The Entreprexplorer's Journal

Patagonia Article

2008-07-07T22:07:00.000-07:00

Great article about Patagonia, a fantastic company with impressive ideals:

Yvon Chouinard

Nice Job, Matt

2008-06-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Easily one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time:

Where The Hell Is Matt

Project Compassion

2008-05-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

Something about this feels very special.

Project Compassion

Fascinating Article

2008-05-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

In The Air

Why Make Money

2008-04-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

I don’t make movies to make money—I make money to make movies.

- Walt Disney

Pretty much sums up my thoughts on business in general.

Humbling

2007-09-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

More and more I realize just how often I am wrong...

Love This Quote

2007-06-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

"The most exciting phrase to hear in science is not 'Eureka!' but 'Hmm, that's funny...'" - Isaac Asimov

With regard to the current state of entrepreneurship on the Internet, truer words have never been spoken.

Once In A Lifetime Movie

2007-06-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

The next movie you go to should be the movie "Once". I've never seen a movie quite like it that stayed with me for as long as this one has. It may be because I really appreciate the music in it, but I think it's more than that.

I'll definitely buy the dvd when it comes out. This may be my new favorite movie. The only knock that my girlfriend and I had on it was that the opening scene audio doesn't sound natural. They really should fix that up, because otherwise I think it is pretty much flawless.

Sloppy Mode

2007-05-31T10:28:00.000-07:00

I've been developing CommunityWalk and Wedding Mapper for over two years now. That's a long time to be building something essentially by yourself. I wrestle with burn-out quite often. I've recently been working on strategies to work around burn-out.

Right now I am feeling pretty burnt out, but I am excited about the functionality I am working on. I think it could really kick Wedding Mapper in to gear. Unfortunately this excitement is not quite enough to get me really going on this development work.

So I've put myself into sloppy mode. This doesn't mean I am trying to write bad code or take shortcuts, just that I am not trying my hardest to make it perfect. In fact I am just trying to get stuff done. It doesn't have to be correct, it just has to be something.

Obviously this is less efficient than if I were able to attack this functionality in a cleaner fashion, but it's a hell of a lot better than not doing anything. I know that if I can get this functionality done in some raw, sloppy manner, then it will be that much easier for me to go back and iterate on it and refine it because the vision will become that much more clear.

Technology for Technology's Sake

2007-05-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's been a while since I posted to this blog. I really just haven't had much to say. Today, though, I ran into two examples of one of my pet peeves, technology for technology's sake, that I have to vent a bit.

I went to the new San Francisco mall and near every door is your typical mall map, only this one didn't actually show a map. It had a giant touch screen that made you search for a business before being able to figure out where it is in the mall. It has got to be one of the most ridiculous and frustrating things I have ever seen. There are three main problems with it:

1) Only one person can use it at a time. This fact alone makes it a terrible idea.
2) It's complicated. I watched three people try to figure out where they were trying to go and fail.
3) It's not necessary! Honestly, showing a simple map with a legend is really all that is needed.

The second incident happened while calling Blue Cross customer service. They had one of those voice recognition systems. I don't know who the moron is that decided to pay more money for such a system over the standard touch-tone system, but he should be fired. These systems barely work and they are far more annoying than the already-annoying touch-tone systems. Maybe there is a reason for them that I am not considering, but as far as I can tell right now, it is just technology for technology's sake. If that is the case then it is, in my humble opinion, completely retarded.

Okay, I'm done venting now.

Simplicity out of Necessity

2006-09-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of talk these days about simplicity. I've always been a huge fan, less so for the complex reasons that most people quote, though. For me it is really for two reasons:

1) I have a terrible memory. The more complex something is, the harder it is to remember what the beginning looked like by the time I get to the end.
2) I have an ulcer. Complexity stresses me out and I feel it in my stomach right away.

Interestingly enough the ulcer keeps me both honest and simple. I get stressed out by being dishonest as well. Interesting that such a terrible thing (it's been the most painful thing in my life, occassionally completely debilitating my everyday life), has such positive ramifications...

UI Testing - Way Easier Than You Think

2006-09-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

I keep reading blogs saying how you don't need to spend tons of cash to do usability testing. All you need to do is grab a few people off the street (or from where ever) and pay them $50 for an hour of testing.

Personally I think this is still too extreme. I can't tell you how much value I get from just asking anyone in the office to try out a feature I am working on. I get enormous insights into the user experiencet by simply shutting up and paying close attention to what the person is doing, where they hesitate, when then looked confused, etc.

Not only does this save money, but, more importantly, it makes it easier to do user testing. I don't care if the person is a geeky developer. The vast majority of people will respond in very similar ways to a user interface. If you do this frequently with very specific tasks that only take a few minutes to complete then the value of the feedback is way greater than if you wait until the product is complete and do one session where a user is asked to perform dozens of tasks. At least this has been the case in my experience.

Perspective

2006-09-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

It's easy to lose perspective when you are starting a business. At least it is for me. There is so much to think about and worry about that you can forget that it's just a business. It's easy to stress yourself out, feeling like this business is simply the most important thing in your life. Sure, if you stop and think, you realize that your friends and family are far more important, but you so rarely get a chance to stop and think.

