Major congratulations to my friend Fraser Speirs, whose acquisition of Changes gives a nice boost to Connected Flow’s product lineup. I just love to see other developers pursuing growth in clever ways. Acquisition can be a great shortcut on the road to indie success. It worked wonders for Red Sweater, and I hope it does the same for Fraser.

The application, a popular file comparison tool, was developed by Ian Baird of Skorpiostech, who is also a good friend. Ian is selling the product because he has accepted a development position at Apple. He will be moving promptly from Phoenix to Cupertino to pursue that particular dream.

So one indie developer’s sun is rising as another one sets. I don’t begrudge Ian seizing the opportunity to work at Apple. It’s a great place to make a difference, and I doubt anybody passes through that institution without coming out a stronger developer. If they ever do come out, that is. The company also has more decades-long employees than I have commonly encountered elsewhere. So, best of luck to you Ian, hopefully we’ll at least see you once a year at WWDC.

Trivia: the name Changes was my contribution to the project. I guess that sort of makes me its godfather. Be well, my son.

Since I have developed this reputation for software acquisition, one of the benefits is that other companies commonly approach me either to offer a product for acquisition, or to ask advice about a transaction they are considering. This is a great position for me, not only because it often gives me first crack at an opportunity, but also because I truly enjoy the process of talking through the pros and cons of a particular product for a particular company. So please, don’t be shy! Keep the inquiries coming. I love this stuff.

For those of us working our butts off on small, independently owned businesses, I think I’ve stumbled upon a catchphrase that sums up our plight with the proper degree of sass and brevity. Things are not going quite as perfectly as you wish? Sales flagging? Can’t get any publicity? How will you up the indie?

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