[kohanz]

My vote is for #2 and #3. Although I am not a customer for this tool, my gut tells me that your users are more interested in getting good looking reports as soon as possible (and at minimal cost), rather than the ability to design their own custom templates. So I think more great-looking templates will lead to more customers.

That being said, one critique I have of the website is that I think the most important image for your tool is the end product - the report. And unless I'm mistaken, I have to scroll down to the bottom to find it. Some non-technical people might think that the first screenshot is the report and that's not a good impression to give. I suggest moving the templates front and center. If they catch people's eye, they will scroll down to find out more about the tool.

Another minor gripe is the size or zoom level of the screen shots. I don't think they give the best impression of the reports or the UI. I instinctively squint when I look at them.

One feature idea would be to set up a companion site or sharing feature within the tool that allows people to make their templates public and have them get voted/rated. You could eventually crowd-source some of your templates that way.

I also want to say thanks for sharing your experience. Stories like this about side projects potentially turning into small businesses are inspiring to me, whether they succeed or not. Congratulations on your first sales!

[xm1994]

Thanks. I was putting the editor front and center, but you are right, perhaps the templates themselves can provide more value. I think I'm going to go further than bigger screenshots and let them download sample reports in .pdf generated straight from SSRS using my templates.