Filip Molčan

There exist many interesting tools for organizational and project management, customer relationships, bug-tracking systems and actually everything that comes to your mind.

I have been an entrepreneur for 8 years and I have been searching for an ideal solution for 8 years. Now, already for a longer period of time, it looks like I have found what I was looking for. Using 10 different systems for 10 different agendas is maybe good at having all information for a certain segment but the interconnectedness is minimal. The user’s interface is in each system different and each month you will receive lot of invoices for these services. I have used Mantis, Basecamp, Highrise, GoPlan, ActiveCollab, SalesForce, SugarCRM, and various organizations’ intranets, blogs, twitter and many more. And what has been the result? At first sight an order in everythig, at second sight organized and disconnected chaos that is not fun to use.

I had a sceptical view on Podio as I had to other systems for project management and business operations systems. What can be different? I know too simple Basecamp, too complicated ActiveCollab, too simple Highrise CRM system and for small teams unsuitable SalesForce, so – WTF? After few hours when using Podio I was able to tweet and send invitations to all people I know who face the same problem – finding the right system. And what has been the result? After few months we switched from few systems to one – to Podio – and so far we are absolutely satisfied.

But why is Podio so interesting? It is a combination of simplicity of 37Signals applications – one application suitable for almost all fields.

The principle behind Podio is that each project has different needs and requirements. During the development process it is necessary to deal with milestones, tasks, errors, list of application’s functions, instructions etc. As a next step you need to sort out marketing – list of journalists’ contacts, presentations, marketing plan and other. With Podio you can sort out everything. You create so called “space”, in other words place for your project and in there you upload applications you need. For this purpose PodioAppStore can be used in which you will find tens of applications that are arranged in various categories (Management, Sales/CRM, Development, Intranet, HumanResources etc.). Select applications and insert them in your “space”.

In Podio, you can manage applications’ development, examine marketing issues and customer relationships or keep job applicants database and list of colleagues’ birthdays.

But that is not the end, any selected application can be “cloned” and own application can be created. Is there a business opportunities button missing in your application menu? Clone and create your own app without knowing any programming language. Everything can be created with simple clicks. Applications in Podio are very simple, don’t expect complicated computations and sophisticated functions; it is all about simple information databases. The power of Podio is not in the system itself but in its AppStore, as in case of iPhone.

We use Podio in CZECHGEEKS for managing our projects – both development and marketing projects, but also for managing company’s intranet or for monitoring results of NHL matches which we play on PlayStation. An application for iPhone or Android phones is available. Development of iPad application is in process.

The commercial model of Podio is also pleasant. All applications that you find (or create) in AppStore, are for free. The whole application is for free. You pay only in case you need more than 10 users or if you value elaborated system of access rights and of course technical support.

Certainly, I recommend to try Podio. It is not for everyone but if you like simplicity and you prefer to have “all in one”…Podio is the right choice.

5 completely different people with absolutely different expectations of life, with different life styles and diverse needs. 5 friends – 5 different kinds of people – who have the same goal – to create an application that will help them to enjoy life.

An experienced entrepreneur, owner of a few companies, who knows how to earn money and how to run a business successfully. An artist who wants to enjoy life and be maximally creative. A handicapped father from a happy family who has found out what is the most valuable thing in the world and his values differ from those of other people. A traveler and a nature lover for whom it is important to see the sun rise, hear birds singing and be surrounded by cool people. A student who wants to enjoy her youth and at the same time prepare carefully for the future.

These 5 people have set one common goal – to create an application which will enable them to plan, make notes and enjoy life with one tiny detail – all this in a funny way, no boredom!

MOREDAYS is an application that connects various elements of all these people. It is an application which will help you plan your time, make the plans real, write down important things and share them with your friends. All this in a funny way and with maximum simplicity. A diary, planner, scrapbook and notebook, all in one!

You will love our application, check out our website and be the first who will try it out!

My MOREDAYS project was launched some time ago with our great website and we’re now in beta-testing phase and working on releasing our product soon! MOREDAYS is not yet available, but even now, it is huge success!

Our website is (thanks Dan and Standa!) very popular, mentioned on CSSMania, Abduzedoo and lots of other websites. So visit moredays.com and look if we are so good.

MOREDAYS is a great project for all of us and we’re very exciting about our upcoming apps. Stay tuned!

We’re finalizing our new website for MOREDAYS project in these days! We’ve redraw our logo and I think that it’s great, what do you think?

I often meet people who say „I wish I could do this/I wish I worked as”, but they say they cannot fulfill their dreams. They would like to become entrepreneurs, but they say they cannot because they have to go to work – some people work as managers but want to be travelers; other work in IT but are tempted to work in agriculture; some people are merchandisers but want to be writers. These people can fulfill their dreams. The problem is that they do not want to. Someone who wants, does what he/she enjoys; it is only about determination and courage.

The beginning of 2011 was for me in many aspects a turning point. In recent years, I have been working on few projects which I have passed on to other people this year and now full of enthusiasm and energy I am prepared to work on new projects. Many of you know me as an establisher of blue.point Solutions company, a chairman of OSS Alliance organization or as an establisher of NikonClub Czech Republic and Slovakia.

blue.point Solutions is a company that me and my colleagues founded in 2002 and which has given me lot of experience, operates successfully up to now. blue.point has a stable team of skilled workers, great director and sufficient amount of work. It is a company that does not strive for being something more than a provider of quality applications for Czech Republic or abroad. In the spring 2011 I decided to terminate my director’s position and I passed on the duty to my colleague. Almost after nine years I decided to leave the company when I was in an executive function. I will still help blue.point to move forward and I will support them in everything what they do but I will act only as a co-owner.

In the spring 2005 I established another organization – OSS Alliance – a non-profit organization which aims to help open-source in the Czech Republic. The person who inspired me to make this step was a ministress of information technology at that time – Dana Bérová. OSS Alliance has done a lot of work during its existence, it achieved success through numerous articles, conferences in Czech and also abroad, studies or completed projects. The most siginificant success of OSS Alliance is in my opinion completion of Open-source application of records services for public service – this application is currently used by more than 500 subjects in the Czech Republic. Company’s former spokesman – Martin Chlouba is for more than a year responsible for OSS Alliance. I am satisfied with the work I have done in OSS Alliance and I wish the whole open-source scene only success and also involvement of more people who are passionate about their work and less people who only complain.

Quite recently, in 2008 I created a web portal for photographers who like Nikon. At that time I didn’t know what is going to happen. New NikonClub was created and this club has nowadays more than 3000 members, more than 30 000 website visitors per month and that’s how toy for free time tranformed into a full time project. Also in this case, I decided to pass on NikonClub to someone who could move the company further – prepare quality content, arrange events for Nikon people and other projects. Together with Lukas we have come up with many ideas but we have never completed them. When we had a chance to do that we both became fathers and NikonClub was therefore set aside. I didn’t come to terms with that and I would rather see someone else leading the company, someone who is able to help NikonClub to become something more than it is now.

And what are my plans now?

I am not going to run away to forests, I am not going to become a park controller (even though I believe that it must be wonderful , I am not going to take a parental leave. Last year I met with a person who I got on very well with from the first moment we met. It didn’t take long and we prepared a common project. That is the reason why I spent this spring with “purification”. I need enough space for those things that I am really enthusiastic about and for the projects that have a potential to be used by hundred thousands or millions of people all over the world.