February 2012
1 post
How to build a Tivo alternative for under $700
Anyone that knows me will tell you I like messing around with AV equipment but I don’t really know what I am doing. I have setup and used many different systems including a whole home system from Russound with intercoms, Sonos, HDMI over Ethernet, iRule for making iPhones into universal remotes and much more. For the past 3 years I have stayed away from using cable company provided hardware...
May 2011
1 post
Timely is great for Twitter engagement except when...
My friends Dan and Ethan over at Flowtown created Timely, a great application for posting messages to Twitter at the time you will get the most engagement from your followers and I started using it a few months ago. Truthfully when I first saw the application I did not care about the scheduling part based around engagement, I just wanted a place to keep tweets and links that I wanted to share at...
January 2011
1 post
Three lessons learned at Starwood Hotels, one...
I really love Starwood Hotels and I’ve stayed at many of their properties around the world, and enjoyed the benefits of the Starwood Preferred Guest Program. Having spent many nights with them, I was expecting a good experience when we decided to stay local for the Grasshopper yearly off-site planning session, and visit the Le Meridien property in Cambridge, MA.
Even if you pay for 24...
December 2010
1 post
Who will you French kiss this New Years?
Everyone knows that the week after Christmas (and before the new year) is pretty slow; at Grasshopper alone, I think at least half of our office is on vacation. Certainly a good time for a break, but if you’re like the folks at Moosejaw, it’s also a great time to experiment with some fun (and slightly bizarre) marketing. Case in point is the online retailer’s promotional email sent out today,...
November 2010
2 posts
Observations While in a Virgin Lounge for 8 Hours
Sitting in the Virgin Atlantic London Heathrow lounge for more than 8 hours today gave me a chance to see the operation from busy to slow, and then back to busy again. While waiting to depart for South Africa, I was lucky enough to enjoy some food, a quick rest and an entire movie on my laptop. Here are a few observations about the Virgin Lounge, created by a company I love.
All about the...
We did it! The President Proclaims November 19th... →
October 2010
3 posts
Why Cycling Is A Lot Like Entrepreneurship
This past season I completed four sprint triathlons after a friend completed his Ironman journey. Beyond finding a sport made for entrepreneurs that I enjoy, I now know why all entrepreneurs should cycle.
Unknown roads with hills Even with GPS, you will end up on roads you have never been on and turn corners to see hills that just hurt to go up, which is very similar to the entrepreneurial...
2 tags
How to Break the Trust of Your Customers in Just...
As entrepreneurs and human beings, we make mistakes everyday in our business, but most of the time the mistakes are small enough so that it doesn’t land us in the press for all the wrong reasons. On Monday, October 11th, Chargify made a massive mistake in making the announcement about a change in pricing; as far as mistakes go, this one was pretty gargantuan. Plain and simple, we did a horrible...
September 2010
2 posts
3 tags
EO Alchemy 2010 Presentation
A few months ago a friend from LA invited me to talk at EO Alchemy 2010, what a great event. Amazing set of speakers, great event production, and everything was done right. Here is the video of me speaking at the event. Warning: I start a bit slow as I had been up for 24 hours.
July 2010
1 post
3 tags
Lean Startup: Why Accountants Don't Run Startups
Watch this great keynote from Steve Blank on what a startup really means, the transition to a large company and the power of teaching lean startup methods.
The embed code from Justin.tv is broken, so go here
June 2010
2 posts
1 tag
How to Inject a Little Vegas Into Your Business:...
My experience with Jordan’s Furniture began when I visited the Framingham, MA, store a while back to find a sofa for my house. I thought I was headed into a typical furniture store, but instead, it was like stepping into a crazy alternate universe where there were big screen TVs and recliners at every turn. Jordan’s doesn’t feel quite like a store, but it doesn’t feel quite...
3 tags
How to give the most amazing TED talk
If you know anything about me, you know my dream is to give a TED talk at some point in my life. So when I saw the tedPAD, and this video, it was love at first sight. With all the data available on TED talks, the statistics show everything from topics, to what color to use for creating the best presentation. They even help you figure out what to wear, so it looks like I may need to get some...
