Most sophisticated vendor contracts are one-sided. Unless you have modifying language to level the field, deciding to pursue a legal remedy over a dispute will double your work, expense, and risk. If the vendor won’t budge on the contract language, look for a different vendor. If deadlines are important, include penalties in the contract for any failure to meet these. Pay close attention to warranty terms and what is and is not included in a fixed-price estimate.
Along with all the good that comes from the entrepreneurial world and its spirit can come a tendency to over-promise. Even if you’re generally optimistic, always keep your skeptic’s hat on when you examine schedules and low-ball budgets -- especially when it comes to high-dollar investments.
In light of this bump in the road, we’ve received tons of supportive e-mail from our Oddpodz members. They’ve provided some incredible feedback and some ideas that we’ll certainly introduce in Phase 2. We will remain open and honest, and be an authentic brand.
We stop blaming stuff, people and circumstances. We stop beating ourselves up. We remind ourselves nothing we did was reckless, and things like this happen to the very best of companies. We will stay focused on all that is right, leverage every bit of consumer insight we have gathered, and most importantly we’ll focus on finding the most efficient solution to this area of our vision.
In terms of technology, what we have today is Phase I. But our concept of the Oddpodz brand continues to get great reviews. We’re getting members and positive press from around the world daily. Because we remain an evolving, growing start-up, we will likely rebuild the entire site backbone in an open source manner in Phase 2.
After nearly three weeks of searching for the right candidate, this week we engaged an independent, project-specific IT manager to assist in writing a killer BRD, identifying qualified vendors, and preparing a BRD-driven request for proposal (RFP).
Beyond our technology, we’re also honing in on a strong micro market of the "creative class," i.e., creative professionals. In my next column I’ll share what this looks like, how we handle the introduction to our current members, and why I think you’ll really like it.
Until then, brand on!
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