Hi, I am Simon from HarleyPro

Introductions
#1

I run my own agency - mostly managing, designing and developing cloud software, websites, apps and digital products direct for clients. But…

I am currently bootstrapping www.harleypro.co.uk - a cloud-based private medical practice management system for practices in the UK. Got my first client signed up, a Harley Street Practice in London, and hope to start piloting it in the spring. Marketing website will go live in the summer, once I am happy with the pilot, so ignore the landing page!

Sold a sports website in 2000, that I ran and grew in my spare time, started when I was still a student.

I also own www.remindeo.com - a reminder service which I just built as a learning experience a few years ago for fun, which got ‘accidentally’ popular! So planning a relaunch for the second half of 2014. I bootstrap Remindeo as well.

I live in Aldershot in the UK (about 35 miles outside London), with my lovely wife Renata.

I love movies and tennis (watching and playing badly!).

Looking forward to getting to know some of you on this forum!

Been listening to the podcast for ages, so not sure why it took me so long to get on this forum!

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#2

Hello! Nice to see more UK-folk here. I’m in Bristol and my knowledge of Aldershot is getting lost trying to find the theatre to drop my daughter off!

#3

Hi Rachel - thanks for the welcome!

I already “know you”, sort of, he said… suddenly sounding like a stalker!

Saw you speak at a conference, may have been FOWA, and get your newsletter which is always a good read.

Lost in Aldershot, There are probably more interesting towns to get lost in!

#4

Hi Simon,

Do you think having “harley” in the name will put off private medical practices not in Harley Street?

I’m also in the UK (Swindon).

#5

Hi Andy - thanks for getting in touch. I heard your interview on the podcast a while back, so knew you were in the UK.

Name - possibly. It’s a valid point.

I think some outside of Harley Street will aspire to it, some maybe put off by it.

Also… does it sound like a Harley Davidson pro racing team!?

The problem I have had with the name is finding something available. Often you have drug companies and health manufacturers with product names pre-dating the Internet which rules out hundreds of names, plus the more usual naming challenges with other online medical businesses, trademarks, cyber squatters and apps etc.

I thought about using some kind of “non-name”, a made up word, but the practices I have been speaking to during the development can be quite conservative (really interesting mix actually - very friendly, a little conservative but very entrepreneurial). I think HarleyPro sounds quite “dependable” for them, which I like.

I do own patientgo.com / co.uk, which is more fun and dynamic sounding, but maybe a bit too “light weight”?

Good luck with your new product launch.

#6

Better to have some people love you and some people hate you, than everyone think ‘meh’.

Also… does it sound like a Harley Davidson pro racing team!?

As someone who used to have a Japanese sports bike, I can’t understand how anyone can put ‘Harley Davidson’ and ‘racing’ in the same sentence! ;0)

Names are hard.

I think it sounds ok. But its what your potential customers think that matters.

Good luck with your new product launch.

Thanks!

2 Likes
#7

I suspect I just gave away the game that I am in no way a biker!! ;0)

I am meeting with a few new practices next month, who all know it is in the pilot phase, so I can see how they react to the name. Good point about avoiding “meh” though.

Thanks.

#8

Well done for actually leaving the house, instead of wasting hours trying to interpret Adwords. :smile:

How are you actually getting a foot through the door? I imagine private practices are very busy, and very wary of salesmen?

PS- Im in Southampton, less than an hours drive from you.

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#9

Hello fellow Brit and fellow Hampshire inhabitant down there in Southampton! The world is smaller than I thought. ;0)

Thanks. ;0)

I do A/B testing via campaigns of different offerings designs etc once a product is live, but I love chatting to potential customers to validate ideas. They tell you great ‘stories’ which always lead to killer features. I suspect I am “preaching to the converted already” by saying that though?

My pilot site/client has made some introductions. I was introduced to him via a mutual friend. Also, I have been running my own agency full time, sub-contracting for other agencies and running business networking events for about 12 years. Before that, I was running a website and doing some freelance stuff in my spare time for about 5 years.

So, just using lots of contacts in my existing network.

No cold calling or selling, just introductions.

Old School! ;0)

I think the fact I haven’t launched yet means I am not considered a “salesmen” yet, which maybe helps a little too, but not much.

#10

Hi all,

Good to see so many Hampshire people in here! Who knew?

We all know this is the real heart of the UK’s thriving tech industry.

Look forward to seeing more of you all.

PS: I’m in the New Forest. The Silicon Valley of Hampshire.

1 Like
#11

Hi Dave - Silicon Hampshire, I think we could be onto something!

I see you did some work for Balsamiq. I interviewed Peldi @ Balsamiq for a blog ages ago when there was just two of them at the company I think. Such a nice guy.

#12

Things have certainly changed for them. In terms of the scale of the business I mean… Peldi is still a really nice guy!