Summary

This conversation is about Salesforce startups and ISVs. The guest, Shailendra Singh, shares his journey as an ISV partner with Salesforce and the success of his app, Astonous, on the Salesforce AppExchange. He discusses the importance of gardening and how it relates to building a startup. Shailendra explains the challenges he faced in building his app, including outdated technology and lack of flexibility in existing apps on the AppExchange. He also shares tips for ISVs, such as visualizing success, being transparent with employers, and continuously reviewing and providing feedback to freelancers. In this conversation, Shailendra Singh and Abhinav discuss various strategies and challenges for ISVs in the Salesforce ecosystem. They emphasize the importance of putting the right keywords and customer reviews on the AppExchange to attract leads. They also discuss the role of graphic designers and content writers in creating attractive listings. Shailendra shares his experience with co-marketing programs and the importance of scalability. They also touch on the challenges of providing support and the benefits of using Salesforce for documentation and knowledge base. The conversation concludes with tips for ISVs, including focusing on building a sustainable business and finding niche markets.

Takeaways

Building a startup is like gardening - it requires nurturing and care.

ISVs should focus on building dynamic apps that can be easily configured for different use cases.

Transparency with employers about building an app can lead to support and a smooth transition to full-time entrepreneurship.

Manifesting success through visualization and setting goals is important for ISVs.

Hiring freelancers requires regular feedback and prompt reviews.

The first customer can validate the app's functionality and boost morale.

AppExchange is a valuable channel for finding customers, so it's important to optimize the app listing and keep it updated. Put the right keywords and customer reviews on the AppExchange to attract leads

Consider hiring graphic designers and content writers to create attractive listings

Explore co-marketing programs and partnerships with Salesforce account executives and SI partners

Focus on scalability and finding niche markets to grow your business

Provide support by documenting customer implementations and using Salesforce for knowledge base

Submit your app for business approval and be transparent with Salesforce about your idea and strategy

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:40 Gardening as a Metaphor for business

03:31 Journey of Building an App on AppExchange

06:19 Making application dynamic, saving implementation time.

10:34 Acquiring non-tech skills to be an ISV

12:49 Moonlighting and working part-time as an employee

17:16 Setting own office

18:56 Power of Manifestation

20:48 Initial Challenges as an ISV

25:45 Getting the First Customer

28:03 AppExchange, Listing and it's Impact

30:11 Outsourcing Graphic Design and Content

33:10 Co-Marketing with Salesforce

36:20 Challenges and Scalability after 2 years of launch

39:15 Support and Documentation

42:04 Handling Different Time Zones in Customer Support

45:17 Utilizing Salesforce to the Max

48:06 Book Recommendation: Rework

50:30 Finding Gaps and Building a Sustainable Business

54:13 Submitting for Business Approval

56:30 Intro Banner.mp4