My name is David Cornwell. I started my career as a Mechancial Engineer before doing an MBA and discovering software. In 1994 I started my first company which eventually sold its software around the world having raised £11million in venture capital on the way. You can read all about it in The CDC Story which is a free download from my website: www.softwarecompanybook.com.

I then went on to establish PleaseTech - which also sold its software around the world. The difference was this time it was organically grown with no external investors - a somewhat different experience! The PleaseTech Story is also a free download from the website.

My book, Software Company, gives advice on how to start, grow and exit a software company. My advice is based on over 23 years of starting, running and exiting two very successful international software companies – the aforementioned CDC and PleaseTech.

The book covers set-up, first steps, hiring, firing, growth, culture, development culture, the Agile Methodology, offshoring development, selling to the USA, selling to Europe, software licensing, patent trolls, marketing, sales, partnerships, venture capital investors, bootstrapping, the analyst game, professional advisors and the exit process. In short, it’s a brain dump which I hope some people will find useful and which will support the next generation of entrepreneurs.

In addition to the complete book, individual sections/chapters are available via cheaper 'booklets'. These mean that you do not have to purchase the whole book if you just want to read my thoughts on, for example, marketing.

Please visit my website (www.softwarecompanybook.com) there is some additional background and where I share the tips, thoughts and advice I wasn't able to include in the book due to space limitations. It also gives you the opportunity to download the book's appendices.

These days, in addition to publishing and promoting my book, I have several other interests which are listed on my LinkedIn profile (https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrcornwell).

PS: For your viewing pleasure, may I recommend my post exit interview with ICON Corporate Finance which is conveniently on YouTube (https://youtu.be/N7SVtA5sSG8).