TY - JOUR T1 - Lessons from an Open Source Business JF - Open Source Business Resource Y1 - 2011 A1 - Fred Dixon AB - Creating a successful company is difficult; but creating a successful company, a successful open source project, and a successful ecosystem all at the same time is much more difficult. This article takes a retrospective look at some of the lessons we have learned in building BigBlueButton, an open source web conferencing system for distance education, and in building Blindside Networks, a company following the traditional business model of providing support and services to paying customers. Our main message is that the focus must be on creating a successful open source project first, for without it, no company in the ecosystem can flourish. PB - Talent First Network CY - Ottawa UR - http://timreview.ca/article/441 IS - May 2011 U1 - Blindside Networks Fred Dixon is CEO of Blindside Networks. He is a serial entrepreneur, having been CEO of two previous companies: Databeacon (acquired by Cognos in 2004) and OpenLava software. In 2003, he was selected as one of Ottawa's "Top 40 under 40" executives by the Ottawa Business Journal. In 1992, he earned a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo. He proudly wears his developer hat when communicating with other members in the BigBlueButton community. ER -