Tonight I started watching a documentary on 9/11 when I sat down to get some work done on the site. Just watching the events of that day take place is completely overwhelming. I struggle to find the words to convey my feelings watching it five years later. It certainly puts things in perspective though, makes you stop and think...

Distribution, Distribution, Distribution

2006-08-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

I went to a panel called "Startup Success 2006" last night using free tickets from my girlfriend. It was an interesting event with some very interesting people present. There were many nuggets of wisdom dispenced by serial entrepreneurs like Joe Krauss, but the one observation that stuck with me was from Reid Hoffman, the CEO of LinkedIn. It verbalized very nicely something that I have been observing myself and am looking to better address going forward with CommunityWalk.

With consumer facing stores the saying is "location, location, location". McDonalds may not be nearly as high quality as any of it's competitors, but if it owns all the best locations then it will draw in more people than any of it's competitors.

On the Internet you could say that a domain name is roughly equivalent to location (if it is memorable then people will come back), but Reid's point was that it is really broader than that. He basically said that distribution is the web's equivalent for location.

A lot of entrepreneurs (including myself) focus so much on making a quality product with all the bells and whistles. At the end of the day, though, the vast majority of consumers out there have never heard of any of the startup products that are flooding the market these days. Distribution becomes far more important than feature x in this situation. Even if people do find out about more than one product, very few are going to take the time to try out each product. More than likely they will simply use the first product that comes along that helps them solve the problem they were trying to solve in a reasonably efficient manner.

Personally I think I need to improve a great deal in this area. I've been so focused on creating a quality product and relying on word-of-mouth as my only distribution channel that I've fallen behind some of my competition. Luckily there is plenty of room to catch up in and I've got some great ideas to turn this around. This doesn't mean sacrificing future functionality at all, but it does mean reprioritizing that functionality to target better distribution channels.

Incompetence

2006-08-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, don't get me wrong, incompetence is generally a bad thing. Sometimes, though, the lack of competence (which of course basically means incompetence) can be a great thing.

Take this quote from Seth Green during an interview with Guy Kawasaki:

People who are competent are afraid to fail, afraid to experiment. They like being competent and defend it.

You see this a lot in software engineering. People's careers are based on their competence in a specific subject, so everyone is terrified of looking incompetent. I think you see this in management as well. There is some odd assumption out there that managers should know more than their employees, that they have the ability to help mediate problems and come up with answers better than their employees.

In both situations this "competence" can be incredibly detrimental. Now I'm not saying that incompetence should be celebrated, but rather that people who are indeed competent, but are confident enough to be wrong, admit what they do not know, take risks and fail, are really the ones that should be celebrated. Again a little dose of humility goes a long way in this situation.

Process + Passion

2006-08-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

I read a quote from Tom Peters that went something like this: "Process + Passion = Excellence".

This may be one of the most fundamental quotes I've ever read and I agree with it completely. Processes and rules are what allow passion to explode from within. Without structure passion has no direction and becomes meaningless. Given structure, a set or rules and processes that must either be followed or disobeyed, though, and all of a sudden passion has a framework to follow or fight, allowing the real magic to happen.

Ideally passion is guided by a good framework that challenges the passion while giving it the necessary support to make a difference. This causes the passion to explode onto the scene like water through a fire hose that is partially covered by your thumb.

The most interesting part, though, is that the magic may derive from breaking the rules and processes as if passion were a river blocked by a dam. All it takes is small hole in that dam through which the passion can break free from it's confinements. Not only will the passion explode with incredible force, it will completely destroy the dam.

Saved Drafts

2006-08-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

I've gotten into the habit of saving every important email or blog that I write for at least a day to reflect on it. Most of these emails and blog posts are written in a burst of inspiration and it helps to put it down for a day to see it through eyes that are not tinted with the euphoria or inspiration. I've also started to notice that this habit is applicable in a lot of situations. Sometimes taking a day to reflect on something and put it in perspective can help you manage over-reactions quite well. Food for thought...

Shut Up

2006-07-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

More and more I find myself realizing how important it is in business to keep your mouth shut and listen. Here are some of the advantages:

1) Hear what your customers are saying. It makes it a lot easier to sell to them when they are telling you what they want (this happens a lot).

2) Hear what your employees are saying. They have great ideas and are going to be much more loyal to your company if you listen to them.

3) Find the best solution. I don't know how many times I've been in an intense debate where a great solution could have been found if I had just shut up and really listened to the other person - of course sometimes the other person would do well to shut up as well :).

4) When you actually do say something it will carry that much more weight.

Two Great Quotes

2006-07-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

It was on my fifth birthday that Papa put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Remember, my son, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.'

- Sam Levenson

Eighty percent of success is showing up.

- Woody Allen

So true, so true.

Looking Back

2006-07-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

It's funny, when I look back on those times in my past when I threw my self into a tough situation and had to fight tooth and nail to get out of it, I look back with pride and am glad I did it, no matter how miserable I was.

