The new Intuit Small Business Web

First of all, let me start with one of those lame apologies about how long it's been since I last posted.  I've been heads down getting used to the Intuit world and my new job within it.  I basically have two full time jobs now (my old one running Homestead and my new one at Intuit--more on that in a minute).

People who work in big companies have always told me how much I'm not a big company person, and for the most part I can now state from experience: they were right.  However, being inside a big company has given me a totally new appreciation for a) how much easier it is to get stuff done in a small company and b) how hard it is to build and keep a massive organization functioning and growing.  It's way easier to grow a few million dollars of revenue by 100% than it is to grow a few billion dollars of revenue by 5%.  It's way easier to keep a few hundred employees fired up (even if they are underpaid and overworked) then it is to keep a few thousand employees from grinding to a halt. 

Having said all of that, Intuit is really an awesome place.  There are tons of passionate, smart, dedicated people who easily pass the old Homestead "no jerks, no idiots" rule.  The customer loyalty and product excellence is even better than it appears from the outside.  Basically, everything I predicted about the people/culture/values in my original post about the acquisition has come to pass.  But it's way bigger than Homestead (which already felt big with a whopping 175 employees!), and with that comes new ways of getting things done.  We are all still learning the best way to work with each other.

But enough about that... what I wanted to post about was a cool thing that has come out of Homestead joining Intuit's Small Business Division.  We have recently created a new "SB Web Group" that includes not just Homestead's various assets, but most of Intuit's other small business web products including JumpUp, QuickBooks Online, StepUp and MyCorporation.  

Intuit actually has a ton of great stuff happening on the web, but it's often overlooked by the press and the public because of the prominence of TurboTax, QuickBooks and Quicken.  But did you know that Intuit is already one of the world's largest pure SaaS ("software as a service") players in the small busines space?  Or that Intuit's online communities are extremely in-depth (check out JumpUp--it rocks) and visited regularly by millions of customers?  Or that Quicken Online rocks compared to the Web 2.0 darlings Mint and Wasabi (okay, that is just my opinion)?  Or that three of the most downloaded iPhone applications are Intuit products?

I can't say too much about our plans in SBWeb yet (stay tuned), but let's just say that we're planning on making a big splash that will continue the mission of leveling the playing field for small businesses.  I can say that the 350+ employees coming to work every day on our team are going to give all of the "big guys" a run for their money... okay, I guess we are one of the big guys now.  Still getting used to that.  :o)

Finally, lest you all believe that I sold my soul when we sold Homestead to Intuit, I thought you would enjoy the following video.  At the "all hands" meeting for the several thousand employees in the Small Business Group, I played one of my infamous songs about being a part of my first "big company" reorg.  As my mom says, you can take the boy out of Kansas, but you can't take the Kansas out of the boy... sorry my singing sounds so bad--I hope it's because I had a cold and not because I always sound like that.

Click here to see/hear the song.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support.  Believe me, we're still rockin' on.

--jsk

Comments

[Ramon Ray]

Hey Justin, thanks for keeping us updated on what's happening with you and Intuit! I'm exciting about the SB Web group. I hope to meet you again.....maybe I can play some piano with your guitar.

Ramon Ray, Editor & Technology Evangelist, Smallbiztechnology.com

[Brian Moran]

Ramon & Justin - I would pay good $$ to see you guys in concert.

Justin - congrats on the sale, the re-org and the song. I'd be interested in talking with you more about what the rest of 2008 & 2009 looks like for you and your growth plans.

Brian Moran, President, Moran Media Group

[Anonymous Coward]

By the looks of the video it seems the old guy that started talking on the video has a hard time giving you the show. Not to mention the overzealous execs at the end of the video with their crazy high fives.

[R. B. Chandler]

As long as Homestead keeps getting better I'm happy. I've been a Homestead fan since I stumbled across it in late the '90s. Homestead has made it possible to tell a never-ending story the way I've always envisioned telling it. Of course there has been a bit of a learning curve along the way and we still haven't gotten the frames element that they have been promising since the late '90s. Ok, so I'm lazy and would rather push a button than write a couple simple of lines of code. I do tend to use a lot of iframes sometimes as many as 3 at a time on a single page. But, that is what I love about Homestead, I can create a kind of interactive story without really knowing what I'm doing. Now with some really great free 3D graphics program (www.Daz3D.com) I can begin to illustrate the story of the Galactic Enterprise to an extent I would have never dreamed of a few years ago. You might say that I am an artist and Homestead is the canvas on which I paint that makes it all possible, and I am just scratching the surface of my dream. A dream, God willing, Homestead will help me bring to life.

