Notes from building and running Unavoidable Studio in the open: how we operate several software products at once, what happens week to week, and the decisions behind the portfolio.
Not a fund, and not an incubator. A venture studio builds the companies itself, from the first commit to the first paying customer, with one team and one shared set of tools.
Read the article →Everything Unavoidable CRM shipped in October, from missed-call text-back and a receptionist call flow to automatic invoice reminders, plus the fixes, taken from the public changelog.
Product storiesThe problem small regulated teams face proving their data is safe, what Unavoidably Secure checks and delivers, and why it stays an audit and readiness service rather than a certifier.
Operating a studioWhy each product has its own name, website, privacy notice and terms, which company stands behind all of them, and what the products share behind the scenes.
Building in publicWho we invite, what beta customers get, the feedback we ask for in return and how a beta ends, using the live AisleReply beta as the example.
Operating a studioMonthly or one-off, per business or per user, usage at cost and public prices: how we decide the shape of a price, using Unavoidable CRM and AisleReply as examples.
Product storiesThe problem it solves for owner-run service businesses, why every plan has every feature, why texts and calls are charged at cost, and what we left out.
Building in publicThe tests an idea has to pass, the stop rules we write before any work starts, and what we keep when an idea is dropped.
Building in publicHow we choose each week's work, keep quality up with backups and desktop and phone checks, and tell customers what changed.
Building in publicThe six signals we watch across our products, the ones we treat with caution and what we do when they are weak.
Operating a studioWhat each term means, how a studio differs from an agency or incubator, and why we call ourselves a venture studio.
Building in publicWedding replies where guests already are, and the decisions behind the product.
Building in publicLaunch is the start, the plumbing matters, and real users reshape the roadmap.
Operating a studioConfirm the problem exists, test demand cheaply, then ship a first version.
Building in publicWhere the line sits between open and private, and why it helps the products.
Operating a studioWhich systems every product shares, which stay separate, and how we decide.
Operating a studioKeeping multiple products moving with a small team, through attention and documentation.
Operating a studioPrioritising the next project, and why saying no is the critical skill.