First rule of commercialising Open Source - who are you PERFECT for?

This is a time when perfection is NOT the enemy

A note to regular readers - this week’s cover image is NOT artificial; it is very real and the baked goods it hints at were delicious.

Natalie Gray, head of marketing and partnerships at Codurance

It’s a blast from the past for me this time, as I sit down to talk with my former Voxgig colleague, Natalie Gray, who’s now spending her time helping businesses modernise their applications and platforms through an exciting mindset called “software craftsmanship”. Natalie works for Codurance, a global software consultancy and she talks us through her journey working under their innovative ethos.

I hugely admire Natalie and Codurance’s belief in continual learning. It can be one of the most attractive aspects of this model, that even developers with decades of experience can maintain that desire to keep picking up new ways of doing things, and new ways of thinking.

We also speak about events, and the benefits and drawbacks of events that are commercially-focused vs people-focused. Both markets are out there, so how do we reach out to the audience we want to attract?

I took a lot of notes during this chat, so I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a deeper understanding of new working models and community centred products.

Emily Omier, open source consultant, podcast host and advisor

Our cover image this week was inspired by Emily - listen to find out why!

Emily Omier’s philosophy is not for the faint of heart. Her no-nonsense approach when it comes to pitching your product is a powerful one - if you are appropriate for everyone, then you’re perfect for no-one. I had a refreshing conversation with Emily, where we spoke about optimism, credibility in the open source space, and the eternal question - how do you get eyeballs on your work?

Emily helps open source companies make steps towards profitability, a goal that can sometimes be forgotten in the midst of the excitement around creating an exciting new product.

I spoke to Emily about what she looks for in companies, and how she assesses whether companies will benefit from her services (spoiler - it all comes down to specificity). It was really interesting to hear about what some of the “red flags” are from someone with a bird’s eye view on the DevRel space.

I encourage you to tune in and hear Emily’s approach to consulting. I think you might learn something about the benefit of an outside perspective - I certainly did. And you can download your own template from Emily’s website.

Check out more from Voxgig at our website.

A BIG REMINDER that our upcoming August Meetup has been announced. Check out our speakers at the dedicated website for the Dublin DevRel Meetup and join our community.