May 2010
3 posts
1 tag
3 things to determine if a technical co-founder is...
Like all of the other answers to life’s “big questions,” there is no simple response to the question, “How do I know if my technical co-founder is any good?” There certainly isn’t a test technical co-founders can take, and by no means is a rich professional history an indicator of how good a technical co-founder will be in a start-up situation. To make matters...
2 tags
Software patents are killing innovation and music
The U.S. Constitution said that American inventors could protect their unique inventions with something called a ‘patent’. In 1953, the Patent Act was introduced and it stipulated that we also needed to protect unique “processes” leading to the creation of a specific product. At the time, the Patent Act was referencing industrial or mechanical processes—physical...
1 tag
Are tech startups like rock bands?
I just love this infographic produced by Shane Snow showing how a tech startup is like a rock band. While I do not agree with steps five and seven it is an interesting comparison.
April 2010
4 posts
2 tags
How to find a technical co-founder
“How do I find a technical co-founder?” I get this question all the time, and quite frankly, there isn’t an easy answer. However, it goes without saying that a technical co-founder is critical to the success of web startup. I went to Babson College, where everyone majors in business, but this environment is very similar to the real world in that many there was a separation...
2 tags
(Totally Manageable) Risks and Dangers of Having a...
Having a co-founder comes with amazing benefits, as I outlined in the first post in this series. However, having a co-founder is not without some inherent risks. The good news is that when these risks are well managed, the relationship can be beneficial for everyone involved, and can drive your company towards success. As any project manager would tell you, the best way to mitigate risk is by...
2 tags
Ride the Entrepreneur Rollercoaster
Life is full of ups and downs. If you’re an entrepreneur, there are a whole lot more of them. The ride many entrepreneurs take is so bumpy that many have dubbed it “the entrepreneur rollercoaster.” As you struggle to launch and grow your business, you’ll experience those highs and lows over and over again, sometimes with the same venture, and most definitely with each new...
2 tags
Why you should have a co-founder
Welcome to a series of posts on the subject of co-founders: why to have one, finding one, dangers or risks associated with co-founders, and then, finally, how to work with them. I am a firm believer in the value of having a co-founder, both from personal experience as well as talking to other entrepreneurs, many of whom had co-founders when growing their businesses, and some that did not. Even...
February 2010
4 posts
2 tags
Our food is killing us, hear it from Jamie Oliver...
If you are not familiar with TED talks you are missing out. While I have never had the privilege to attend in person, the opportunity to watch the talks—which are posted online—is available to everyone, and something I take advantage of. Many great and provocative new concepts have come from TED, from the touch screen concept of the iPhone, to Al Gore’s discussion of global...
1 tag
Entrepreneurship isn't one-size-fits-all
With the advent of so many awesome resources for entrepreneurs, there’s no lack of advice out there for the smart and enterprising entrepreneur. But after you’ve heard from the thought leaders, advisors, board members, family, friends and maybe even the person you sit next to on the plane, what do you DO with all of it, and how do you even know if you should take advice? I like to tell...
American Airlines (AA) needs to go out of business
We often hear about how tough the airline industry is and how so many of the large U.S. carriers struggle with everything from union issues to a drop in travel. However, the more I fly, the more it is clear to me that the worst airlines might in fact be impacted by all those issues, but what they really struggle with is a culture of mediocrity, which creates inefficient and ineffective processes.
...
What should Conan do?
In case you’ve been living under a rock, there has been a lot of talk recently about Conan O’Brien and the fate of The Tonight Show, which he began hosting in May of 2009, just 8 months ago, and was abruptly pulled from by NBC due to supposed loss of viewership last week. Conan delivered his final show on Friday, January 22nd, and in the wake of his departure, many wondered whether NBC...
January 2010
4 posts
2 tags
"Ultra-light" Entrepreneur Toolkit
With lots of talk about “cloud-this” and “outsourced-that,” it’s becoming easier than ever for an entrepreneur to start their journey. While these tools are probably best suited to online or technology companies, many of these same things apply to any new business venture.
“Cloud” or “shared infrastructure” There’s no need have a...