Which is not to say that you should constantly be making yourself miserable in order to get further along in life. Sitting back and enjoying yourself is fundamental. I just think I might be happier in the future if I can say that I took some risks, that I was miserable at points, but that at least I tried and didn't let life pass me by, regardless of what I've accomplished in the end. Even if I am successful and rich, I don't think the success and riches are going to be what makes me happy, rather it is going to be what I accomplished, how I did it, and all the interesting people I met along the way (yea I know, it's cheesy).

"That which is hard to endure is sweet to remember"

Movies: The art of the human experience

2006-07-21T23:21:00.000-07:00

I've always enjoyed movies. I never fall asleep during them, I just get so engaged by them. Tonight I realized that I am absolutely captivated by the human experience they present. It is an art form and the actors are the medium.

Maybe this is obvious to other people, but I never really regarded movies as anything more than entertainment. Now I realize how valuable the insight into the human experience they present is. It helps me every day in the business world when I have to try and put myself in someone else's shoes to see something from their perspective (which might be one of the most valuable skills someone can have in business).

Product vs. Feature vs. Company

2006-07-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a lot of talk around Silicon Valley these days about whether all these Internet companies that are springing up are really companies (check out TechCrunch for your daily dosage of new companies).

Most people claim that the vast majority of these companies are really just features. Although some of them are really just features built onto larger products like MySpace (e.g. mywhatspace.com), I think most of this rhetoric is meant to be undeservedly demeaning. Even these features are frequently significant enough to be considered products that simply interact well with a much larger product.

In my opinion the vast majority of companies springing up right now are simply developing products, just like every other company has done in the past. Just because any one of these products may not have enough potential behind it to power a significant company, doesn't mean that a given company might not produce another product as well, or improve a given product until it does have that potential.

If, at the end of the day, the entrepreneurs just sell their company before it becomes profitable or really even leaves the product development stage then that is fantastic. The fact of the matter is that people in the valley are taking more risks by developing 8 different versions of a given product. The few that stick the most get bought up by larger companies, leaving the entrepreneurs with a healthy profit. I think it has the makings of a very healthy and exciting economy. If, at the end of the day, the entrepreneurs are able to build their company into a self-sustaining entity, then all the better.

If, in the worst situation, their product does not really stick, then they move on to the next product, using the lessons they learned from the first time around to do a better job the second time around.

The only real loss is when entrepreneurs get discouraged by the demeaning rhetoric you hear so often. Maybe their product only has one innovative feature, but that innovation is then adopted by other products as well, creating a better product in the end. Even if the entrepreneurs never make a dime I guarantee you that the experience was more valuable than any typical salaried job will ever be.

The Ethical Trip - a revised look

2006-07-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

Over a year ago I wrote about an idea I had, The Ethical Trip. I was just rereading that post and realized that my thoughts on the subject had evolved just a bit. In that previous post I listed the three p's in this order:

People, Products, Profits

but I now believe that the order of importance should be:

People, Profits, Products

Of course CommunityWalk is run by one person and is not yet profitable, so clearly I have a little ways to go.

A look at testing: Finding the effect closer to the cause

2006-07-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

This is the number one reason I appreciate testing my code: It allows me to figure out the effects of my code while I am writing it.

I think this particular reason is accentuated for me because I have an absolutely horrid memory. After I've written code I generally forget all of the reasons behind why I did it a certain way. So if I am told that some code I wrote caused a bug that I did not foresee, in some other place in the codebase, then I need to go back and figure out everything I was trying to do while writing the buggy code and try to fix the bug that it caused.

Testing benefits this situation in two distinctive ways.

1) It helps me find that obscure problem somewhere else in the code that my code caused because I can run the tests for that obscure area of the code and get immediate feedback about whether or not I broke anything.

2) If, for some reason, the tests for that obscure area of the code do not alert me to the problem, I have now written extensive tests for my area of the code. This way my tests will tell me if I break anything with my original code while trying to fix the bug.

I can not tell you how many times #2 has helped me. Even when I am writing my own code I find myself creating bugs in areas of the code that I wrote a day before. The fact of the matter is that code gets complicated fast and it is very difficult/impossible to keep all of the ins and outs of your code straight. Testing is a lifesaver in this regard.

My Best and Worst Move

2006-07-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

I began developing CommunityWalk back in March of 2005, over a year ago. For the vast majority of that time I would work in the evening and weekends while working at my full-time job during the day.

I released CommunityWalk to the public back in October in a very, very raw form. At the time I was desperate to release the product. I was incredibly fearful that someone would beat me to the punch.

In hindsight that seems so ridiculous. The initial release did little more than inspire quite a few other Google Maps implementations. Only recently, after fleshing the site out more and really developing it has it begun to catch on. It basically suffered from a big case of First Mover Disadvantage.

That said, releasing early was probably the best move I could have made, just for different reasons. By releasing it early I was able to get the attention necessary to find and partner with the right people to move the project further. Just having the site live has opened many a door. It has also allowed me to bring the community alng for the ride, making them more invested in the product.

So I think it is largely situational. If I were to do it again starting now, with all the contacts I have made and everything I have learned over the past year I would not release it nearly as early. Looking back on the decision at the time, though, I think the net effect of rushing the product out to marker is positive and I don't regret it at all.