Smibs, a new business startup out of Canada, has just launched in private beta. The site is a combination between a business network, dubbed SmibsNet, and an application platform. The site plans to launch its public beta in July.
SmibsNet is comparable to other business networking sites like LinkedIn in that it allows users to view the past experience and skill sets of prospective business partners. Smibs founder Peter Urban says that SmibsNet differentiates itself by focusing on actively completing projects, rather than simply acting as an online resume. Users can use the SmibsNet dashboard (called the Smibs Lounge) to get updates on projects and companies they’re involved with.
The other portion of Smibs that is launching today is Doorbell, a Highrise-like site that is the first application running on Smibs’s platform. Doorbell describes itself as a “sales software application for non-sales people”, allowing users to track contacts, tasks, and opportunities for sales leads. The application is integrated with SmibsNet, so users can easily exchange contacts and tasks between the two services.
For now Doorbell is the only app available on the Smibs platform, but Urban says that more are on the way. There are a lot of companies in this space with very mature offerings - much of Smibs’s success will likely be tied to the quality of the company’s applications, and their ability to roll them out quickly.
I clicked over here the other day after seeing Peter’s posts both on here and SvN. Looks promising. Good luck Peter!
I saw a demo of this product at DemoCampEdmonton a few months back and it did look very promising. They have done a very nice job on polishing and simplifying the interface.
I had the good fortune to offer some feedback on this beta version. I was very impressed by the Smibs team’s dedication to making sure the interface is as smart and intuitive as possible. Use-ablity is huge issue on the web overall. After cruising their competitors, for me, the Smibs people have nailed it. Clean, simple, easy. We need more of that!
It’s like Salesforce for the rest of us… I love the fact that Peter really thought about the design and usability of the site.
The more friendly a program is the faster it will catch on. Allowing a potential business partner to see what projects have been completed a future partner allows precious time and monies to be saved in research and development of products.
If you are looking for a specific type of project and have a list of potential employers that have created and successfully completed similar types of projects in the past it will be a great benefit to all parties involved. I think Smibs will be greatly successful with their launch.
Sounds like an interesting concept. Definitely has potential.
Looks like a good melding of traditional business networking with today’s application technology. Good luck with the beta and the subsequent release of the program.
It is great to see a prgram that is ACTUALLY user friendly. Its simplistic interface make it such a useable program
I am excited about SmibsNet. I mean, I love LinkedIn but it is sort of old fashioned in its resume/CV style.
Integrating applications like Doorbell will make SmibsNet even more powerful. Can’t wait to see how this develops!
I recently looked into salesforce for my fundraising needs and was pretty overwhelmed and disappointed, I felt the same regarding a lot of non-web based applications such as Razor’s Edge. Doorbell seems like a good potential alternative, I look forward to the public beta!
I have been looking at their beta and am really impressed. Although it is being compared to other sites, it is really in its own bracket. Not only is it easy to use, it combines so much that you need in one smooth flowing space. And it seems there’s only more to come.
LinkedIn is so boring and souless - I am excited for an alternative
I’ve been in the beta since we got our invite on Monday. It looks very good and I can only imagine it getting better as more people arrive.
It has a very desktop app feel to it which is refreshing for a webapp.
Hey guys, thanks for all the great feedback. Check out this post if you’re interested to get more background. Contact me on http://twitter.com/peterurban if you have any questions. Thanks to TechCrunch for the great post and happy birthday for you three year anniversary today!
Collaboration is quickly becoming a necessity for success. An online tool that provides a platform for a team to plug into is a huge niche that needs to be filled and the opportunities for it to develop and become more powerful are endless. This is especially true an a globalized economy where a team could be from anywhere. I am excited to see it grow!
Sorry, on my comment above I somehow missed to paste the link to more background info on Smibs http://blog.smibs.com/posts/185/about-smibs/
The blog was recommended to me, I think its fantastic and can’t wait for Peter and Forrest’s innovative idea’s to keep coming!
I too saw Smibs at DemoCampEdmonton…looks really great so far!
The “Doorbell” concept is will be quite interesting to see within a business networking application. I cannot wait to see it in action!
From the article:”Doorbell describes itself as a “sales software application for non-sales people”, allowing users to track contacts, tasks, and opportunities for sales leads.”
Shouldn’t this be classified as a CRM tool?
@Frank
We feel that people are a bit generous with the CRM acronym. Since it stands for customer relationship management it would mean that an app that’s classified as CRM actually supports managing the entire relationship with a customer. That’s big shoes to fill and in my opinion not many systems can really handle that - especially the ones that are availabe for small businesses. So we choose to call it sales software for non-sales people because it’s made for service professionals that can only devote a fraction of their time to selling their services while working on projects that pay the bills. In industry jargon you would call it Sales Force Automation Software (SFA) but for our target audience literally every employee is part of the ’sales force’. We plan to extend the apps functionality so that it’ll get closer to a full CRM solution but for now it’s all about winning new clients and selling more effectively to existing ones while you’re working on your active client projects.
Now in a bigger context SFA is part of the CRM world and so you could classify Doorbell as a CRM tool. However since we are the first to build this kind of an app on top of a social business network AND focus on Non-sales people in terms of ease of use, learning curve and work flow, I’d almost like to open a new category - maybe you can come up with a name for it but I like the Sales Software for Non-Sales People…. sooo that would be SSNSS for your acronym - sounds like sneeze when you say it loud and fast
I’ve been hoping to try out smibs since I saw it at DemoCamp a few months back. It’s been great to try out the product so far. It’s great to have a set of tools on top of your social network.
Holy Sh!t Peter, you could have just said no
I do see what you are saying though.
I still think it’s a CRM tool, just not a CRM solution.
You just don’t overwhelm the user with all sorts of crap that only specialized sales people utilize. That sounds like a good plan considering your target market.
@Frank
you’ve got it
So far the interface is smooth and responsive, and I’m excited to put the features to use with my current client projects once we’re outside of the private beta.
Online tools are a part of the way I manage my business every day. Doorbell promises to be one of those apps I use every day.
Go Edmonton! But I really hate the name. Smibs? Wasn’t that a character on Miami Vice?
It looks like Smibs is a new and improved approach to an old concept, with a lot of potential for growth. Can’t wait for public beta to see how far it goes, and to find professionals to complete contracts I have via its doorbell app.
makes it easy to collaborate on team projects
Sounds like an interesting
Looks like a lot of work has been put into this over the last few months. Keep up the good work and I can’t wait to see how the product has evolved over when I get to use it again.
As a small business, this tool has me excited. Can’t wait to put it to the test!
呵呵,还可以啊,,a small business,,,
This has the potential to be something I could use on a daily basis. Bring on the public beta!
I saw a demo of this platform at the Edmonton Tweetup, and I must say that I’m looking forward to getting to try the different applications that have been built around it!
SmibsNet in itself looks to be an interesting network system, and the ability to combine that network with the other applications (Doorbell and Buzzer so far) just takes it to that next level where it increases the usefulness of the application. From what I’ve seen so far, it’s not just about business networking like LinkedIn, or like any one product out there, but a combined solution to help small businesses grow.
Anyway, great to see TechCrunch giving Smibs some coverage, and I look forward to seeing this software closer!