2010: The year of monetization
Everyone has predictions for 2010; I’ve read many blog posts about the top M&A deals that will happen, what industries will be hot for VC money, and what will happen in social media. So I’ve decided to throw my hat into the ring and put out my own prediction:
2010, the first year of the new decade, will be the year of monetization.
Everyone is tired of gobbling up great ideas...
Two questions every entrepreneur should ask...
Goals and resolutions run rampant this time of year. For entrepreneurs, aspirations for our companies in the year ahead, and thoughts about how to get there, loom large. Sitting on the plane on the way back from a five day off-site executive planning retreat, I thought I would write about two great questions every entrepreneur should ask themselves, and their teams.
How do we double sales this...
3 tags
3 Types of Angel Investors and How to Pick the...
“We’re looking for angel investment, who should we talk to?”
I get this question a lot (and I mean a lot). As a result, I thought it would be useful to write a post about the three main types of angel investors and how to figure out which one you want.
The other reason I’m writing this post is because way too many young entrepreneurs become obsessed with raising angel and...
December 2009
3 posts
3 tags
Core values, culture, entrepreneurship and...
Doing a quick end of year cleanup while preparing for a great 2010 I found this video of a keynote I gave a few months ago in Pensacola, FL for the iTen Wired Summit 2009. A big thank you to Celia Hilton from Hilton Heads Productions for editing this to 5 minutes.
3 tags
Some of my favorite ads from 2009
It’s that time of the year when everyone publishes their “best of” lists, the year in review, top blog posts, and so on. Not one to buck the trend, I thought I would contribute to this flow of content with some clever and fun ads from 2009.
These are a few of my favorite ads from 2009 and ones that I could easily remember, meaning they stuck with me for some reason. What were...
4 tags
LessConf 2009: How to build a company beyond the...
I had the privilege of being invited to talk at LessConf in October and it was one of the best conferences I have been to in a while. The other speakers were amazing and I learned a ton. From thinking differently about design and conventions from the Contrast.ie guys to how Wufoo does support, it was an all-around awesome experience. I had a great time chatting with Mike from FreshBooks and even...
November 2009
2 posts
1 tag
Can Hulu, Apple, and Netflix Change the Way We...
How many channels do you watch on TV? If you’re like me, probably just a handful out of the hundreds of them that come with your cable package each month. But cable providers don’t give you the option of selecting which channels you really want to see as part of your package, so you’re forced to pay for content you’re never going to watch. So what do people do if they...
October 2009
5 posts
Nando Parrado Talks Survival and Success
What would you do if the plane you were on crashed into the snow-covered Andes, you survived the crash with an injury, but then you had to figure out how to survive a night in horribly cold and treacherous conditions? Imagine what that would be like—not having food, enough clothing, perhaps even injured, and never having seen or felt cold snow before.
Now imagine having to face those...
1 tag
The Power of Gratitude
In between meetings, projects looming on the immediate horizon, and the rushed interactions of modern life, have you stopped to say thank you to the people who make everything happen? Not in a glib or half-hearted way, but really stopped and recognized all they do? If so, did you then express your gratitude in a meaningful way? I started thinking about this because I just finished reading The...
4 tags
Learn how to fund a web app startup from nothing...
If you’re in the web app startup space, no doubt you’ve heard the big news during TechCrunch50 that Mint was acquired for $170M. That’s a very high return on a company that did a great job visualizing data from Yodlee. What is Mint? It’s a great service that allows you to track all your accounts, expenses, budget and more. Many people, even ones that use the service,...
Does 160mph Wind Make You More Creative and Fuel...
You’re brain is tired, but your body wants to go. I find this to be the typical sensation following one of our quarterly off-site planning sessions for Grasshopper. I’ve looked at data, talked for hours, and at the end of it all, it’s nice to give your mind a rest and find an outlet for that pent-up physical energy.
See the indoor skydiving video and full post at Grasslands, the...
2 tags
The Great American Healthcare Debate Depicted in...
Whatever your perspective on the great American healthcare debate, it’s undeniable that the discussion has spawned some interesting presentations of people’s various viewpoints. The two that stood out to me were “Healthcare Napkins All” by Dan Roam and C. Anthony Jones and this animated video I found on YouTube called, “Health Care Reform Thought Bubble.” While...
