When we first started customizing Zoho CRM for serious business operations, I had the same thought most reasonably technical people probably have: this should be pretty straightforward. Create a few modules, add some fields, build a pipeline, automate some tasks, and maybe connect Writer, Sign, WorkDrive, and email. What could possibly go wrong? That sentence, by the way, should be printed on a warning label and stapled to the forehead of anyone starting a CRM customization p

There are certain phrases in software that sound harmless until you’ve been around long enough to know better. “Can we just customize Zoho CRM a little?” is one of them. It sounds like a small request, maybe a few custom fields, a workflow or two, and a nice Zoho Sign integration so documents stop disappearing into the Bermuda Triangle of someone’s inbox. But as anyone who has ever sat at a hotel bar during a Zoho conference can tell you, “just customize Zoho CRM a little” is

Last week, we discussed how we keep our promises, which differentiates us from most of the competition. We mentioned that we offer free “discovery” to our prospective clients, and that one benefit of this offer is the opportunity to evaluate clients before we agree to work with them. Internally, we call this our “No Jerk Policy” (we actually call it the “No A**hole Policy but this is a PG-rated blog, so we’ll censor ourselves). This policy of ours, put in other words, means t

Hollywood seems to be obsessed lately with famous start-up scammers. Browse through your Netflix, and you’ll see that Billy McFarland, Bernie Madoff, Elizabeth Holmes, and Anna Delvey have documentaries or TV series about how they defrauded investors out of millions and even billions of dollars. I admit it, I’ve seen them all. At first, I thought it was just a guilty pleasure. But upon reflection, I think these shows teach the wrong lessons and draw the wrong conclusions. In

I’ve read lots of business advice books, most of them in my MBA program but I continue to read one or two a year. For the most part, they have the same advice: be assertive, take calculated risks, take control of your own destiny, find your passion, etc., etc. However, there was one book I read over a decade ago that I still think about often – Seth Godin’s “The Dip”. This book has several messages, all of which resonate with me to this day. The first is that in order to succ

Like many custom software development firms that provide services to other companies, CodeStringers utilizes, among other vehicles, email marketing to a "high accuracy" source of company and contact data. We have numerous email program genres, including monthly newsletters, prospecting (emails that directly seek new clients), and thought leadership (white papers and other "high value" content resources). Beyond the Obvious: What is "Data Quality"? Contact data quality can be

Here at CodeStringers, we’ve seen founders make two mistakes vis-à-vis their MVP launch. They launch too early before the MVP is actually “viable”. Conversely, they may launch too late because they want the MVP to be perfect first. In other words, they launch after the MVP has reached its “minimum viable” state. Oftentimes, founders insufficiently plan what to do after launch because they spent so much energy focusing on the launch itself. So let’s take a look at each of thes

As an individual If I could give one piece of advice to someone starting a business career, it would be to “know your lane.” I would tell them to do an honest soul-searching session and ask themselves a few questions: What are you good at? But perhaps more importantly, what are you not good at? What kind of work do you enjoy doing? (granted, “enjoy” is a relative term in business) Do you want to be challenged every day, or do you prefer something a bit more rote and routine?

“Next year’s annual customer event will be held in Austin. Please start planning immediately. Be prepared to connect in a few months to present the details of your plan.” The marching orders from your boss are clear. An event in Austin. Next year. As the Head of Events at your organization, you waste no time … diving headfirst into the plans. Fast forward to “a few months later,” and you present your plan to the C-suite. Someone raises their hand when the first slide appears,

Hubris is a death sentence for many startups. I’ve heard many entrepreneurs, including myself, quote Henry Ford’s famous words: “If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said, ‘faster horses.'” Ford implied that entrepreneurs often have better insights than their customers. “If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said, ‘faster horses’,” -Henry Ford The history of innovation reveals only a few visionaries who accurately predicted cu

COVID-19 has caused unprecedented disruptions to the global economy, but the outsourcing business has been particularly hard hit. As soon as clients felt economic instability and an uncertain future, R&D budgets were slashed, transactions were delayed, projects were cut, and prospective clients disappeared. Consequently, many outsourcers had to downsize or even go out of business. However, organizations adapted quickly and took advantage of the crisis. CodeStringers is one

Perhaps you’ve fallen into the same trap I have. You have an idea for a new digital product, and you think you can build it internally. Maybe you have a well-known offline brand, but you don’t yet have a successful mobile app. And perhaps you have a guy in IT who is a talented Java developer. Why not let him take a crack at it (insourcing)? You may want to read Which Is Better for Software Development? Outsourcing or In-House? This is a mighty tempting option, particularly

When a prospective client contacts outsourcing partners for software development, they have a crucial question. Beyond the usual "get to know you" questions, this question stands out. “How long will it take to build my software and how much money will it cost?” Outsourcing engagements often turn into nightmares, and this is where it begins. Buyers often realize it months after signing contracts. To explain this, I’ll use an analogy that’s near and dear to my heart, having jus

Beyond the obvious criteria such as technology stack expertise, domain experience, and value, hiring a software development partner (i.e., an outsourcer) is ultimately about trust. For my part, I’ve worked in the software industry for nearly 25 years, but only five of those years have been as an outsourcer. For the first 20 years, I was on the other side of the proverbial table, where I hired and/or worked with many outsourcers. With few exceptions, I found the experiences w