas I haven’t had a chance to really get into the system.
For those that want to try it out though, you get a month (or at least you used to) so it is a no brainer to give it a run.
I agree with your comments about SaaS apps and their significance for the NZ development landscape. If you are looking to ‘export’ into the UK, it might be worth checking out the new BT Applications Marketplace which is focused on showcasing and promoting SaaS applications to BT’s own SME customer base. I have worked with BT before as a web partner and they certainly provide a good potential route to market.
I agree wholeheartedly about NZ as a provider of niche businesses to the global marketplace (in any industry where a competitive advantage could be had or barriers to entry were low enough).
I would be willing and keen to get the message out about this, since we need to move away from the land of commodities and exchange rate volatility.