business prospects for a php tools vendor

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businessforPHP
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business prospects for a php tools vendor

Post by businessforPHP »

I'm writing a prospectus for a startup php module vendor company. I'm having a hard time getting a feel for what the market is for hybrid commercial/open source php programming tools. Does anyone know of how much money PHP tools companies are making, or how much they are worth?

Thanks to all. Long live PHP!
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feyd
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Post by feyd »

Moved to The Enterprise.
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feyd
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Post by feyd »

unless the modules are 1) fantabulous, 2) available in php source (since a lot of hosts won't install or allow dynamic loading of modules) .. commercial prospects are kinda low. The only things I see is support services (minor) or customization. Business level licensing may be possible, this is where the fantabulous part comes in. You may have to offer stuff no one else can do, or knows how to do. A challenge to say the least.

That being said, diversify into other areas and services. It's a challenge for a company to stay afloat when they are entirely hinged on a single thing.
businessforPHP
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what about a product like the MovableType blogging tool

Post by businessforPHP »

MovableType seems to have a large paying customer base. What about a PHP vendor company that offered easy to install and easy to use community portal features, allowing a non-technical administrator to setup and maintain not only blogs, but site content, forums, e-commerce plugins, membership, and more. Could something like that be profitable? How would I go about estimating the market for such a product?
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feyd
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Re: what about a product like the MovableType blogging tool

Post by feyd »

businessforPHP wrote:MovableType seems to have a large paying customer base.
MovableType has incentive upgrade paths.
businessforPHP wrote:What about a PHP vendor company that offered easy to install and easy to use community portal features, allowing a non-technical administrator to setup and maintain not only blogs, but site content, forums, e-commerce plugins, membership, and more. Could something like that be profitable?
A lot depends on how you play it, play with others, and how you treat your users.
businessforPHP wrote:How would I go about estimating the market for such a product?
You may be approaching this wrong. Instead of searching for a product that will make money, come up with a product you personally want. Once built up enough, you may be able to sell it. Worst case, you learn a lot about php and other systems to which you can add real experience to your resume. Sniffing for money is often a sure way to make it hide away even further.
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