Depending on when I find you, you’ll be helping to complete a .net web application used to manage construction projects or making changes to a ddns service or whatever project we’re working on at that point.

• I’m not looking for off shore developer. Nothing against it but it doesn’t fit my need.
• In Dallas is preferred but not required.
• I like someone with a mix of contract and in house development experience but that’s not a strict requirement.
• The ability to manage expectations and timelines is essential.

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It’s inevitable that new ideas come to mind. It’s a new tool and because the process of building custom software brings a lot to mind. Custom software can open up possibilities never envisioned. That’s good. It’s one of the benefits of building an application that fits your business or process exactly. You instantly see new ways to leverage the data you have. You see ways to fix other nagging problems and realize a report you’ve always wanted is within reach.

The consequences of holding the launch for these new ideas include:

• If you can gain benefit from the current software phase, delaying it becomes a cost. If you can save 10 man hours/week, delaying the launch is a loss.
• Delayed launches have a demoralizing effect on the team. Each missed deadline makes the project seem like it will never end.
• Slipery slope. If you can hold the entire project because you want one more report, you loose control to every new idea.
• Late addons usually don’t go through the same design and review process. Everyone just assumes you can slip it. Doing so can cause more revisions, more testing, and unintended consequences that lead to more changes.

Custom software is never perfect because, by the time you reach the end, you’ve had time to think of new ideas. You don’t have to stop development just because you’re launching. Custom software grows with and around your company so let it. If you have new ideas, start planning  so future versions are bound to come up.

With the work my team is doing, I’m finding time to refine our message, introduce some new revenue streams, and play with some exciting ideas. Even in the current down economy, I think we’ll see gains. We just have to keep improving and focus on our goals.

I know everyone’s concerned about the economy and we feel it too but the new year always seems to bring a new round of optimism.

Last year was a big milestone for eLocomotive. Decisions about who we want to work with and operational improvements have made us a very different company. We’ll continue to hone operations but have some other big plans for 2009. We’re ready for much more and begin 2009  with a lot of optimism for the future.

• I don’t want to be the guy holding the brush while you tell me where to paint. I want to be the guy painting something based on your stated goals and requirements.
• I can’t promise next day turnaround on every request. I can promise an organized process and reasonable time estimates.
• I can’t promise we’re the cheapest and I’m sure we are not. I can promise that we’re fair about our billing practices and usually go above and beyond what we bill.
• I can’t promise we’ll jump on every tech bandwagon. I can promise that we’re always testing new ideas and we’re open to new ideas.
• We won’t do everything you ask without question. We will always provide advice and guidance.

At the end of the day, we don’t want to deliver something we’re not proud of. eLocomotive isn’t here to turn the crank. Some people are looking for that. They need someone else.

Those that want to excel; that want advice; that are willing to take advice; They need us.

“There are 10 types of people in the world, those who understand Binary and those who don’t!”

Since Convey Computers moved into the building, things have really started to get geekier. I did my part with the C++ refrigerator magnets but they really elevated things with the “Decaf” and “!Decaf” signs.

I may be working on a Saturdays but at least I’ve still got my sense of humor.

Now it’s time to step on the throttle. A tough economy doesn’t change things for us. We always watch our expenses. We’re always selling because our team knows that solid performance is the best sales tool. Our changes are about our own growth and drive.

We don’t want to be mediocre and we don’t want to do it if it’s not going to be great. Now that these changes have started, we’re going to step it up.

Take me in relation to eLocomotive. I could tell you that I was a Honda certified mechanic before I went to college, that I love hiking, or that I have an extremely athletic mutt that still acts like a puppy at 8 years old. None of this seems relevant in the context of eLocomotive.

I do tell people things like:

• I’m an entrepreneur at heart and that spirit makes increases my understanding and interest in your business. Three of my mother’s siblings ran separate, successful businesses. So did my grandfather. When my wife’s parents were telling her to do well in school so she could get a good job and work there to retirement, my mother was telling me I’d never be happy or secure if I didn’t run my own business. I work with a lot of start ups and single owner businesses and this speaks to them.. They know I mean it when I say I love business and that I’m interested in theirs.
• A thirst for innovation drives me. My grandfather taught me a valuable lesson that’s always stuck with me. He told me that he was never the strongest or the fastest but he was always able to devise tools that made his jobs easier. That put him ahead of others on the job site and made him successful. That’s what technology is to me. I love building tools that make it easier to run your business.

It may not be relevant that I’ve played soccer since I was 4. It probably is relevant that when I was young my father’s company installed AS400s and I started working on computers when I was 8.

Telling a story in your website is much more compelling than stopping at buzzwords. If all you say is the facts of what you do you risk becoming a commodity among your customer’s websites. Find a way to bring the relevant personality to your marketing and your website.