All is frozen. Code was frozen last night and being finally tested the entire day. We do not take additional properties and the ones who did have not complied with our technical and administrative needs will have to wait for the next wave just before we go live with the final version on September 3rd. Now, with more than 50 leading properties we believe that we are having enough value to start with.
With 30000 individuals who have pre- registered we believe that we will have quite a large community participating in our beta group. We have limited it to 1000 users and may consider broadening it based on feedback we will get from the market.
So far we have defined schedule. No more! Now, our users will be the king! They will define if we are giving the expected support and service and they will define the additional features they would like to see from us.
We are ready for the challenge.
Itay
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
A word about competition
What will happen if somebody will come up with a competing product?
What is your window of opportunity?
Who are your potential competitors?
Well, my view is very simple: if you do not have competition it is probably a sign that your market is either too small or its revenue potential is too low.
We have heard again and again "how come nobody didn't think about it before?".
My view is that great ideas are very simple.
We are acting in an unlimited market. 20M+ players are active and this number is growing. There is a room for some players. My only focus is to bring the best value to our users. The rest will follow.
Our market has a long food chain. I am not sure competition is the most accurate word for this market. How about coopetition? (hmmm, new word cooperation with competition). We cooperate with the properties, we are recruiting poker affiliates and casino affiliates and we service our users.
Somebody is volunteering to compete?
Itay
What is your window of opportunity?
Who are your potential competitors?
Well, my view is very simple: if you do not have competition it is probably a sign that your market is either too small or its revenue potential is too low.
We have heard again and again "how come nobody didn't think about it before?".
My view is that great ideas are very simple.
We are acting in an unlimited market. 20M+ players are active and this number is growing. There is a room for some players. My only focus is to bring the best value to our users. The rest will follow.
Our market has a long food chain. I am not sure competition is the most accurate word for this market. How about coopetition? (hmmm, new word cooperation with competition). We cooperate with the properties, we are recruiting poker affiliates and casino affiliates and we service our users.
Somebody is volunteering to compete?
Itay
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Working with Investors
Working with Investors
B4Playing is my first venture for which I have raised funds from external investors. As an individual affiliate I could manage it with my own resources but the B4Playing goals and scale was such, from the very beginning, that it was obvious that external funds are needed.
I thought I would share with you some of my conclusions, 7 months after we have concluded the financing round and just before we go live with our casino and poker tool.
1. Team up with the best, most experienced partner you can. It is preferred to team up with somebody who compliments you and brings set of qualities and experience that you do not have. This was one of the best decisions I took since I came up with the B4Playing idea.
2. Select your investors- Well, I was lucky. Can't complain that we had a too hard process in raising funds. Took us 4 months (including negotiation and contracts) and I am told that this is relatively a short process. We could have raise more money and get additional investors but we took a decision to team up with investors that look like smart , self confident and friendly. We did very well at that respect.
3. Update your investors- We publish monthly report and we include all relevant data. Share the good news and the bad news too. The more you are open and sharing, the better support you get.
4. Meet with your investors periodically- Investors would like to know what the status of their investment is. They would like to look at your eyes, not just get written reports.
5. Consult with your investors- Each investor brings a unique view. You need to listen. You have the choice to agree or not.
Why am I sharing it with you today? We are 8 days before our beta lunch. We work days and nights and I am so supported (morally) by all the investors. I know it could have been different.
Itay
B4Playing is my first venture for which I have raised funds from external investors. As an individual affiliate I could manage it with my own resources but the B4Playing goals and scale was such, from the very beginning, that it was obvious that external funds are needed.
I thought I would share with you some of my conclusions, 7 months after we have concluded the financing round and just before we go live with our casino and poker tool.
1. Team up with the best, most experienced partner you can. It is preferred to team up with somebody who compliments you and brings set of qualities and experience that you do not have. This was one of the best decisions I took since I came up with the B4Playing idea.
2. Select your investors- Well, I was lucky. Can't complain that we had a too hard process in raising funds. Took us 4 months (including negotiation and contracts) and I am told that this is relatively a short process. We could have raise more money and get additional investors but we took a decision to team up with investors that look like smart , self confident and friendly. We did very well at that respect.
3. Update your investors- We publish monthly report and we include all relevant data. Share the good news and the bad news too. The more you are open and sharing, the better support you get.
4. Meet with your investors periodically- Investors would like to know what the status of their investment is. They would like to look at your eyes, not just get written reports.
5. Consult with your investors- Each investor brings a unique view. You need to listen. You have the choice to agree or not.
Why am I sharing it with you today? We are 8 days before our beta lunch. We work days and nights and I am so supported (morally) by all the investors. I know it could have been different.
Itay
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
We are recruiting
Attention all job seekers: With our official launch quickly approaching, B4Playing is recruiting various positions in the Isle of Man. We have a number of job positions we are seeking to fill including:
• Head of R&D Department
• Account Manager
• Reporting Accountant
• Data Analyst – Marketing
• COO
• Compliance Manager
• Client Manager
• Senior Account Manager
• Product Manager, Payment – Online Gaming
Each of the above listed jobs has their own responsibilities. To learn more details about these positions and the experience required, be sure to visit our page devoted to careers.
Aside from the work/education experience that is required for each job, what does it take to join the B4Playing team? B4Playing is a unique community that is designed to provide it`s users with the absolute best software and support. We don`t compromise and our only goal is success.