September 2009
3 posts
1 tag
How to Avoid "Obligation Overload"
We all have a lot of obligations these days—not just at our jobs, but in our private lives—to our families and to our so-called “personal brand,” our commitments to organizations as well as individual pursuits such as fine-tuning specific skills with classes so we can remain at the “top of our game.” But that’s just it—sometimes all of these...
2 tags
Unique office spaces with slides, scooters and...
Although a company’s culture is mostly an abstract concept, real, physical things such as a company’s physical plant and design can play a significant role in shaping its unique culture. The way a space is designed and enhanced can influence productivity, general outlook, and a lot more. There are many companies out there that sell expensive furniture and chairs to make an office...
The Healthcare Debate Needs to Head in a Different...
When you’re hiring someone, one of the questions always asked is, “Have you done this kind of work before?” If the candidate says they have, it’s important to determine the quality of their work—that is, did they do a good job? What’s their track record? I view the current healthcare debate from a similar standpoint. As Americans, we need to hire someone to fix...
August 2009
2 posts
1 tag
Netflix Company Culture Slides Provide Key...
This past week I was very interested to read the “leaked” 128-slide Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) culture presentation. It is great to see large companies taking culture seriously and it is obvious this presentation was not leaked since it was embedded on the company’s jobs page. Although the presentation is a quick read, it gives you a good idea of the culture they are trying to create...
1 tag
ClusterScale just "gets" load balancing, open...
A little over a year ago we started to look for a load balancing solution for both front end web application as well as the service layer of our applications. The first name which came to mind was F5 and within seconds the huge price tag came to mind, too. Trying to be economical, my next stop was Google, where I searched for other options. The typical providers surfaced: F5 again, Barracuda,...
July 2009
7 posts
1 tag
Ogilvy & Mather, Your Work Reminds Me of...
A little over two months ago, we released the video, “Entrepreneurs can change the world” to spark a movement to help turnaround the economy, remind entrepreneurs why they started out in the first place, and inspire others to go out there and realize their dreams. As an entrepreneur who serves other entrepreneurs, I hear stories about growth each day: how people went out and offered...
2 tags
Music from "Entrepreneurs can change the world"...
The Grasshopper 5000 campaign has been amazing for our company, and a large part of our success is due to the inspirational video we made for entrepreneurs (and, of course, the people that love them). As of today, the video has been viewed nearly 200,000 times on YouTube, and we’ve received mountains of feedback from entrepreneurs (many of whom are Grasshopper customers) and numerous...
What you can learn from brewing beer
Our quarterly strategic planning sessions always include an activity that’s interesting, fun, and team-building. We’ve done kart racing and snowmobiling in the past, and recently decided we were going to brew our own custom beer. We found Barleycorn’s Craft Brew in Natick, MA, and made a reservation to brew a red and an IPA. It was an interesting process with several steps...
3 tags
Warning: No PR or Ad Agencies Used in the Making...
You may have heard about our recent campaign to re-brand ourselves as Grasshopper on Mashable, in the Wall Street Journal, or from the recent post on MarketingProfs. The media attention really raised awareness about our marketing campaign, which involved sending 25,000 chocolate covered grasshoppers to 5,000 influential people across North America. In addition to the chocolate covered...
1 tag
How to get a job at Grasshopper (or any cool...
With so many people job hunting these days, it’s harder than ever to make your resume stand out from the crowd. As co-founder at Grasshopper, I look at tons of resumes each week. While occasionally I’ll find a diamond in the rough, more often than not, candidates stand out for the wrong reasons—there are typographical errors in their cover letters or resumes, or they promise a...
2 tags
Behind the scenes mailing 25,000 grasshoppers
You may have read about our recent campaign to spread the word about GotVMail’s re-branding as Grasshopper, or perhaps you were one of the 5,000 influential people that received a package of chocolate covered grasshoppers. Maybe you even read our case study on our unique marketing campaign. But I guarantee you don’t know about the blood, sweat, and tears that were shed to get this...