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Trigora recently presented at PitchClub, a fast-paced event where you have 90 seconds to pitch your business. |
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If you picture a sole figure in a boxing ring drenched in bright light and surrounded by two tiers containing hundreds of onlookers, then you’re not far off the mark!
In this high pressure environment Craig did a great job pitching SoftwareShortlist and, although a position in the final three eluded us, there was a healthy level of interest afterwards from audience members.
For those who are interested, below is our 90 second pitch from PitchClub: |
As a small business owner, where do you go to find software to run your business- search engines,software directory lists? What is the first thing that comes to mind when somebody mentions small business software? Probably accounting packages such as QuickBooks and MYOB.
Where do farmers go to find software that manages their cattle records, crops, fertilizer application and budgeting? Where do child care centre owners go to find software that handles rostering, attendance, scheduling, fees, rebates and child care benefits management? Where do management consultants go to find timesheet and expense software for automating capture and tracking of consultants’ activities?
If you have ever had to find software to manage areas of your business, you will know it is a terribly time-consuming process. You spend a lot of time searching the web, browsing websites and talking to salesmen. It is common for companies to give up and decide to develop their own software, as they cannot find a suitable solution.
SoftwareShortlist is the world’s first online platform that helps small businesses compare, select, and buy business software that is highly relevant to their specific needs. SoftwareShortlist’s patent pending algorithm provides customers with a shortlist of software products meeting their specific needs immediately. You can think of us as an iSelect or Service Central, but for small business software. Customers specify their key requirements quickly and SoftwareShortlist provides results in real time and at no cost to the customer.
Our progress to date has been significant, with intellectual property in place, the website testing well underway and vendors already on board. We have a planned launch date of November this year. We have a strong team in place to drive the business, and are looking to grow the board in the coming months.
We will be seeking investment late this year or early in the New Year to fund growth, with initial discussions already in progress.
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We’re getting close! SoftwareShortlist.com is nearly ready for public unveiling.
The final stages of testing are currently underway, and we look forward to launching an initial, highly functional version in early November. A few of the key features of SoftwareShortlist.com include:
Free software recommendation and comparison service
Detailed information on each software product, including user ratings, screenshots and much more
Other useful resources such as expert articles and software reviews
Free service to find relevant service providers
Profiles of software vendors and service providers, including capabilities, reference customers, testimonials, etc
Underpinning all of this is a robust content management system that has been built from the ground up to deliver superior search engine optimisation (SEO), as well as making it easy to keep the site up to date.
We are also in the process of submitting a patent that covers key elements of our recommendation and comparison technology. While we can’t reveal the specifics yet, we are confident you will appreciate how much easier these innovative techniques will make finding the right software.
Of course, in our initial “beta” launch there will be limited coverage of industries and potentially a few wrinkles to iron out, so please be understanding and let us know any improvement suggestions. We’re big believers in continuous improvement, and already have a good list of enhancements to be added in the near future!
So, hold tight and we will soon bring you a better way to find small business software that suits your needs.
Ability to purchase software securely via WorldPay and Paypal, including both once-off payments and recurring subscriptions
Dedicated portals for vendors and service providers to update their profiles, manage their account, and more
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Small business owners never suffer from too little to do, especially when launching a new business. This is when prioritization is most important. As Daley Thompson said while preparing for the Decathlon “it’s like having 10 jealous girlfriends who are all demanding equal attention”.
Progress
Website development has progressed well over the past few months and we are about to start full integration testing of the dynamic site. We envisage that we will be doing a few bouts of testing and refinement over the next month and will start working with vendors to set up products and profiles through October. All things considered, we should be looking at a launch of date of early November (fingers crossed).
Our focus has turned to enlisting vendors over the past month. We have had a strong response from vendors, who are equally as excited as we are about the service. This clearly shows the value of the SoftwareShortlist offering! We are well on target to signing up our desired quota of top quality vendors within the chosen industries as we go into Beta.
Industry Focus
We have decided to focus our initial efforts on delivering great results in 2 industries: agriculture, specifically farm management software, and professional services, notably software for management consultants and IT consultants.
We will therefore provide top quality shortlisted software options to SME customers from these industries who are seeking timesheet & expense software, accounting /farm accounting software, CRM software, crop and livestock recordkeeping software, and agri-business management software. This will expand to cover other industries and niches over the coming year.
Benefits to all
Finally, the SoftwareShortlist offering will provide benefits to all involved:
- Small business owners will gain an invaluable free software selection and recommendation facility, to aid them in finding specialist business software that meets their specific needs.
- Vendors will benefit from a marketing channel that is unmatched; a facility to manage digital download to a global customer base; the ability to invite their regional service providers to enlist; and a matching service for new service providers.
- Service providers will obviously benefit from the additional exposure, the opportunities that arise and a source of new products to represent.
We look forward to enjoying the journey with you all!
