When I started Decade Software Company, it was because my wife was an Environmental Health Specialist at Madera County. Her boss was dissatisfied with the software currently available at that time and wondered aloud where he could turn to automate their office. Since I had just finished a project to automate a business, she suggested to him to give me a try.
It didn't take much to begin working on their system. A few hundred dollars for 
development software, a personal computer, a desk, and I was in business. My goal was to make a little money to bolster my retirement fund, and possibly learn something about this burgeoning personal computer platform (yes, 8 inch floppy disks were the norm at that time -- "64k on a single disk!").
Much to my surprise, once we finished the package for Madera, several agencies from across the state started calling. Soon I had a tiger by the tail: if I let go, I'd be just another programmer that started something he couldn't finish. If I held on, I'd be pulled all over for one of the wildest rides I could never have imagined.
I held on and I set a new goal: build a business that would last, one that would withstand the vagaries of the economic scene, technology, and government budgets. To do so I had to be cautious, pragmatic, driven, and focused.
Over the years, the company slowly grew and established a good reputation
. During that time I saw many companies enter our market space with a blaze of glory. Much like a comet, they came on the scene with much excitement and flash. Just like a comet, they burned out quickly.
That's not to say that we were perfect and didn't make mistakes. I wish I could boast of a perfect record in all matters business and otherwise. I was lucky to have clients and staff that were patient, supportive, and, yes, demanding at times.
Today you can read HL's, Darryl's, John's and Maria's blogs about EnvisionConnect, our new clients, our successful implementations and more. Much of our success can be attributed to the several years of effort, learning, and personal growth as a team. But, that success was not easy.
Which is why I say it is easy to start a software company. It's another thing to last more than 20 years and know that the best is yet to come.
This is your best post yet. It will be interesting to look back in a few years and count the comets blazing today that will have burnt out by then.
So... You were there with your desk, PC, and floppy, and the calls started coming in.
What happened next?
Posted by: HL Arledge | September 05, 2007 at 08:04 AM
Very interesting topic. Thanks a million.
http://filecraft.com
Posted by: Misael | September 01, 2010 at 03:48 AM