I’ve been fortunate to work with and learn from some talented leaders. Dwolla is hiring a VP of Sales which got me into a long conversation about this topic with Jenna Hogan, who runs talent at Dwolla. We were talking about some shared positive traits in leaders and I thought it would make for an… Continue reading Building leadership teams
Category: written-words
Thoughts on automation
Like most people who will read this I spend a lot of time with startups. Something startups tend to agonize over is what to do vs. what not to do. They also further analyze those decisions by considering what will scale versus what won't. Multiple times a week I hear “that won’t scale, we shouldn’t do/be… Continue reading Thoughts on automation
The relationship between Ames and Des Moines
Ames and Des Moines have developed a symbiotic relationship. I think a lot of entrepreneurs feel it's a odd relationship but aren't sure why. For reasons unbeknownst to us the technology communities haven't historically collaborated well but that's changing. I was thinking recently about why the connection between the two cities feels so important and… Continue reading The relationship between Ames and Des Moines
Where to invest the time?
There's this great saying about giving first, giving often and giving with no expectation of getting anything in return. Brad and the Techstars teams have done a tremendous job of evangelizing this around the world. While I agree with all of this I've struggled a lot with how to have confidence that I'm giving to… Continue reading Where to invest the time?
Concerned about Iowa
The past 96 hours in my home have been emotional. Wednesday night when I arrived home, an out of state coworker shared with me news from the NY Times covering the Iowa Bill - Senate File 359. A bill with a title that reads like a one person horror show; AN ACT PROHIBITING AND REQUIRING… Continue reading Concerned about Iowa
I can’t.
I remember the day my friend shot himself in the head. He got into an argument with his girlfriend at the time, put a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. He wasn't a good friend per se, but he was a friend. I liked him, cared about him, and remember always having fun… Continue reading I can’t.
How Fast is Mediacom’s 1G service?
Our family has had CenturyLink internet services at the house for a while and they are reliable but the speed hasn't been that great. It's advertised at 60mb and normally I'd see 30-25 over ethernet, and ~10-15 over wifi. Sometimes that lagged even lower. Since we don't have cable and all of our TVs and devices use… Continue reading How Fast is Mediacom’s 1G service?
Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Over the years I've done quite a few interviews and not many questions stump me anymore but this one did. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? It's not very often someone asks a question about you in a interview. I came home and talked about it and realized that I'm an introvert whose job… Continue reading Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Saying Goodbye To Old Products
I shared this with a friend a few years ago. It's humbling to work on a project long enough to see most of your best work replaced by something new. A lot of the work I contributed to in the early days at Dwolla, we've shut down or replaced. Even my early business models have… Continue reading Saying Goodbye To Old Products
Showing up
I was having a conversation with Jami this afternoon at brunch about different books that friends or acquaintances have written and how that ends up changing our relationship with them, normally for the better, because of how much more we know about them and the depth of what we're able to discuss when we are… Continue reading Showing up