“You must facilitate an environment that is tolerant of mistakes. Without that none of your employees will take a risk and without the willingness to take risks you cannot assert yourself in the marketplace.”
Describe the most exciting minute of your entrepreneurial journey so far.
I can’t think of any one specific minute, however, the most exciting part of this journey has been the learning experience of building a software product and bringing it to market. When your first starting out you begin with many assumptions, most of them wrong, only through the experience of trying to sell a product, getting feedback from customers, then working that feedback into a development cycle have we found success. I am not talking a survey. Survey’s exchange peoples time for information. When your trying to sell a product there is an exchange of value, solving peoples problems is the only way to exchange value and transcend a market.
What entrepreneurial hacks have you developed to stay focused and productive in your day-to-day?
Trusting your people and delegating authority and responsibility to them is the best hack I can think of. When you are running a company trusting, at some points business critical responsibility, to your lieutenants is of paramount importance. It allows you to do thing faster and with less mistakes. At the same time you must facilitate an environment that is tolerant of mistakes. Without that none of your employees will take a risk and without the willingness to take risks you cannot assert yourself in the marketplace.
What systems have you set up in your business to help it grow?
In a startup time is a scarce resource. Outsourcing HR to PEO companies, accounting to fractional CFO’s, etc.. allows you to spend more time on what you are trying to build with less distraction. At the same time when you are young starting a company watch the partying. It is easy to take part in every pitch competition, or attend every TechCrunch event. But the reality is those events will not build your business for you. Only you can do that. It’s ok to have a good time but stay focused on your customer.
When you’re not working, what do you like to do?
I enjoy reading and military history. Ask Wayne I made him take us to a old Nuclear Missile Silo… I am also an avid runner I really like hitting the pavement turning my brain off and just cruising.