I've been building FinTech products for the better part of 10 years and this is at the heart of every bank conversation I've ever had. The discussion always goes in different directions. I asked this question on Twitter and at the time the question was somewhat rhetorical. I thought the answers would be more consistent… Continue reading What’s a dollar on deposit worth?
Category: written-words
Hiring a new CEO
I told the Dwolla team this morning that we are hiring a new CEO, whom I and the rest of the board are going to recruit. I've replaced myself in every role I've ever had in this company and this will be no different. Change is a required part of growth. I'll stay involved but… Continue reading Hiring a new CEO
20 20
Jami sent me a text yesterday about it being the last day of the decade and I didn't really think about it that way until I read it. The day itself is not that different than most other days. I said my goodbye's to my family, had a nice black coffee, and came to the… Continue reading 20 20
Capital Pool Conundrums
When money moves, en masse, there are typically collateral requirements somewhere. To oversimplify it, that's basically money (cash) one party has to give someone else in case something goes wrong. Sophisticated organizations might be able to use a bond, letter of credit, debt vehicle, or some other type of asset but most of us get… Continue reading Capital Pool Conundrums
Teaching Iowa Students to Code
I recently attended an interesting group discussion about getting students in Iowa, specifically rural Iowa, access to computer science skills. The state has a desire to do something and the resources to match but one of the challenges has been getting the right teachers in the schools to teach technology classes. It's not a problem… Continue reading Teaching Iowa Students to Code
A Simple OKR Template
Goals are normally driven on a company strategy that is informed by company vision. This could be as vague or sharp as it makes sense for your organization. Ideally vision looks out 10 years, strategy is a 1-3 year thing, and goals are a quarterly thing which can be measured on a daily basis, ideally.… Continue reading A Simple OKR Template
Building Monetery
Building Monetery has been a wonderful experience in building community. The conference experience is influenced by various other conferences around the world. It's quite small and it's meant to be a bit niche. I'd even go as far to say it's a boutique conference... It has its own style and approach. The conference also has… Continue reading Building Monetery
Middlebit
Happy to share Middlebit with you. It's a simple idea. Middlebit is a link aggregator and community website for those of us working on projects in the no-coast region. It's a continuation of some of my other community focused work. A while back I helped stand up a company called Clay & Milk. The whole… Continue reading Middlebit
Good Habits
I recently took a true vacation. A week off-grid with my family in the mountains with just a hot tub, endless trees, silence, and each other. When I got back I could feel myself walking differently, breathing more deeply, and I kept wanting to get on my bike or get closer to sunlight. Over the… Continue reading Good Habits
Talking About It
Over the past few months I've done a few podcasts with friends. For various reasons, podcasts have been a good way for me to dip my toe back into the water doing some speaking. Something I enjoy about podcasts is that unlike a media interview there is typically less focus on soundbites in ~5 minute… Continue reading Talking About It