Create highly targeted apps
The pharmaceutical industry (led by Novartis) has started developing highly specific drugs for rare diseases. They can afford it because testing is easier and they can get them to market faster. Then, they can start looking at larger applications. We should apply this to our own app development.
We should develop apps for our own use and for other design firms just like us. Small, simple apps. Even smaller than basecamp (which I think tries to do too much). But they need to use the same framework and be interoperable.
If we can sell a few, we can find additional markets for them.