With that in mind, we are looking for individuals who are ambitious, innovative in their thoughts and ideas, and who embrace challenge and change. We`re also looking for experts and leaders who can work well with others, and who are interested in bettering the online gambling industry, and believe in the quality of the B4Playing tool. Essentially, we are looking for people who don`t think like we do, but who share the same vision of quality and success for bettering the current and future online gambling industry.
If you are interested in providing B4Playing with your job expertise and would like to become a member of our team, please look at our outstanding positions at: www.b4playing.com/careers.html
We hope you`ll join our team,
Itay
• Head of R&D Department
• Account Manager
• Reporting Accountant
• Data Analyst – Marketing
• COO
• Compliance Manager
• Client Manager
• Senior Account Manager
• Product Manager, Payment – Online Gaming
Each of the above listed jobs has their own responsibilities. To learn more details about these positions and the experience required, be sure to visit our page devoted to careers.
Aside from the work/education experience that is required for each job, what does it take to join the B4Playing team? B4Playing is a unique community that is designed to provide it`s users with the absolute best software and support. We don`t compromise and our only goal is success.
With that in mind, we are looking for individuals who are ambitious, innovative in their thoughts and ideas, and who embrace challenge and change. We`re also looking for experts and leaders who can work well with others, and who are interested in bettering the online gambling industry, and believe in the quality of the B4Playing tool. Essentially, we are looking for people who don`t think like we do, but who share the same vision of quality and success for bettering the current and future online gambling industry.
If you are interested in providing B4Playing with your job expertise and would like to become a member of our team, please look at our outstanding positions at: www.b4playing.com/careers.html
We hope you`ll join our team,
Itay
Monday, August 6, 2007
Internet- A marketing or technical play?
Back in the late 90’s Internet was a clear pure technical play. We, the ones who were there at that time, had to struggle with a lot of new technologies and a setting up a new site ( which expects to get high traffic) had a lot of technical implications.
During the last 2 years, it was clear to me as a large casino affiliate and poker affiliate that the name of the game is marketing. How do I get to more people? SEO, PPC, textual advertizing, content, content, content.
Well, we are about to go live in 9 days and I watch our R&D team. Stress testing (as we would like to be ready for about 500 downloads a day), bandwidth calculations, backup and redundancy systems, security and much more. I see the 15 PCs simulating various working environment, the new client being built every night and more.
Yes, building a website is very simple these days. However, developing an application is still as complicated as it was when I was dealing with it. And I thought that all is simple these days!
I wrote it in one of my previous posts. I deal with 100s of inputs and have to take 10s of decisions. It is time consuming but I didn't have so much fun for long time.
Yes I know it will be harder on August 15th when we lunch our beta program. As long it will be fun I am ready for these sleepless nights.
Itay
During the last 2 years, it was clear to me as a large casino affiliate and poker affiliate that the name of the game is marketing. How do I get to more people? SEO, PPC, textual advertizing, content, content, content.
Well, we are about to go live in 9 days and I watch our R&D team. Stress testing (as we would like to be ready for about 500 downloads a day), bandwidth calculations, backup and redundancy systems, security and much more. I see the 15 PCs simulating various working environment, the new client being built every night and more.
Yes, building a website is very simple these days. However, developing an application is still as complicated as it was when I was dealing with it. And I thought that all is simple these days!
I wrote it in one of my previous posts. I deal with 100s of inputs and have to take 10s of decisions. It is time consuming but I didn't have so much fun for long time.
Yes I know it will be harder on August 15th when we lunch our beta program. As long it will be fun I am ready for these sleepless nights.
Itay
Thursday, August 2, 2007
The fun of dealing with translation
Our decision to go live with 7 different languages had clear business logic. We would like to service the international community and talk their language. We all understand that these automatic translators would not do a good job for us.
So, we went and subcontracted professional translators from any possible corner of the world. Now, we are sitting in front of web pages in Japanese and Chinese that we can even not read (not to mention that we cannot understand).
Well, we send it to some of our international colleagues to scan and hope that we will not be offended when we go live. We clearly feel that supporting local languages if a major advantage and we will do anything possible to be accurate and precise with our messages.
Arividerchi on August 15th when we launch the product.
Itay
So, we went and subcontracted professional translators from any possible corner of the world. Now, we are sitting in front of web pages in Japanese and Chinese that we can even not read (not to mention that we cannot understand).
Well, we send it to some of our international colleagues to scan and hope that we will not be offended when we go live. We clearly feel that supporting local languages if a major advantage and we will do anything possible to be accurate and precise with our messages.
Arividerchi on August 15th when we launch the product.
Itay
Sunday, July 29, 2007
18 days before Beta launch
We are going live in 18 days! We can cut the air in our office with a knife. All are working 18 hours a day: Developers, QA, SEO, Media buyers, Finance and management. Tons of third party vendors are knocking on the door. Investors are calling in to get status reports. Fun. I love the Hi Tech world. It is so different than being an independent affiliate when you and only you define the pace and the work load.
A new software version is being published internally every few days (sometimes, every day), new properties are calling to join the program, 186 affiliates have already joined our newly introduced Affiliate program. SEO effort pays off.
Friends from the industry are calling to congratulate, my IM is being bombarded, getting 400 emails a day. 100s of CVs are being faxed here.
The good news is the fact that once we will go live life will be harder.
Fun, fun, fun.
Itay
A new software version is being published internally every few days (sometimes, every day), new properties are calling to join the program, 186 affiliates have already joined our newly introduced Affiliate program. SEO effort pays off.
Friends from the industry are calling to congratulate, my IM is being bombarded, getting 400 emails a day. 100s of CVs are being faxed here.
The good news is the fact that once we will go live life will be harder.
Fun, fun, fun.
Itay
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