Q: What is Sifter?

A: It's a very simple hosted bug and issue tracking application. There were so many highly customizable and highly powerful bug trackers out there, but we could never get non-technical team members to participate and use them. So, instead, we set out to build one that was focused on being inviting for everyone on the team. It's not highly customizable, but it definitely avoids overwhelming non-technical users.

Q: When did you have the idea for Sifter?

A: 2001. I had been passionate and fascinated about software and bug tracking for years. We tried lots of different issue trackers, but they were all simply too powerful. I never really expected to build one, but after playing around with some concepts, I received just enough encouragement from others to go ahead and build it. It took a long time, but I'd say it was worth it.

Q: How long did it take to build Sifter?

A: About 9 months working on it part-time. A team may have helped, but I think the benefit of having additional help doesn't really matter as much until after it's launched. Once you're balancing support, design, development, finances, and all of the other responsibilities, that's when things become challenging for one person.

Q: How long has the site been live? How is it doing?

A: It's been live 2 years, and it supports me full-time. We've essentially been profitable since we launched, and we've grown slowly and steadily since then.

Q: What are your plans for the web site? Do you plan on bringing on any team members?

A: We'd definitely like to hire someone as soon as it makes sense, but we've got a little ways to go before we get there. We don't have any particularly specific plans other than continuing to constantly improve it. Our next major milestones are integrating with other services like Beanstalk and Github. We'd also like to integrate with help desks and other tools that help make software development easier.

Q: What did you use to make your web site?

A: Server: Ruby on Rails, Capistrano, Apache, Passenger, MySQL, Thinking Sphinx, and Delayed Job.
Development: TextMate, Photoshop, and Terminal all on a Mac.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself

A: My background is fairly mixed. My degree is in Computer Science, but I spent the first few years of my career focused exclusively on front-end development. From there, I moved into information architecture and some light project management. Throughout, I always dabbled in design as I spent most of high school taking art and working with very early versions of Photoshop. Admittedly, that was more art-focused, but it laid the groundwork for understanding the visual components of design. I also spent a fair amount of time running my own business, so I ended up being exposed to a little bit of everything. My knowledge isn't deep in any one area, but the diversity has really helped to enable me to have the confidence and skills to launch and build a business.

Q: Is there anything about your experiece developing this application you're like to share

A: The biggest thing is that I probably wouldn't suggest that people try to launch a hosted web app as essentially a solo founder, but at the same time, I would say that you shouldn't not do it just for lack of a co-founder. It's entirely doable, it just shouldn't be your first option. You're always on call, and things never go wrong at a convenient time. Having a co-founder can really help in those situations.

Q: Can our readers contact you with more questions?

A: Sure thing. GarrettDimon.com or via Twitter @garrettdimon.