1. Panel Discussion 4
1.1. Michael Buffington San Francisco, CA
1.1.1. We help people...thus the subscription
1.1.2. We see a ton of edge case stuff
1.1.2.1. we've had to go after features that customers want
1.1.2.2. but have to balance it with industry standard compliance
1.1.2.3. billing on the 15th and 31st
1.1.2.4. Pricing: setting yourself up to easily grandfather subs. is good to focus on in the beginning
1.1.3. Drive
1.1.3.1. Dan Pink
1.2. Tom Preston-Werner San Francisco, CA
1.2.1. Small dollar amount + big value
1.2.1.1. subscription fits with a hosted service
1.2.1.2. life without value becomes inconceivable
1.2.1.2.1. what would you do if we shut down tomorrow?
1.2.2. When you're down...you'll know about it.
1.2.2.1. twitter
1.2.2.2. create a status site on heroku
1.2.2.3. address it, keep people calm
1.2.2.4. people like and want to use your service so much, they complain when it's not available
1.2.2.5. enterprise version - in house solution
1.2.2.6. Drawbacks:
1.2.2.6.1. Trying to serve a lot of people with just one subscription
1.2.2.6.2. Changing your pricing is extremely hard
1.2.2.7. Pricing = aim high(er)
1.2.2.7.1. people love it when you lower your prices
1.2.2.7.2. price is reflective of self perceived value
1.2.2.7.3. upselling is harder than selling
1.2.2.7.4. It's not necessarily about how much you want to charge, but rather, a wide market share by having low entry prices
1.2.2.7.5. There's benefit in making a personal appeal
1.2.3. Founders at Work
1.2.3.1. Jessica Livingston
1.3. Tobias Lütke Ottawa, ON
1.3.1. They pay us monthly, because if they don't we take our product away
1.3.2. They start a lot slower than you think
1.3.2.1. conversely, revenue will grow exponentially
1.3.2.2. do covert analysis
1.3.2.2.1. look at how much money you make from people during a given time period
1.3.2.3. Pancake of cohorts
1.3.2.4. You must grandfather in current customers when raising prices
1.3.2.4.1. designers who are in the process of negotiating with clients, etc..
1.3.2.4.2. new features that only new customers (higher paying) get
1.3.2.4.3. include a 'crazy' plan
1.3.3. Influence Psychology of Persuasion
1.3.3.1. Robert Cialdini
1.4. Amy's book recommendations
1.4.1. Rules for Revolutionaries
1.4.1.1. Guy Kawasaki
1.5. Peldi's book recommendation
1.5.1. Growing a Business
1.5.1.1. Paul Hawken
1.6. Questions
1.6.1. What value do you provide that justifies your subscription?
1.6.2. What are the special challenges and benefits of running a subscription model?
1.7. Garrett Dimon Dallas, TX
1.7.1. Teams that want to collaborate
1.7.2. In general, the big benefit = no invoicing
1.7.2.1. downside: something that's hosted
1.7.2.1.1. when the server goes down
1.7.2.1.2. you're the one up in the middle of the night fixing things
1.7.2.1.3. problems are amplified
1.7.2.2. you'll never do a better job self hosting than a dedicated hosting provider
1.7.2.2.1. up and accessible 24/7/365
1.7.3. Small Is The New Big
1.7.3.1. Seth Godin
1.7.4. The Timeless Way of Building
1.7.4.1. Christopher Alexander