The first goal is to keep learning
My first goal as a college senior was to have the kind of job where I would never have to wear a tie. Achievement unlocked. But that didn’t really get to the core of the issue. I was really trying to…
Donuts make everything better
A couple of years ago, my wife started a donut business. Her purpose was simple: make delicious vegan and gluten-free food that people liked for a reasonable price. She test marketed batches of donuts, did some product-market fit work by…
Be right when someone asks.
This essay is written as part of the Startup Edition project – check out the other essays here. Think. When was the last time you were right? Absolutely, positively certain with no chance of being wrong. Now, think of the…
The Feedback Machine: How do you discover what people really want?
This essay is written as part of the Startup Edition project – check out the other essays here. How do you discover what people really want? People are not effective at self-reporting, or letting you know what they will…
What tools and skills do you value in your startup?
This post is a contribution to Startup Edition. Tools are a Commodity We could talk all day about the tools we use. Agile is Best! Pomodoro is Best! Pen and Paper is Best! Getting everyone in a room is Best! (You…
You should learn to code today
What can you get done in a day, or a weekend? Today, I learned how to call my phone automatically today with a REST API and to play background music when the caller picked up. Yeah, you say, that’s easy…
Say Thank You – It’s the Best Advice I’ve Received
Thank you for reading this post – really! When I started at Gist I had been on the job for only a few weeks when I answered a question from Brad Feld, one of our key investors. It must have…
How many people can I connect with, really? (Dunbar + friends?)
If you’ve read any network theory, you’re probably familiar with Dunbar’s Number, or the idea that groups tend to fall off quickly in effectiveness and cohesiveness once they exceed approximately 150. The finding came from some anthropological research originally, and…
