It was a dark and stormy night . . .

Okay, it's a slightly corny title but it does set the context for how the idea of a do-it-yourself benchmarking site got started.

We got the idea from our experience leading, and working with other people who lead, business ventures. We know what it is like to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat or with stomach churning, wondering whether a decision we just made is foolish or whether the budget or plan we are working on is based on flawed assumptions.

At times like that, it can be reassuring and even business-saving to find out what people facing similar situations are doing; things like what they spend for marketing and on what kind of marketing activities, how they use compensation plans to motivate salespeople, how much net positive cash they average each month.

The most common options today are either inconvenient (go to the library to hunt for industry averages data) or expensive (pay for published reports or hire a consulting firm to launch a custom survey). We decided to put the ability to benchmark as much as you need and when you need it into the hands of you, the people who need it most.

We're days away now from the private launch. If you haven't signed up, please do so. We're looking forward to feedback and suggestions to say nothing of testimonials from those who finally sleep through the night even though they are in the middle of making big decisions.