[misc.misc] common problems that strike SMALL SOFTWARE COMPANIES

rchao@well.sf.ca.us (Robert Chao) (07/17/90)

I work for a small software company (10-15 people)) that has had persistent
problems during its 4-year existence that keep it from being successful.
From what I have heard, lots of small companies seem to have the same
problems: mainly lack of organization and internal communication, but
more specifically, not enough emphasis on support.
I would like to hear from people about similar experiences in companies
they've seen, and how common are the problems? Are there ways to turn
things around? Is there a point where it's too late to fix the company?
What problems commonly strike small companies? What is the most common
ailment that kills startups? For example, an imbalance of sales over
support?
P.S. If you live in the San Francisco area, MicroTimes just had an artcile
about these problems
P.P.S. We recently sent out a batch of upgrades that no one had tested,
and no one had proofread the manual- after, of course, it had been sent.
Robert