You know what I find really annoying?

So about 2 years ago when we launched Shockey Monkey Free the platform got a ton of interest and lots of people were interested in integrating, investing and outright buying us out. I’ve talked to about a dozen companies about it in 2011 before we got to work and launched things you are seeing now. Despite the fact that Shockey Monkey is off the selling block for good (and for a while) I have been quite open and accessible to third parties as well as to our partners.

So what I find particularly annoying, given the level of public disclosure, is having to deal with the random – yet so clearly staged – espionage attempts. Folks.. first of all, IT guys do not make great actors. Second, why don’t you send someone that is a virtual unknown instead of people that are blasted all over your Facebook pages as members of your community/advisory/feedback loop? At least get them a fake mustache or something.

Shockey Monkey is an open platform. We are open to working with anyone and everyone and our API is public and accessible by anyone without an NDA at http://www.shockeymonkey.com/api – and yes, we do work with everyone. Every now and then we get a larger client or are involved in a project that needs more than the monkey we ring up Autotask. We’re on their bleeding edge platform, got access to pretty much everyone when we need them and have been with them all over the world. So much for competition. And despite the reputation or what you may think of him, we work with Arnie too. Point blank: We don’t develop our stuff for/against competition: We work for the people that pay for the service and that’s the users.

Now this is perhaps a different blog post all together but perhaps you need to change your focus. There is nothing to Shockey Monkey that isn’t either widely open or telegraphed well in advance. There is no secret Manhattan Project or human genome of the IT VAR at our office. We are just continuously obsessed about delivering what our partners are looking for. The features and enhancements – I not only post them but directly attribute them to the people that asked for them on Facebook in a very public way.

Perhaps you should be a little less concerned about us.. and a little bit more concerned about your affairs.

Because about 10 seconds after your moles drop their act they turn on all the stuff that sucks about what you’re doing and man, it’s endless. I ask them – why, why do you put up with that? The answer is always: Because no matter how many times I give this feedback to them, it goes nowhere.

Running a business that doesn’t care about it’s clients business success (and is only concerned about it’s own) is a business that earns no loyalty and eventually it dwindles because only so many distractions will keep people from looking elsewhere.

This is not a trade secret and I’m giving it to you for free right here.

Time to focus on the client not the competition, k? If you really want to work with me, I’m easy to find.