Sramana: When you first started the company, how did you get the product into the market? How did you build the product and acquire your first customers? Arvind Agarwalla: I set up the company at the end of 1987. My first colleague was a very good friend of mine and remains a close friend to
If you haven’t already, please study our Bootstrapping Course and Investor Introductions page. Arvind Agarwalla is the founder and CEO of FACT Software. Arvind founded FACT after recognizing that in the mid-1990s computers were primarily sold to automate accounting practices, yet they did not have a standard software package to accomplish the accounting functions. Now FACT has been established
Sramana: Do you maintain blogs as use those as a strategy for promoting your writing? Bella Andre: I do not blog at all. I don’t think I am very good at it and I would rather spend the time interacting on Facebook. Jasinda Wilder: I don’t blog either. Sramana: Let’s talk about the publishing industry
Sramana: Another strategy that I have noticed appears in all of your success stories is the presence of series and interconnected stories. Are there other strategies that we have not discussed yet that you think are good secrets to your success? Hugh Howey: I can throw in a couple of things. First of all there
Sramana: Hugh, in your case is Amazon’s algorithmic promotion driving the bulk of your following? Hugh Howey: I would say that my following has driven Amazon’s algorithms to drive my book to new people. It has to start with a readership which is word of mouth. One person has to read something they love, and
Freshdesk is a SaaS company that provides customer support software across multiple communication channels. The software combines a back-end helpdesk system used in ticketing and knowledge management with an online social customer portal on the front end. Within two years of its launch as a cost-effective alternative, in 2013 Freshdesk has crossed $1 million in
Sramana: Bella, it sounds like your book release schedule is almost like soap opera seasons. Bella Andre: In a way it is. My books don’t have cliffhangers, but I would call them family sagas. That is a pretty good description of what I did with the Sullivans. My readers know there are eight siblings, so
Sramana: Hugh, let’s go over your background. What is your story? Hugh Howey I had one book out with a small publisher and learned about self-publishing by watching a small press publish my book. They were using print-on-demand technology to create space and they were uploading to e-book distributors like KDP. The reason that Jasinda