Time to get back to it
In the US, the traditional end-of-summer has arrived: Labor Day is almost over.
This time of year always marks a change. The days, though still longer than the nights for the next couple / three weeks, continue to shorten. The first chilly winds blow in Virginia, and this month will mark the first time in a few months for furnace activity.
School has already started here in Farmville, Va. Stevie Ray started at his new preschool in mid-August. So far, he likes it a lot.
An interesting business cycle starts in the Fall as well. September marks the last month of the previous business calendar for many. Most corporate budgets are built in a use-it-or-lose-it fashion: they must spend all the money allocated to this year's budget or suffer a reduction (or at least questions) in the coming year's budget. It's an interesting problem for some departments, but a problem nonetheless.
With October comes a fresh fiscal year, and then businesses that were unable to spend in September (or perhaps August and maybe July as well) then have a new budget with which to work.
What does it all mean?
If you're in the software business, your phone will begin ringing this week - that's what it means. And that's always a good thing.
If you're a micro-ISV or even a small shop, keep in mind that you do not have to swear off sleep until Christmas. You can schedule (book) the work. You can even begin the project now and bill forward (at a discount for paying a heavier percentage up front, even) tied to a well-written schedule of deliverables - thus helping companies in a use-it-or-lose-it situation. (And how you and your customers define "begin" is entirely up to you.)
The point is this: In business, not everything is negotiable, but usually most things are.
Talk to your customers. Find out about their plans and the fiscal constraints to which they must adhere.
Then use to build them some awesome software! Let everyone win!
:{> Andy
Technorati Tags: Team System Software Business fiscal calendar year budget corporate