Among the challenges I did not expect when starting a business was the constant stream...
Since starting Draft.dev in 2020, I’ve had the opportunity to work with dozens of open...
If you follow me on social media or hear me on podcasts, you probably think...
A lot of new entrepreneurs ask me what books they should read (or which ones...
When I started my Draft.dev in 2020, my goal was to build a business that...
You can’t spend 10 minutes on the internet without hearing about AI, and yes, I...
One of the first roles founders take on is that of sales leader. In fact,...
In 2022, my company, Draft.dev was growing rapidly. My team was solidifying and I had...
Fear has been both a fantastic motivator and the biggest limiting factor I have faced...
Only 9% of small businesses reach $1 million or more in revenue. This is shocking...
Having kids is a valuable experience for entrepreneurs. I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s way...
I’ll be honest, I’ve never experienced burnout. I’ve always enjoyed my work, especially since I...
Almost two years after starting Draft.dev, I took a step back and realized that my...
Hiring a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is a difficult feat at the best of times....
You are finally ready to climb the mountain. You’ve spent 10 years learning, preparing, and...
Hiring is always hard. Even with 10 years of experience leading teams at startups, I...
I went to MicroConf for the first time a couple of weeks ago. While I...
I recently joined Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), a peer group for business owners with chapters across...
There are lots of ways to make money online, but one of the oldest is...
If you spend much time in online forums about startups, one of the most persistent...
Last year, I went through the process of evaluating payroll software tools, so I figured...
“Every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don’t intend to waste any of...
Last year I took a leap. After years of working with startups, I decided I...
I started many side projects of varying success before going full-time on my own business...
I’m basically living the indie hacker’s dream. I run a small, profitable, bootstrapped business that...
I’ve gotten to know a lot of marketing managers at startups since I started working...
I was having a conversation with a friend recently and she told me about her...
I’ve had three jobs with startups where my ultimate interview was directly with the founders....
Question What is one way for an entrepreneur to decrease risk when starting a business?...
An entrepreneur comes up with an idea and creates a new business out of it,...
Question What is a common mistake that small-business owners make when their businesses begin growing?...
Earlier this year, I decided to get an iPad as a more portable work device....
It’s been less than a year since I started Draft.dev and we’ve already built up...
When I started my business last year, I knew I wanted to pay myself something...
I’ve always been very intentional about building my network, so when I started Draft.dev it...
Last year, I read two books that changed my perspective on work. The first was...
How do you manage your project workflows? Effective project management is crucial to the success...
Some believe that creating a successful software startup is about nothing more than making a...
When I left my job to start Draft.dev last year, I knew there were pros...
A friend recently asked me for help with her startup’s landing page. While I’m not...
The two fastest ways to kill your startup are: Having no business model. Having an...
There are an average of 12,000 new startups founded daily in the US. To gain...
After almost ten years working for startups, I’ve seen some pretty wild things. One startup...
One of my friends recently brought up the idea of consulting for startups. He’s been...
When left my full-time job last year, I started thinking about the lifestyle I wanted...
I remember the first time I sat down for a job interview with a startup...
I was talking with an entrepreneur and investor here in Chicago recently, and he pointed...
I once shared office space with a quickly-growing startup in downtown Chicago. This company seemed...
When I joined my first startup almost ten years ago, most of the prevailing wisdom...
I’ve worked in startups my whole career, first as a software engineer, then as a...
Google is the most widely-used search engine in the world, and the company now offers...
As a startup founder, you get pulled in a million different directions from the moment...
A lot has happened in 2020. As this strange and unsettling year comes to a...
Being a great CTO requires insight and vision in both technology and business. You have...
“Most of all, there is this truth: No matter how great your teachers may be,...
When I graduated from college, my dream was to lead a team at a startup....
In 2016 when I joined The Graide Network, I was the first developer. With the...
In the days of Web 1.0, entrepreneurs had to learn code or hire web developers...
When I first graduated from college and went looking for a job with a startup...
“Chief Technology Officer” (or “CTO”) sounds like a glamorous title. It’s right up there with...
How large is your online footprint? Marketing your startup is a matter of getting your...
People will continue to request more of your time until you say no. I was...
My backlog of project ideas is long. Like, ridiculously long. Even though I clean it...
Web applications are getting more and more popular, but in 2018, what’s the best way...
Creating custom software should be the last resort for early stage startups. Writing good software...
I know this is a little off base from my usual posts about software, technology,...
I’ve been spending a little time every week promoting the Side Project Marketing Checklist I...
Like many developers, I’ve been building side projects in my spare time for years. One...
As a startup developer I’m always trying to strike a balance between pragmatism and optimization....
I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with entrepreneurs who fit into the...
Since publishing this post in August, 2015 I’ve become somewhat fanatical about getting my company’s...
When I first wrote this in September, 2014 I was just a few months in...
When I wrote this in September, 2014 I was managing an offshore dev team for...
I first published this post in February, 2015 when I was just getting back into...
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go...
Back when I was first starting out, I was actually more interested in technical marketing...
I wrote this post back in September of 2012. I had just started my first...
I’ve always been pretty good at dealing with stress, but as I get older and...
There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who take responsibility when they...
Since I wrote this post back in May, 2012, many more online companies have been...
In 2012 when I wrote this post I was getting jaded with Twitter. For about...
When I wrote this article in April of 2012, Instagram had just been bought by...
I used to struggle with staying focused. Since I first wrote this article in March,...
Back in March, 2012 when I wrote and first published this post and was doing...
This post was originally published in March of 2012, and since then the world of...
Messaging platforms like Slack, Snapchat, WeChat, Allo, and What’s App are all the rage -...
As I’ve entered my late 20’s and begun to solidify my career path in startups,...
After over 2 and a half years at Packback, I’ve decided to move on and...
As I enter my second full year of working with Packback, I can say that...
This month marked the end of my first startup experience and the beginning of my...