Archive for category: SlideDeck 2

About 4 years ago, we took a little javascript library we’d created internally for quickly building content sliders on our clients’ websites, and launched it as SlideDeck. Since then, we’ve seen it grow to become one of the most-used slider plugins on the web, and claim a spot among the most recognized plugins in the WordPress community.

We have you, our users, to thank for these things, so it’s only right that we tell you about a major decision we’ve made about SlideDeck. It’s been one hell of a ride, but the time has come for us to shift all of our focus to our new and most ambitious project ever, Filament.

What happens next?

Starting today, December 15th, and continuing for the next 30 days, we’re issuing an open call for offers to acquire SlideDeck as a business. We’re looking for someone who knows the WordPress ecosystem inside-out, and can take on the growth, operations and marketing of the business, as well as continuing to take the very best care of the people who put their faith in us by supporting the product – that’s you!

What we’re looking for

SlideDeck is our baby, and provides value to thousands of people around the web – so we don’t want just anyone to take it over. We want someone who:

• Shares our passion for making the web better
• Gives a damn about good design
• Has a track record of providing top-notch customer service
• Is willing to make a six-figure acquisition offer

In return, you’ll have the opportunity to acquire a business that offers:

• Nearly 10,000 active users
• One of the most recognizable brands in the WordPress community
• An annual, recurring revenue stream
• A mature, stable software product with the most robust feature set on the market
• A trial version with built-in upgrade hooks
• A proprietary paid user licensing system that dovetails seamlessly with WordPress
• In-depth analytics potential – conversion rate tracking, plugin usage, etc.
• A valuable domain name, slidedeck.com

If this sounds like you, or someone you know, we’d love for you to get in touch with us here: interested@slidedeck.com. This is priced to sell, so serious offers only, please. Also, this is an asset purchase only, and won’t include any of our employees, because we need them for other projects!

Why we’re doing this

SlideDeck’s success has done nothing but stoke our enthusiasm to create more tools that put good design within reach of as many people as possible. Through the exhilarating wins and the grinding challenges of building this business from the ground up, we’ve learned tons about what it takes to make, ship and support a great software product as a company – and we want more!

There are many new products we want to build that will make the web better, and few resources with which to do it, which is why we’ve decided to hand over responsibility for running SlideDeck to someone else, in order to focus our efforts on our latest endeavor, Filament.

This is a pretty big announcement with lots of implications, so read on for answers to most of the immediate questions.

Questions & Answers

What does this mean for me, as a SlideDeck user?

For right now, nothing! We’re still committed to supporting the product, and honoring our commitment to every person who has bought a copy of SlideDeck.

Over the next couple months, you might get another heads-up if we find a suitable buyer for the business, but either way, we’re going to make sure that you’re well taken care of.

What if you don’t find a buyer after 30 days?

We will stop selling SlideDeck to new customers, and continue supporting our existing users through the end of their licenses with us.

Will I be able to renew?

For now, yes, but once we stop selling SlideDeck, we will also be discontinuing the renewal of any current licenses. Don’t worry, you’ll get plenty of notice before this happens.

But I love SlideDeck! Why are you doing this?

Trust us, we’re a little misty-eyed about it too – SlideDeck is one of our oldest, and most successful products to date, so we don’t take this decision lightly. But we’ve reached the point where the maintenance of SlideDeck is coming at the expense of large new opportunities to make the web better, and we think these new product ideas deserve their own time in the spotlight, to benefit everyone.

We’ll be shifting our focus to Filament, because we feel it’s the platform with the most potential to make a lasting impact on the experiences people have online.

Will there be a SlideDeck app on Filament?

We’re definitely open to this idea! We’ve talked extensively about doing this internally, but we need more feedback on it to make it a reality. We’d love to hear your suggestions for what you’d want in a SlideDeck app on Filament.

Any more questions? Contact us, and let us know what you’re thinking.