Category Archives: business

Developeronomics

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http://www.forbes.com/sites/venkateshrao/2011/12/05/the-rise-of-developeronomics/

“At the moment, the only thing potentially more valuable than a relationship with a great developer is a relationship with a survivalist who is good with things like guns, bunkers and cabins in woods (that’s in case the apocalypse does come about in 2012, with bullets for currency). Which you think is the better bet depends on exactly how gloomy and bearish you are. I am pretty gloomy, but not yet gloomy enough to turn to survivalist capital investments.”

Great (long) read on the importance of developers in our modern age.

Startups are hard so do what you love.

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I recently read Michael Arrington’s post “Startups Are Hard. So Work More, Cry Less, And Quit All The Whining” and it struck me as extremely shortsighted and even propaganda-ish. It appears I was right. The article references Jamie Zawinski’s diary, written in 1994, in which Jamie details his experience being on the early engineering team at Netscape. The diary has reads:

“I’m so fucking burnt. Existence is suffering.

We’re doomed.

I’d work on my resumé, but I don’t even have anything new to put on it yet, because we haven’t actually shipped anything.

I’m going to go home and cry myself to sleep now.”

Zawinski’s diary is a great read into what engineers have to go through sometimes in their field of work. However, Michael Arrington use of Jamie’s diary to try and promote a notion that engineers should shut up, work long hours, and burn themselves out has seriously backfired. In Zawinski’s response titled: “Watch a VC use my name to sell a con”, Zawinski writes:

“He’s trying to make the point that the only path to success in the software industry is to work insane hours, sleep under your desk, and give up your one and only youth, and if you don’t do that, you’re a pussy. He’s using my words to try and back up that thesis.

I hate this, because it’s not true, and it’s disingenuous.”

I can only say that as a software engineer myself, I know how miserable things can get at times. It’s ok to cry, it’s ok to whine, and it’s ok to work your ass off. We’re only humans after all and seriously if you’re not crying and whining because of your work, then you’re doing it wrong.

Do what you love and cry if you want to.

Zinio Raises $20 Million

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http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/23/zinio-raises-20-million-for-digital-newsstand/

Zinio provides global access to thousands of magazine titles from most major publishers in a variety of languages. The company’s website allows publications to be read online or offline on desktop computers (Windows, Mac OS X and Linux) and mobile devices such as the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, WebOS and Android handsets (they just launched their Kindle Fire offering).

I used to hate on Zinio back during their initial iPad launch because of the poor user experience but for a strict magazine reader, you really can’t get a better experience these day. Hopefully this new round of funding will bring on new features to the platform that will enhance the reader experience.

Congrats to Zinio!

The Importance of Being Real

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In many different industries, there are people who live by the motto:
“Fake it till you make it.”

Then there are people who are real.

The best thing you can do for something aspiring to “make it” is to be totally upfront and honest with people. Whether you are a engineer, a designer, a manager, a business owner – being real is your greatest weapon. It builds trust.

I recently met with a potential client who needed A LOT of help. From programming  to marketing. From design to fundraising. While I obviously sold the potential client on our company, I also actively recommend alternatives and explained the pros and cons of these other options. People want options and they also want someone they can trust. There is a very clear value in that kind of relationship that will be known to you and your client only if you are being real.

Don’t be afraid to acknowledge missing features or in-experience in your product or service. Use this as an opportunity to highlight your expertise in another area. If your expertise doesn’t perfectly align with what is being request of you and you’re thinking about “faking it” … don’t. This never ends well.

Be real with yourself, the people you work with, and your clients.
It builds a culture of trust.

Like a Fu*king Phoenix

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After 10 months of working at a bootstrapped startup, I successfully managed to burn through all the cash I had saved. Call it what you will but sometimes you need to go with your gut and make business decisions that are in the best interest of yourself and your family.

First of all, it’s true what many have said about the health risks of working at a startup. Particularly as an engineer when you sit for extended periods of time. The whole experience is exhausting mentally, physically, emotionally and financially if you’re also bootstrapped. It’s easy not to worry about money too much when your parents have money and if worse came to worst, you could always move into their basement. However, there is a point where you need to draw a line.

In the last year or so I’ve had a 2-3 very real/scary panic attacks, a kidney stone, and fairly noticeable weight gain. Also found out I may be developing diabetes (something my grandmother died of). It’s quite the shit show and I’m not ready to figure out the quickest way to kill myself.

When running your own business you are sometimes forced to reinvent yourself and re-imagine your company. What do you want to see your business become? A clone of an existing service? An app that only you and your mom use? Or a business that is responsible for leading the industry in creativity and technical expertise? You must also ask yourself two very important questions: Do you enjoy what you do and do you really believe in the service/product you provide? I can only speak as a developer but if your days are filled with marketing meetings, you are probably not going to enjoy the gig.

After deciding to move away from the startup and focus more on my own business, I now realize I am back where I started and surprisingly enough, I really enjoy the feeling (I think I’ve also instantly lost 6lbs).

TENDIGI is being re-born from the ashes of the past 10 months. A new company built from the ground up with a culture of innovation, experimentation, collaboration and execution. Just this past week we hired two new interns who are incredibly talented and driven. They will be helping with design and development efforts and they could not have joined the company at a better time.

We’re currently seeking a relatively small investment to help us find a physical office. A place where we can come together regularly, host clients, brainstorm, strategize, network and execute. A sanctuary for mobile strategy and development if you will. While it may seem as a extra unnecessary expenditure, I consider this critical to the company. We are typically scattered about and having a place we can all call our HQ will ground us (in a good way). If you’re interested in helping us, please shoot me an email.

Refocusing back on TENDIGI has been an eye opener. It’s been a while since I’ve felt so optimistic about anything and straying off course for 10 months was a much needed experience. While many entrepreneurs start businesses for fame and fortune others start businesses out of pure passion.