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Tag: startups

Where is the fire around this fire?

Where is the fire around this fire?

A few years ago, I was at a small bluegrass music festival in the mountains of Colorado.  Nestled in a ridge next to a winding river, you could see a square mile of tents during the day, and you could see the milky way after the sun went down.  Late at night, after the music had ended, the festival attendees would circle around campfires near their tents for warmth. Our camp was visible on a stretch Read the article >>
Reputation and Credibility are Sacrosanct

Reputation and Credibility are Sacrosanct

Late 2011, coming off the thrill of a fresh round of funding for our startup, we had made an offer to an engineer.   After months enduring the drudgeries of searching, interviewing, reference checking reputation after reputation, making an offer, and finally negotiating with the right candidate, we were finally finished.  We had an offer letter signed -- we finally found the the one.   The day Read the article >>
Credible Engineering Leadership Skills

Credible Engineering Leadership Skills

Like many web engineers who have built teams as their startups have grown, I do not have an MBA.   If you are like me in-so-far as you value management practice over theory, you probably learned to bootstrap & scale as a leader without one. That hasn't stopped me from developing my own theories.  Reading this quora thread on why many engineers detest their management reminds me, I have Read the article >>
Who’s going to build my MVP?

Who’s going to build my MVP?

I'm often introduced to folks who have been doing consulting/tech/corporate/academic work for a while, and are looking to start a tech startup. They have an idea, and if they're good, a network of potential investors/mentors. Hopefully they have done their research on their market, finished up some initial customer development and have a paper prototype. The problem is: they don't know how to build Read the article >>
Truckin’

Truckin’

One of the most amazing about startup life is how fantastically high the highs are, how quickly they can turn to dreadful pitiful lows and back again. Your professional life is quite literally one big question mark when you are building it from scratch. The instant you crack some really tough problem you're a genius. The moment the shit hits the fan, you're the worlds biggest moron. The stakes Read the article >>