Measure Twice, Code Once.

In this day and age of sloppy solutions and poorly defined problems, there is something to be said for thinking out a problem logically and composing an elegant solution to fit the precise needs of your target audience.

I think its a matter of what angle you approach a problem from, and how well you understand all the facets that particular problem has … for us, we’ve decided that most software problems need to be solved from the customer’s perspective. Only after we fully embrace and understand our customer’s needs, can we truly implement a solution to address them. How is it that so many of our competitors are out of touch with the users of their products?

In this industry, you need to know your stuff, and you really need to be your product’s most demanding customer. If you don’t use your own software, you’re headed in the wrong direction because you’ll never understand why your customers need the things they do; more importantly you’ll understand how to avoid bloat by removing that which is not necessary. In that you need to have the highest of standards, and the drive to work tirelessly in order to create a product that satisfies your own personal expectations. This is where companies make sacrifices, this is where they fail, this is what makes us different and is why we’re here.

The New Kids on the Block

Since you’re reading this, perhaps you’re wondering just how we feel about being the newest eCommerce solution on the block. Well, honestly… its awesome!

You see, not so long ago in a land not so far far away there was a great, urgent need for software to help small companies sell things online more effectively. Familiar with the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? Of Course. Until now businesses looking to do business online had to decide between big companies with their big, bloated, cold, complicated solutions; or smaller, simpler (dumber) systems, that weren’t a professional solution, and simply couldn’t deliver the goods … which with eCommerce, is a rather large problem.

Until now, these poor businesses have had a tough decision, if only there was an agile, innovative company with reliable and powerful eCommerce software. Smoke and mirrors? Don’t get me wrong, fairs and carnivals are fun, but eCommerce is serious business. Here’s our equation: the key to online success is a combination of innovation, efficiency, and offering the same products for sale through multiple channels. Well Duh!

OKAY, recap: First, lets work smart and save people time; that equals saved money … Second, lets show all of your company’s products to as many people shopping on the internet as humanly possible with just a few clicks = A Smarter Solution.

So we’re the new kids on the block.
We’ve got a new take on eCommerce software: The right balance of features and functionality, enough to get the job done efficiently. After all, despite what you’ve heard eCommerce is complicated, we feel strongly that your eCommerce solution shouldn’t be.

More next week about eBay, and how its really a new-age marketing platform. (Get Paid To Advertise Your Products!)
We’ll describe in greater detail, our CrystalCommerce eBay capabilities; and just what using them could mean for you and your business. This dog’s got some new tricks!

The Dark Ages

In case you didn’t know, the dark ages of a software project usually occur when that project is between 90% and 95% done … when that software is field tested. Thats when an an uncomfortable reality sets in, that they’re only about 50% to 55% done. This period of time in a products development is sometimes referred to as crunch time; or which is most often the case, it is simply not referred to at all … all reference and record of this period in time are expunged from company documents and from the minds of loyal employees by way of water-boarding, and mentioning those tough times during a company picnic is grounds for termination, Schwarzenegger style.

However, we’ve decided to adopt a more enlightened stance on all of our recent troubles, we have decided to embrace our dark ages and let you know that building a kick-ass eCommerce system like CrystalCommerce is NOT an easy task. Needless to say, we’ve survived, we’ve learned, and we’ve continued to innovate; and that tenacity is exactly what you expect from a company your business relies upon as the cornerstone of its online success story.

A wise man once said [No, I don't know who so don't ask] “Nothing worth doing is ever easy. If it’s easy, then it’s not worth doing. Worthwhile things always takes time and effort.”