What’s left to do?
Luca asked me to get working on a couple of interfaces today and it made me think, how much really is left to do? Then I thought, why not write a blog post about it, it’ll probably help me realise what’s left to do also.
We have completed the majority of the main elements in the app. The main theme, ticket sections, the client area designs, most of the knowledge base and so on. So here’s a general idea of the main stuff we’ve yet to finish (or start in some cases).
Design/Development
- Staff - This section will allow the owners of each account to manage support staff they may have working for them. There will be some form of permissions based system, allowing the owner to restrict which individual staff member can do what.
- Account management -All the important options for the owner, billing/contact information, any settings which relate to the helpdesk as a whole. Although following the Getting Real idea, there will be a limited amount of settings.
- Knowledgebase - Finalise 1 of the interfaces for the knowledgebase in the usercenter.
- Marketing website - Finish the design get it all coded up.
Once we have completed the majority of the development we enjoy looking over things then redefining, and skimming down anything we feel we don’t need or makes the app feel bloated.
Business side of things
- Bank account - We’re not totally sure whats going to happen here as of yet, its definatly something we are going to start thinking about soon.
- Trademark - Trademark the logo/name, this probably will not happen until after launching the app.
- Finalise pricing plans - We have a very good idea of what each plan going to cost, we just need to finalise this.
- Marketing strategy - We need to define a marketing strategy for the short-term then eventually for the long-term.
But in all honesty we have done very little on the business side of things, Luca has also told me theres not really alot of useful information on getting a small business up and running out there.
Or you can take a look at our basecamp to-do list just to see what we’re upto…
As you can see there is still a while to go we hope to have a beta up and running by August, if you’d like to give us a try, throw us your email on the landing page. We’d love to hear you thoughts on how you break down your to-do lists or whether you use an alternative in getting things done!
Hi Guys,
There is LOADS of useful information out there to help small business! Especially regarding things like bank accounts and (more importantly) merchant accounts.
Things I’ve found useful :
* CENTA.co.uk - loads of government information for small business - as well as recommendations for things like accountants and business premises
* electronic-payments.co.uk - gives you an idea of payment gateway costs
* kashflow.co.uk - good and affordable book keeping solution (if you register as a limited company it’s really important, once your business is registered, to keep track of your receipts and bank statements. This solution is simple and affordable - maybe even to students!)
The best advice I can give though is to get yourselves (once you’re ready to take the plunge) a good accountant. We found one via links on CENTA, but that was many moons ago - so they may no longer provide that as a service. Ring around, be honest about your situation and explain your business plan. A good accountant will help you to understand things like registration and legal requirements without the cost incurred in say, talking to a solicitor. The accountants we spoke to all offered a one off initial consult (I think they charge a fee if you choose not to use them after the consult - but it’s not too much). You’ll know pretty soon when you’re talking to someone who understands you and what you’re trying to achieve - a good clue is when they take the time to listen to you for five minutes on the phone before suggesting a consultation.
Good luck!
Paul
Comment by Paul — 19th of June, 2007 @ 10:49 am
Wow, thanks for all that informaton. You’re right, there definatly is alot of information out there, it’s given me a good idea of how much things are going to cost, I’ll definatly be blogging the choices we make and why in the future!
Comment by James — 21st of June, 2007 @ 10:30 pm