I’ve been running software companies since 2000, interspersed with consulting.

My first product was a complete flop, only ever selling one license. Financial salvation came when the business morphed into a successful consultancy. Running a consultancy was not my dream career, so I eventually sold my share to my business partners and moved on.

I then spent several years afterwards reading voraciously on how to create and sell software that people need and will pay for.

Applying the lessons learned, I eventually found some success with a cross-platform desktop product that became one of the leading products in its space. It was acquired after 10 years.

Since 2017, I’ve been running Feature Upvote, a SaaS product used by software companies to manage the flood of customer feedback. It has found a niche in the video games industry.

After experiencing near burnout while running my consultancy, I intentionally keep my running of Feature Upvote low-stress, aiming only for modest, manageable growth, so that I can keep mentally healthy while running it. This gives me the freedom to work on things that interest me, such as writing a book.

I’m originally from New Zealand, and I’ve had the fortune to work in Australia, Germany, the UK, Spain, and more briefly, in Switzerland and France. How the culture in each country affects the work environment intrigues me, but that’s a topic for another day. I now live in Barcelona, Spain.

You can connect with me on LinkedIn.