Welcome to zinCode, the newest Micro-ISV!
You might be wondering what is a Micro-ISV. The term made famous by Eric Sink depicts a small (usually one person) software development shop. The owner, me (Chris Martin) is responsible for all aspects of the business including architecture, development, sales, support, and everything else that goes along with running a technology business. Technically, any shop of ten or less people is considered a Micro-ISV, which is a good thing because there are about five of us working at zinCode. Working implies we are getting paid right? That's not the case. We are building a product(s). Products take time to development--especially if you develop them the right way!
The who, what, when and where?
Who - We are a group of highly skilled technologists. The people working with zinCode are senior systems architect, a couple senior application developers, one sales person, and an intern or two (you have to start somewhere).
What - We are currently developing three different types of products. The first product zinLists will be available (in BETA) soon. The other products are still in the works so we cannot dicuss the details of them. However, zinLists will revolutionize the list industry by putting the power of list fulfillment (via an online portal) into virtually anyone's hands. Also, we are still taking on consulting engagements; which is where the least of our focus is at this point.
When - As mentioned above, our first product zinLists is expected to be released in BETA very soon. All of us are working outside (fulltime commitments) so we work on it when we can. We are trying to build a company the right way...slow and not in debt. If you would like you can check out the zinLists DEMO website at www.zinLists.com. You will not be able to run queries without a login and password, so register for an account and then I will contact you about testing it out. Keep in mind it is a BETA version, so it is not complete. Your version of BETA might be different than ours, but we feel that we needed to get something out for people to see.
Where - Most Micro-ISV's start out of the home of the owner. Why should we be any different. I personally have been developing applications for clients for the last 11 years out of my home. There is just now a more official name for it! We expect to grow quickly, so the term Micro-ISV may not be attached for too long.
zinList Features
Our goal during the development process was to keep it simple, make it functional, flexible and most of all fast to implement a list
- Functional Design - the list management console and website both incorporate features that follow common industry practices. The design of the system is functional yet very flexible.
- Flexible List Options - you choose how to present your selection criteria, you choose the columns to export, you choose everything, it's your list. If you change your mind, well that is not a big deal, you change it. No longer do you have to wait on a programmer to make the change. And if you have something that does take a developer, then we will be available to do it.
- Fast List Deployment - it is possible to host your list in one hour. Our goal during the development process was "let's give someone the ability to hang a list in ten minutes." Although, not realistic it put into perspective the need for faster way of hosting lists. No longer does it take a team of developers weeks or months to build and deploy hosting solutions.
NOTE: Our BETA release will not implement all of functionality planned for the final release. Even after the first production release we plan on adding new features every 30 to 60 days.