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!

What do Beer, Pizza and Launching New Clients have in Common?

That’s right. They’re three things I LOVE. They all taste really good, and they’re Fantastic things to share with our dedicated team of hardworking employees! Go Team! (David, Woody, John, Eric, Bradford, and myself, Dan McCarty).

It’s Friday the 21st of September and for well over a year the Crystal Commerce team has been slaving away in obscurity, in our dungeon, building you a better tool for doing business online.

No longer. [Only Slightly Longer.]

Today, fueled by the finest pizza and beer in the land, we’ve launched our first clients [took them down a week later] (other than my other business which has been “eating the dog food” for several weeks now perfecting [actually it was choking on the dog food] the system so it works beautifully [actually it needed about 2 more months of work... doh! But now the dogfood tastes like Fillet Minon!) and I'm incredibly excited. [For Real this time ]

This past Monday, we rolled out our 1 page checkout, and its a thing of beauty; something thats guaranteed to efficiently streamline the ordering process. Its always a good idea to make things easier for the customers, we always try to design our new features with them in mind.

Watch out world, here we come.

P.S. Want a tour of the app? Drop me an email at dan@crystalcommerce.com and we’ll make it happen.

What Almost Drowning Taught Me About Running a Startup

Great title, isn’t it? At least that’s what my marketing guy said when he saw it.

Hi, I’m Dan McCarty, the CEO of Crystal Commerce and, despite the valuable lesson almost drowning taught me about startups, I’m never getting in a kayak again.

Let me set the scene for you.

It was an absolutely beautiful 4th of July day in the San Juan Islands. I was on my first (and well-deserved!) vacation after over a year of 70-hour workweeks building Crystal Commerce. A few friends and I had rented kayaks and were planning on heading out to the islands for a few days of sunshine, camping, and relaxation.

As we glided through the water towards the entrance to the harbor, I (somehow) tipped my kayak over, dislocated my shoulder trying to get right side up again and was lucky enough to be rescued by a nearby boat. After my rescuers dropped me off at the dock, I spent 20 excruciating minutes trying (unsuccessfully!!) to relocate my shoulder myself before finally calling the EMT’s who drugged me up and took me to a local island clinic.

Ouch. Needless to say, that was the end of my vacation.

But as painful of as this experience was, it did teach me a valuable lesson about running a startup.

What might that lesson be?

Launch ASAP. (Because you might die tomorrow in a freak kayaking accident!)

And so, as we’re tying up the last few loose ends before we go public, I thought I should share a little about Crystal Commerce and why we (and everyone we talk to) are so excited.

Crystal Commerce is an ecommerce service that helps small businesses sell more online. It does so by enabling them to easily sell the same inventory through multiple channels (like eBay and their own online store and comparison shopping sites) without ever accidently double-selling something. The math is pretty simple. Reaching more customers equals more new customers and revenue.

Next, Crystal Commerce gathers all customer and order information into a single location, regardless how they bought from the business. This does four things for our clients. First, it allows them to fill all their orders flawlessly and without stress. Second, it lets them give personalized customer service so all their customers have great experiences. Third, it enables them to use the built-in marketing tools in Crystal Commerce to keep their customers coming back again and again. Last, and most importantly, it empowers them to find customers through popular but low-margin channels like eBay and convert them to more profitable channels like their own online store for the long-term. And it does it all from one nothing-to-install, so-easy-my-grandma-could-use-it online interface.

When we started building this system a year ago, I sketched the dream system for taking my million-dollar online business to the next level and knew in my gut that if I wanted it, others would to. And now, I’m happy to say that all signs point to my instincts having been correct. Perhaps even too correct since potential customers are getting annoyed at how long we’re taking to get the system perfected. Soon the wait will be over. I promise.

I’ll be writing more here about Crystal Commerce and our launch in the days to come. But in the meantime, feel free to watch the video introduction or check out the top 10 reasons to choose us. Or drop me a line at dan@crystalcommerce.com or 206-274-7437 if you want to chat.