[True Love MBC of Houston - Homestead Account]

MR KITCH

WE ARE DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED THAT WE A CHURCH DID NOT RECEIVE THE SERVICE WE HAD EXPECTED. WE ACTIVATED OUR INITIAL CONTACT ON JULY 9, 2008 SPOKE FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH SOMEONE ON JULY 14,2008 AND RECEIVED A MOCKUP THAT WE DID NOT APPROVE ON OR AROUND JULY 22ND. AS A RESULTWE ARE CANCELLING OUR HOMESTEAD ACCOUNT. IN THE PROCESS OF CANCELLING WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT WE WILL BE CHARGED 50% OF WORK DONE. BASED UPON WHAT HAS NOT BEEN DONE 90% OF THE WORK IT IS NOT ETHICAL TO CHARGE 50% FOR 10% OF A PRODUCT. WE ASKED FOR THIS IN WRITING BUT WERE GIVEN NOTHING, THEY SAID IT WAS ALL VERBAL, WHICH WE DON'T RECALL HAPPENING. IN SPEAKING WITH THE ENGINEER FOR THE FIRST TIME HE ONLY MENTIONED WHAT HE COULD OR WOULD BE ATTEMPTING TO DO, NOTHING MORE. HOW IS THIS CONVERSATION 50% OF THE WORK PRODUCTION? WE ASK FOR YOUR INTERVENTION AND RESOLVE REGARDING THESE CHARGES 281-222-4420.

[VA Refinance]

Justin, thanks so muchon keeping us updated. I have been a member of Homestead for some time and I realy need to take advantage of all teh cool and neat things that you have provided.

[Adam]

I have been a user of Intuit software for a number of years, although I do not use homestead, I can see that it would have a niche market for some.

I have found Intuit to be exactly not what is being flogged here. They do not listen, nor do they act on suggestions from people locked into their software. I have also hired ex-intuit employees from time to time, and have heard first hand the horrors that they experienced or witnessed. I hope, you can bring a sense of "service" to what is fast becoming a block hole of customer service at Intuit.

With regard to what I have seen with homestead, I feel that without interactive content the homestead sites just contribute to the already prevalent spam on the net. Either the sites evolve with the net, or are relegated to the last few pages of the search engines. Just my opinion, but an opinion based on the experience of 12 years in the industry.

..A

[VA Refinance]

Jason, I just wanted to know how often you blog. I was hoping when I came back to your blog today that there would be new info for me to read eitherway you are always giving me good info threw Homestead thanks

[Gogetter]

Justin,
When do you think Homestead will get with the (Internet) program? Where is the PHP support? Where are the contact e-mail address/form, the FAQ and all the stuff a normal website would have? A company with Internet business and only a phone number for contact! Hello? Definitely unplugged and disconnected - no doubt about that !
-GG

[Site O Rific]

Well, I had an impossible time plugging you in as an affiliate back in 2006. The scripts didn't work and I could not get any answers by email. Maybe you have gotten it together since then with the affiliates that promote your service. I decided to go ahead and build my own small business website service (focused on the building trades) since all the website builders I tried to plug in were playing the "fatten up the service and sell it off" game, except Yahoo which is fat enough! Good fortune.

[Site O Rific]

Well, I had an impossible time plugging you in as an affiliate back in 2006. The scripts didn't work and I could not get any answers by email. Maybe you have gotten it together since then with the affiliates that promote your service. I decided to go ahead and build my own small business website service (focused on the building trades) since all the website builders I tried to plug in were playing the "fatten up the service and sell it off" game, except Yahoo which is fat enough! Good fortune.

[Ava L. Mohamed]

Justin-

I'm no computer wiz, just average. Okay in every small firm I've been the IT, but I still never knew how to create a website. This was a learning experience, but WELL WORTH it. Thanks you for making it easy, and cheap to start. You've got the right idea about business.

Ava