Analytics companies: Hold your breath on the “R” word

If you are building an analytics or optimization company right now, you are holding your breath at every Bernanke interview. Especially if you are in the b-to-b-c marketplace.

Why?

If you are a top tier solely online company, you typically build a customized solution in house.

If you are anyone else, you probably will want to have a high confidence level in what that product will do for you if you are going to spend money on it, engineers on integration, and business resource time in training. As in, tell me how much money I am going to make.

If I have to watch my costs more closely (read: recession), I better know what to expect from that product right now, not after its integrated.